Abbey's Advocate
DECEMBER 2018 • Selected Titles • Printable Version
Advocate - Australian Fiction
abbeys.com.au
The Naturalist's Daughter
Tea Cooper
$19.99
Paperback
A woman's bungled act of kindness sparks a chain of events that reverberates through the generations uncovering secrets, lies and the biggest scientific controversy of the nineteenth century, the classification of the platypus.
Two women, a century apart, are drawn into a mystery surrounding the biggest scientific controversy of the nineteenth century, the classification of the platypus.
1808 Agnes Banks, NSW Rose Winton wants nothing more than to work with her father, eminent naturalist Charles Winton, on his groundbreaking study of the platypus. Not only does she love him with all her heart, but the discoveries they have made could turn the scientific world on its head. When Charles is unable to make the long sea journey to present his findings to the prestigious Royal Society in England, Rose must venture forth in his stead. What she discovers there will change the lives of future generations.
1908 Sydney, NSW Tamsin Alleyn has been given a mission: travel to the Hunter Valley and retrieve an old sketchbook of debateable value, gifted to the Mitchell Library by a recluse. But when she gets there, she finds there is more to the book than meets the eye, and more than one interested party. Shaw Everdene, a young antiquarian bookseller and lawyer, seems to have his own agenda when it comes to the book but Tamsin decides to work with him to try and discover the book's true provenance. The deeper they delve, the more intricate the mystery becomes.
As the lives of two women a century apart converge, discoveries rise up from the past and reach into the future, with irrevocable consequences...
Two women, a century apart, are drawn into a mystery surrounding the biggest scientific controversy of the nineteenth century, the classification of the platypus.
1808 Agnes Banks, NSW Rose Winton wants nothing more than to work with her father, eminent naturalist Charles Winton, on his groundbreaking study of the platypus. Not only does she love him with all her heart, but the discoveries they have made could turn the scientific world on its head. When Charles is unable to make the long sea journey to present his findings to the prestigious Royal Society in England, Rose must venture forth in his stead. What she discovers there will change the lives of future generations.
1908 Sydney, NSW Tamsin Alleyn has been given a mission: travel to the Hunter Valley and retrieve an old sketchbook of debateable value, gifted to the Mitchell Library by a recluse. But when she gets there, she finds there is more to the book than meets the eye, and more than one interested party. Shaw Everdene, a young antiquarian bookseller and lawyer, seems to have his own agenda when it comes to the book but Tamsin decides to work with him to try and discover the book's true provenance. The deeper they delve, the more intricate the mystery becomes.
As the lives of two women a century apart converge, discoveries rise up from the past and reach into the future, with irrevocable consequences...
The Women in Black: Gift Edition
Madeleine St John
$24.99
Hardback
Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, The Women in Black is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives.
The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme...
By the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers.
With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence. The Women in Black is a great novel, a lost Australian classic.
The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow. But it's Sydney in the 1950s, and there's still just enough time left on a hot and frantic day to dream and scheme...
By the time the last marked-down frock has been sold, most of the staff of the Ladies' Cocktail section at F. G. Goode's have been launched into slightly different careers.
With the lightest touch and the most tender of comic instincts, Madeleine St John conjures a vanished summer of innocence. The Women in Black is a great novel, a lost Australian classic.
Advocate - Fiction
abbeys.com.au
Selection Day (TV Tie-In)
Aravind Adiga
$18.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Selection Day is a captivating, witty novel by the Man Booker Prize winning author of The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga.
'The most exciting novelist writing in English today' A. N. Wilson One of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2017
Manjunath Kumar is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket - if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn't know... Sometimes it seems as though everyone around him has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself.
When Manju begins to get to know Radha's great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju's world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that will challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him...
'The most exciting novelist writing in English today' A. N. Wilson One of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2017
Manjunath Kumar is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket - if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn't know... Sometimes it seems as though everyone around him has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself.
When Manju begins to get to know Radha's great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju's world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that will challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him...
