Methodism was a distinctively British religious phenomenon; yet historically it became a broadly international religious movement that continually readapted to a myriad of local circumstances. Playing on that theme, this book coherently and clearly outlines the ways in which Methodism ‘can be seen as … the most Australian of churches’ (p. 277). Among other things this included colonial Australia providing a ‘level playing field in which the churches could compete for souls and may the best preachers win’ (p. 274) and the ‘relatively smooth path towards union’ (compared to Britain) which might reflect a ‘greater pragmatism on the part of Australian Methodists’ (p. 274). This is a sophisticated and wide-ranging collection of essays, expertly edited by Glenn O'Brien and Hilary Carey, which features a cast of well-respected Australian religious historians. It is nicely timed to coincide with the bicentenary of Methodism's formal introduction into the Australian colonies. For convenience it is divided into two parts. The first, labelled ‘Histories’, traces in broad chronological fashion the Australian Methodist story from Samuel Leigh's arrival in New South Wales in 1815, to the creation of an Australasian-wide Wesleyan Methodist Connexion in 1855, to the union of the various Methodist branches in 1902, and finally to the eventual incorporation of Methodists within the wider Australian Uniting Church in 1977. This section's strength lies in its differentiated regional focus (concise histories of Methodism in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia), and the chronological treatment of post-union Methodism through the lenses of empire, nationhood and cultural change (the impact of the ‘swinging sixties’, p. 275). The editors acknowledge the omission, for pragmatic reasons, of a history of the Northern Territories. Part ii, labelled ‘Themes’, selectively and carefully considers the wider significance of Methodism's place in Australian religion and society with respect to religious experience, worship and music, missions and Pacific regional connections, women, scholarship and Methodist historiography. Again the editors appropriately acknowledge other themes that could have been considered (theological education, social services and ecumenism). Others that could have been considered in discrete fashion are effectively integrated through and across the chapters. Given the complexities of Australia's geographical and political landscape, the resulting achievement is impressive for its ability to provide a nuanced religious history. As such it provides a benchmark, perhaps, for achieving the same for other federated contexts like Canada and the United States of America. It is appropriately reflexive in its consideration of intrinsic Methodist evolution (in a complex and often problematic colonial context) and of Methodism's relationship to wider society and culture. At the same time it is a nationally framed history (which is fairly defended by its editors), with a less successful tilt at acknowledging important transnational themes, connections and influences (especially with respect to the trans-Tasman and Pacific worlds). This is, however, less of a weakness than it is an invitation to further exploration. It is a timely history and a fitting contribution to Australian reflections on two hundred years of being Methodist in the great southern land.