Koby Abberton emerges like a shark on to the sand at Maroubra Beach. Tattooed from shoulder to shoulder, his body bares letters like teeth: 'My brothers keeper'. In this multi-award-winning history of the Bible in Australia, historian Meredith Lake gets under the skin of a text that's been wrestled with, preached and tattooed, and believed to be everything from a resented imposition to the very Word of God. A must-read for non-believers and believers alike, The Bible in Australia, now with a new preface, explores how in the hands of Bible-bashers, immigrants, suffragists, evangelists, unionists, writers, artists and Indigenous Australians, the Good Book has played a defining and contested role in this country. 'From the opening words about Bra Boy tattoos, this book had me gripped. It breathes colour, poetry and life into our understanding of the Bible in Australia.

A vital, much-needed addition to our understanding of faith in our country.' — Julia Baird

'Vivid story-telling and impossible to put down' — Mark McKenna

'An endlessly fascinating book…Lake brings a generosity of both mind and spirit to this vast story.' — Michael McGirr, Sydney Morning Herald