"Smith's Weekly" is remembered fondly for some reason, apparently for its larrikinism, its great jokes and its art work. Reading this history, by one of its former employees, shows it to be racist, dull and have no great artwork.

We're told early on that one of the main beliefs of "Smith's Weekly" was that it was for the white man (although it liked "good jews"). Bad jews, Asians and Aboriginals (referred to as "Abos" throughout this book) were either targets of bile or figures of fun (the book runs a number of comics of a caricature of an Aboriginal man, named "Jackie", who, you'll be surprised to hear, can't speak properly and is lazy).

The author keeps mentioning how funny the comics and the writing in "Smith's Weekly" was, yet, of all the dozens of examples he gives, I smiled once, when "Condoblin" was used as a euphemism.

If nothing else though, "Remember Smith's Weekly" is worth reading to remind us that it wasn't that long ago that mainstream publications carried such eyebrow raising material, and that attitudes towards foreigners hasn't changed that much in the 65 years since "Smith's Weekly" ended its run.

And in the author's photo, it honestly looks like a caterpillar is resting over his upper lip. ( )