In 1959-60 Ken Hale documented around seventy Australian languages using the methods of modern linguistics and anthropology. In the years since, Hale (now Emeritus Professor at MIT) has written and published numerous papers on theoretical and descriptive topics, made his field records available to several generations of linguists, and encouraged native speakers in studying and maintaining their languages. The volume starts with several chapters dealing directly with Hale's fieldwork, beginning as he did in Alice Springs with Arrernte and Warlpiri. These include first-hand accounts, by Sara Hale and others, of what it was like grappling with fresh ideas and being in the field in Australia in the 1960s, and serve to place his work in the broader context of Australian language studies. The breathtaking scope of Hale's contribution, both in terms of languages documented and topics examined, is reflected in the diversity of languages and topics covered by the remaining chapters: theory, typology, methodology; syntax, semantics, phonology, morphology, historical linguistics, language change and creativity, and language policy implementation.