John Arnold has had a long association with Monash University, beginning as an arts undergraduate in the late sixties and early seventies. After working as a research assistant, bookseller and librarian, he returned to Monash in 1989 to join the recently established National Centre for Australian Studies. He retired from Monash as an Associate Professor at the end of 2012. In addition to being the co-editor of the Bibliography of Australian Literature (2001–2008), he has published widely in the fields of Australian studies and the history of the book.