Australia's much acclaimed Text Publishing is on a mission to save the fading stars of Australian literature.

In a country where the print lives of books are rapidly diminishing (and it's almost impossible to procure the works of Patrick White, the country's one and only literary Nobel prize winner), Text are taking a new tack: cheap, new, well designed editions of out of print Australian classics.

From Matthew Flinders' account of his 1814 circumnavigation of the country, through to works by modern heroes such as Peter Temple, Kate Grenville, Martin Boyd, Helen Garner and the aforementioned Patrick White, these 30 books – all priced at $12.95 – are more than just bright sparks of our enduring literary scene. They're also essential, vibrant snapshots of a shared history that in Australia we so often seem all too ready to ignore.