If Beale Street Could Talk
James Baldwin
$22.99
Paperback • 240 pages
The inspiration for the upcoming feature film from Oscar award-winning director Barry Jenkins
'Achingly beautiful' Guardian
Harlem, the black soul of New York City, in the era of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. The narrator of Baldwin's novel is Tish nineteen, and pregnant. Her lover Fonny, father of her child, is in jail accused of rape. Flashbacks from their love affair are woven into the compelling struggle of two families to win justice for Fonny. To this love story James Baldwin brings a spare and impassioned intensity, charging it with universal resonance and power.
'If Beale Street Could Talk affirms not only love between a man and a woman, but love of a type that is dealt with only rarely in contemporary fiction - that between members of a family' Joyce Carol Oates
'Achingly beautiful' Guardian
Harlem, the black soul of New York City, in the era of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. The narrator of Baldwin's novel is Tish nineteen, and pregnant. Her lover Fonny, father of her child, is in jail accused of rape. Flashbacks from their love affair are woven into the compelling struggle of two families to win justice for Fonny. To this love story James Baldwin brings a spare and impassioned intensity, charging it with universal resonance and power.
'If Beale Street Could Talk affirms not only love between a man and a woman, but love of a type that is dealt with only rarely in contemporary fiction - that between members of a family' Joyce Carol Oates
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
$27.99
Paperback
When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach.
This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first.
Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the fit doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...
This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first.
Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the fit doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other...
A Dog's Way Home: The Heartwarming Story of the Special Bond Between Man and Dog
W. Bruce Cameron
$17.99
Paperback
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ashley Judd releasing February 2019.
From W. Bruce Cameron, author of the beloved bestseller and major Hollywood movie A Dog's Purpose, comes this beautifully told, charming tale that explores the unbreakable bond between us and our pets.
Lucas Ray is shocked when, while attempting to rescue stray cats from an abandoned building slated for demolition, an adorable puppy jumps out of a crawl space and into his arms. Even though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home.
Bella is inexplicably drawn to Lucas, even if she doesn't understand the necessity of games like No Barks. As it becomes more difficult to hide her rapidly growing presence from neighbours, Lucas begins to sneak Bella into the veteran's hospital where he works and his mother receives treatment. There, the happy-go-lucky dog naturally brings joy and comfort where it is needed most.
After Bella is picked up by Animal Control for being a pit bull, a breed banned in Denver, Lucas has no choice but to send her to a foster home until he can figure out what to do. But Bella, distraught at the separation, doesn't plan to wait. With four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness between her and Lucas, Bella sets off on a seemingly impossible and completely unforgettable adventure home.
A classic story of unwavering loyalty and incredible devotion, A Dog's Way Home is a fantastic and exhilarating journey of the heart.
From W. Bruce Cameron, author of the beloved bestseller and major Hollywood movie A Dog's Purpose, comes this beautifully told, charming tale that explores the unbreakable bond between us and our pets.
Lucas Ray is shocked when, while attempting to rescue stray cats from an abandoned building slated for demolition, an adorable puppy jumps out of a crawl space and into his arms. Even though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home.
Bella is inexplicably drawn to Lucas, even if she doesn't understand the necessity of games like No Barks. As it becomes more difficult to hide her rapidly growing presence from neighbours, Lucas begins to sneak Bella into the veteran's hospital where he works and his mother receives treatment. There, the happy-go-lucky dog naturally brings joy and comfort where it is needed most.
After Bella is picked up by Animal Control for being a pit bull, a breed banned in Denver, Lucas has no choice but to send her to a foster home until he can figure out what to do. But Bella, distraught at the separation, doesn't plan to wait. With four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness between her and Lucas, Bella sets off on a seemingly impossible and completely unforgettable adventure home.
A classic story of unwavering loyalty and incredible devotion, A Dog's Way Home is a fantastic and exhilarating journey of the heart.
The Paris Seamstress
Natasha Lester
$19.99
Paperback • 448 pages
How much will a young Parisian seamstress sacrifice to make her mark in the male-dominated world of 1940s New York fashion?
1940. Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier.
