A classic of Australian literature, The Education of Young Donald Trilogy combines Donald Horne's three autobiographies – The Education of Young Donald (1967), Confessions of a New Boy (1985) and Portrait of an Optimist (1988) – in one volume. Describing his formative years as he strays far from home, it tells how Donald moved among the social classes, strolled from one milieu to another, visited foreign lands, flirted between intellectual perspectives, had successes that were failures and failures that were successes and ends up, with an increasing sense of exile, playing courtier to a powerful man in a way quite different from anything intended.

With a keen intellect and a sharp wit, Horne portrays the rough and tumble world of journalism.

Donald Horne was an eager participant in 20th century public conversations that made Australia what it is today. His searching autobiographical trilogy introduces him to a new generation of readers.' – Edmund Campion

His three-volume autobiography is one of the major literary achievements of twentieth century Australia' – Meaghan Morris, Gleebooks Gleaner

a superb book.' – Peter Coleman, The Australian

Horne's trilogy of autobiography is his most substantial legacy, for its clarity of observation on the formation of Australia and on the strands of the Australian personality.' – Frank Moorhouse, quoted in The Australian

I commend it to you quite fiercely.' – Max Harris, The Australian

'an exhilarating inquiry into the sources and quality of the facts and ideas that made him' – H.G. Kippax, Sydney Morning Herald