In 1944 the Australian literary world was rocked by a hoax which was to become a worldwide scandal. 'Ern Malley', deceased motor mechanic and poet, was the invention of two Sydney poets, James McAuley and Harold Stewart, both intent on proving that modern poetry was a sham. The work of Malley comprised lines and words selected particularly, from Shakespeare to an American report on the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

Max Harris published the poetry in the literary magazine Angry Penguins and when the hoax was revealed, was mercilessly lampooned, tried and convicted of publishing 'indecent advertisements'.

This definitive edition contains all of the poems, an introduction by Albert Tucker, and historical background to the affair by Max Harris and Colin Wilson. Harris has been vindicated, with both McAuley and Stewart's poems being "inexplicably" out of print for many years.