2015. Australian curator Fabienne Bissette attends the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear clothing. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.
THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS is the beguiling, transporting story of the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter as they attempt to heal the heartache of the past.
1940. Parisian seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee France as the Germans advance. She is bound for Manhattan with a few francs, one suitcase, her sewing machine and a dream: to have her own atelier.
2015. Australian curator Fabienne Bissette attends the annual Met Gala for an exhibition of her grandmother's work - one of the world's leading designers of ready-to-wear clothing. But as Fabienne learns more about her grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of heartbreak and secrets - and the sacrifices made for love.
THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS is the beguiling, transporting story of the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter as they attempt to heal the heartache of the past.
Little Culinary Triumphs
Alison Anderson
$27.99
Paperback • 224 pages
Set in the storied Parisian quarter of Montmarte, this heartwarming, comic tale is a must for foodies, Francophiles, and lovers of a good story well told.
Made famous by artists, writers, and bon vivants of every ilk, Montmartre has been the stomping ground for bohemian celebrities through the ages and a neighborhood synonymous with transgression and innovation. Today, it is a bustling multiethnic neighborhood where cultures, cuisines, the past and the future of Europe cohabitate and collide. Here in this vibrant community, in Pujol's charming English-language debut, a cast of endearing characters fall into increasingly comic situations as they seek to follow their often-outrageous dreams.
Sandrine works as a functionary in an employment office, but there is a lot more to her than one might suspect from her job description. With a volcanic personality and an imagination to match it, she is also a world-class cook who is waiting for the right occasion to realize her dream of opening a restaurant of her own.
With a master plan that one could only describe as Machiavellian, Sandrine ropes Antoine, an unemployed professor looking for a fresh start, into her venture. A carousel of extravagant characters follows: the giant Senegalese man, Toussaint N'Diaye; the magical chef, Vairam; the extravagantly flatulent Alsatian, Schmutz and his twelve-year-old daughter Juliette-IQ 172!; the alluring psychologist and Kama Sutra specialist, Annabelle Villemin-Dubreuil.
Plans for the restaurant proceed smoothly until Sandrine discovers a shady newspaper operation next-door that leads her to a sinister magnate manipulating the Parisian news outlets.
Made famous by artists, writers, and bon vivants of every ilk, Montmartre has been the stomping ground for bohemian celebrities through the ages and a neighborhood synonymous with transgression and innovation. Today, it is a bustling multiethnic neighborhood where cultures, cuisines, the past and the future of Europe cohabitate and collide. Here in this vibrant community, in Pujol's charming English-language debut, a cast of endearing characters fall into increasingly comic situations as they seek to follow their often-outrageous dreams.
Sandrine works as a functionary in an employment office, but there is a lot more to her than one might suspect from her job description. With a volcanic personality and an imagination to match it, she is also a world-class cook who is waiting for the right occasion to realize her dream of opening a restaurant of her own.
With a master plan that one could only describe as Machiavellian, Sandrine ropes Antoine, an unemployed professor looking for a fresh start, into her venture. A carousel of extravagant characters follows: the giant Senegalese man, Toussaint N'Diaye; the magical chef, Vairam; the extravagantly flatulent Alsatian, Schmutz and his twelve-year-old daughter Juliette-IQ 172!; the alluring psychologist and Kama Sutra specialist, Annabelle Villemin-Dubreuil.
Plans for the restaurant proceed smoothly until Sandrine discovers a shady newspaper operation next-door that leads her to a sinister magnate manipulating the Parisian news outlets.
Once Upon a River
Diane Setterfield
$32.99
Paperback • 380 pages
A dark midwinter's night in an ancient inn on the Thames. The regulars are entertaining themselves by telling stories when the door bursts open on an injured stranger. In his arms is the drowned corpse of a little child.
Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.
Is it a miracle?
Is it magic?
Or can it be explained by science?
Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield's bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.
Hours later the dead girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life.
Is it a miracle?
Is it magic?
Or can it be explained by science?
