From Bourke and Collins Streets to Lonsdale and Swanston, this book uncovers the pioneers, politicians, and visionaries whose names are stamped into Melbourne's map — and the political and social history behind them. Who was David Collins? Who was William Lonsdale? What did the gold rush do to a city still being built?

Told with the same narrative eye as the rest of the catalogue, this book doesn't shy away from the harder parts of that history either — including the impact of colonial expansion on the Indigenous peoples the settlers displaced. It's local history for anyone who's ever wondered what's actually behind the name on the street sign.