This book traces the history of traditional social dancing in Australia from the days of the First Fleet.

In this book are detailed instructions (with diagrams of difficult steps) for 68 dances plus variations together with a complete glossary of the steps used. There is also the melody line of the music for 29 dances with notes and instructions for musicians, and suggestions for well-known tunes that can be played for the other dances and for alternative tunes.

Dances described include the folk dances brought out by the early settlers and dances here, the quadrilles and closed-couple dances characteristic of the nineteenth century and the Old Time (sequence) dances. The last chapter describes the kind of music used in the old days and how this can be adapted for present day use.