'Forest Family' arose initially out of the interest of Rod Giblett in the early pioneering history of his family during the mid-nineteenth century in the south-west forests of Western Australia. The book also arose out of a desire not to write the typical kind of family history that would only appeal to other members of the family. In general, family histories focus exclusively on people, and not on the places and their plants and animals that shaped and affected the family and its history. Such histories tend to ignore or downplay the plants, animals, and places that are agents and players in the family history. These might only have supporting or walk-on roles in the story, and the natural environment might only provide a backdrop against which human action takes place.