Replete with folklore, suspense and romance, as well as with the urgent scientific curiosity of the Darwinian age, Once Upon a River is as richly atmospheric as Setterfield's bestseller The Thirteenth Tale.
The Girl They Left Behind
Roxanne Veletzos
$29.99
Paperback • 368 pages
Inspired by a true story, this haunting tale of love and survival spans two decades of war and revolution, from war-torn Romania in 1941 to New York in 1960.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor's dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
On a freezing night in January 1941, a little Jewish girl is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest. With Romania recently allied with the Nazis, the Jewish population is in grave danger, undergoing increasingly violent persecution. The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy childless couple who name her Natalia. As she assimilates into her new life, she all but forgets the parents who were forced to leave her behind. They are even further from her mind when Romania falls under Soviet occupation.
Yet, as Natalia comes of age in a bleak and hopeless world, traces of her identity pierce the surface of her everyday life, leading gradually to a discovery that will change her destiny. She has a secret crush on Victor, an intense young man who as an impoverished student befriended her family long ago. Years later, when Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she and Victor, now an important official in the Communist regime, cross paths again. This time they are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor's dark secrets.
When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. Natalia must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to finally live life on her own terms, and to confront the painful enigma of her past.
Advocate - Historical Fiction
abbeys.com.au
Into the World
Stephanie Parkyn
$19.99
Paperback • 258 pages
In the midst of the French Revolution, unwed mother Marie-Louise Girardin takes one last look at her baby son before entrusting him to her friend, the revolutionary Olympe de Gouges. She must escape, and only the most daring plan will bring her both the anonymity she needs and the independence to return one day for her son.
Marie-Louise disguises herself as a man and joins a voyage of exploration employed as a steward on the Recherche, one of two ships commissioned to journey to the Great Southern Ocean to find the missing explorer La Perouse.
Protecting her identity throughout, Marie-Louise forms friendships among the eccentric naturalists. But tensions rise between the royalist officers and the revolutionaries, and Marie-Louise's position becomes precarious when she discovers someone on board knows the secrets of her past. When the expedition docks in Java, chaos erupts as they learn of King Louis XVI's execution and are imprisoned by the Dutch. Marie-Louise seems certain to be unmasked. Will she ever return to France and be reunited with her child?
Inspired by a true story, Into the World is a compelling novel of the amazing life of Marie-Louise Girardin battling perilous seas, her own self-doubt, and finding unforeseen loves on a journey to reclaim her child.
Marie-Louise disguises herself as a man and joins a voyage of exploration employed as a steward on the Recherche, one of two ships commissioned to journey to the Great Southern Ocean to find the missing explorer La Perouse.
Protecting her identity throughout, Marie-Louise forms friendships among the eccentric naturalists. But tensions rise between the royalist officers and the revolutionaries, and Marie-Louise's position becomes precarious when she discovers someone on board knows the secrets of her past. When the expedition docks in Java, chaos erupts as they learn of King Louis XVI's execution and are imprisoned by the Dutch. Marie-Louise seems certain to be unmasked. Will she ever return to France and be reunited with her child?
Inspired by a true story, Into the World is a compelling novel of the amazing life of Marie-Louise Girardin battling perilous seas, her own self-doubt, and finding unforeseen loves on a journey to reclaim her child.
Killer of Kings (#4 Bernicia Chronicles)
Matthew Harffy
$29.99
Paperback • 400 pages
AD 636. Anglo-Saxon Britain. Whilst escorting a group of holy men, Beobrand becomes embroiled in a conflict with the Mercian army. In the chaos that ensues, secrets are exposed, bringing into question much that Beobrand had believed true.
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics. When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.
In the chaos that grips the south, dark secrets are exposed, bringing into question much that Beobrand had believed true. Can he unearth the answers and exact the vengeance he craves? Or will the blood-price prove too high, even for a warrior of his battle-fame and skill?
