Summary

Book titled 'A Young Man and a Nail Can', published in 1921 by the Melbourne businessman Macpherson (Mac) Robertson, founder of the MacRobertson confectionary business in Melbourne. The book is a proud statement of commercial achievement, including interior and exterior factory photographs and full-colour photographs of products and packaging.

The book belonged to former MacRobertson Pty Ltd employee John Henry Baker. Mac has signed the book with compliments to 'Mr Philip Barker'. (It is not known who Philip Barker was - a man of this name did serve in World War II, enlisting at Laverton in February 1940, service no.8750.) John Baker had worked in the Accounts Branch from 1937 to 1941 as an office clerk, and left at the age of 21 in November 1941 to serve in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. After the war he completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme (CRTS), married and became a French teacher in Victorian high schools.

Physical Description

Hard-covered book, 152 pages (plus additional leaves front and back). Cover has purple textile finish, with gold lettering on front. Inside covers is gold paper with floral pattern (perhaps packaging material from chocolates); frontispiece is printed orange paper with a drawing of Mac Robertson as a boy, making confectionary, with a photo of his head overlain. Following double page is sepia-toned reproduction of painting of factory complex. Inside pages are largely black and white factory photographs, within printed green mounts, with captions below; latter part of book features full-colour images of MacRobertson confectionary, delivery trucks, displays, and even a luxurious 'Lounge Reception Room'. The book is signed by the author inside.

More Information