J Stanley Johnston was one of Sydney's sheet music retailers during the mid twentieth century. By the 1930s Johnston's were firmly established at their 437 George Street premises and by the 1950s were having success selling a range of musical items including musical instruments, sheet music, radios and records. Around this time they also established Stanley Johnston's Musical Industries which is possibly where the Johnston 5 key fife was built. This catalogue represents a range of the sheet music sold by Johnston's in the late 1940s and early 1950s and therefore gives an overview of the kinds of music popular amongst musicians, both professional and amateur, in Sydney at this time.