Horne's book captured an uncertainty about Australia's future that troubled thoughtful people, contemplating rising consumption, nearby war, and a nation awakening from British transplants.
His pithy diagnoses condemned past complacency, and chapter headings such as 'What is an Australian?' and 'Living with Asia' reflected a society on the brink of change.
Six decades later, Australians face issues like cost of living and housing crises, making it easy to overlook Horne's ambitious, probing critique of the nation.
Horne was a journalist and academic who moved from right to left, using vivid irony to distil the nation's state and critique its ruling class.
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