The Paper War addresses a myriad of problems associated with the interpretation of nineteenth-century primary sources related to missions, imperialism, and Aborigines in Australia. Anna Johnston, a literary scholar at the University of Tasmania, argues “for a close re-reading of key texts of our colonial past in order to shift the debates surrounding the history wars” (221). Johnston reexamines the past in an effort to address the politics of the present by delving into the life and work of a controversial and colorful missionary, Reverend Lancelot Edward Threlkeld (1788–1859). An evangelical who operated under the auspices of the London Missionary Society, Threlkeld headed the Lake Macquarie mission and established himself as a linguist and an advocate for Aborigines. However, Threlkeld's social status, combativeness, and a whole host of other issues undermined his labors and the mission failed. Johnston believes the examination of Threlkeld's story raises important questions about how the archival record is enmeshed in problematic colonial and post-colonial contexts that undermine a simple reading of texts and events. The focus on archives as a contested space is essential for Johnston's argument and causes her narrative to travel back and forth from being, at times, a lively story about colonial and ecclesiastical politics in New South Wales to a jargon-laced form of analysis immersed in a constant dialogue with critical theory and Australian politics. Despite the cumbersome presentism of the book, the story of the warring preachers and persecuted Aborigines in New South Wales remains essential for understanding the troubled venture of missions in Australia.