W. H. Chong has designed books for Text Publishing since its inception, but he has also been making other art all that time. The 300 portraits in this book are taken from drawings and paintings he has made over the last five to ten years.

In Portraits, with Chong as our guide, we encounter local legends as well as national icons — a unique group portrait of our cultural scene. Portraits is a joyous love letter to those who have followed their passions down less-travelled roads, our culture-makers in all their inspiring variety.

Among the well-known we meet Benjamin Law, Clare Wright, David Malouf, Elizabeth Harrower, Gareth Liddiard, Gerald Murnane, Heather B Swann, Helen Garner, Jack Charles, Jan Senbergs, Judith Brett, Kate Grenville, Les Murray, Michelle de Kretser, Paul Kelly and many more.

Gorgeously illustrated from cover to cover, Portraits is a beautifully produced hardback of 256 pages, with delightfully rounded corners.