Beobrand has land, men and riches. He should be content. And yet he cannot find peace until his enemies are food for the ravens. But before Beobrand can embark on his bloodfeud, King Oswald orders him southward, to escort holy men bearing sacred relics. When Penda of Mercia marches a warhost into the southern kingdoms, Beobrand and his men are thrown into the midst of the conflict. Beobrand soon finds himself fighting for his life and his honour.
In the chaos that grips the south, dark secrets are exposed, bringing into question much that Beobrand had believed true. Can he unearth the answers and exact the vengeance he craves? Or will the blood-price prove too high, even for a warrior of his battle-fame and skill?
Advocate - Australian Biography
abbeys.com.au
King of the Air: The Turbulent Life of Charles Kingsford Smith
Ann Blainey
$49.99
Hardback • 384 pages
Charles Kingsford Smith was the most commanding flyer of the golden age of aviation. In three short years, he broke records with his astounding and daring voyages - the first trans-Pacific flight from America to Australia, the first circumnavigation around the equator, the first non-stop crossing of the Australian mainland. He did it all with such courage, modesty and charm that Australia and the world fell in love with him. A tickertape parade was held in his honour on New York's Fifth Avenue. At home, he became a national hero, 'Our Smithy'.
Yet his achievements belied a traumatic past. He had witnessed the horror of World War I - first as a soldier at Gallipoli, later as a combat pilot with the Royal Flying Corps - and, like so many of his generation, he bore physical and emotional scars. The public saw the derring-do; only those close to him knew the anxious man who pushed himself to the edge of health and sanity. In November 1935, Kingsford Smith's plane crashed and he was lost at sea near Burma, his body never to be recovered.
This brilliant work from one of Australia?s foremost biographers reveals the complicated, tumultuous life of a fascinating figure, who pursued his obsession to the greatest heights of fame and catastrophe.
Yet his achievements belied a traumatic past. He had witnessed the horror of World War I - first as a soldier at Gallipoli, later as a combat pilot with the Royal Flying Corps - and, like so many of his generation, he bore physical and emotional scars. The public saw the derring-do; only those close to him knew the anxious man who pushed himself to the edge of health and sanity. In November 1935, Kingsford Smith's plane crashed and he was lost at sea near Burma, his body never to be recovered.
This brilliant work from one of Australia?s foremost biographers reveals the complicated, tumultuous life of a fascinating figure, who pursued his obsession to the greatest heights of fame and catastrophe.
Welcome to Story Club: Candid True Tales by Australia's Funniest Oversharers
Ben Jenkins , Zoe Norton Lodge
$29.99
Paperback
A hilarious, no-holds-barred collection of true stories from Story Club, the legendary live show that spawned the hit podcast In this first collection from Story Club, the legendary live show that has become a hit podcast, Club founders and popular Checkout presenters Zoe Norton Lodge and Ben Jenkins have brought together 30 of the most candid true tales by some of Australia's funniest oversharers.
The results are by turns hilarious, poignant, revealing and, sometimes, downright weird. Contributors include David Marr, Annabel Crabb, Richard Glover, Rob Carlton, Lewis Hobba, Cathy Wilcox, Susie Youssef, Kate Mulvaney (King Lear), Debra Oswald, and many more.
The results are by turns hilarious, poignant, revealing and, sometimes, downright weird. Contributors include David Marr, Annabel Crabb, Richard Glover, Rob Carlton, Lewis Hobba, Cathy Wilcox, Susie Youssef, Kate Mulvaney (King Lear), Debra Oswald, and many more.
Slice Girls
Joan Arakkal
$29.99
Paperback • 300 pages
When Dr Joan Arakkal chooses to specialise in orthopaedics while training in India, a field traditionally occupied by men, she slots into the world of bones with relative ease.
But when her career takes her to the UK, and then Australia, she encounters the `bonemen' - a boy's club whose members are easily identified in the hospital corridors by their loud voices and self-assured swagger. Their medieval attitudes wield a stranglehold on the development of orthopaedics, compromising patient care.
Joan is totally unprepared for the obstacles and prejudices she encounters - but the tables are turned when she suffers a health scare of her own, which ultimately gives her the perspective she needs to speak and fight without fear.
A provocative reflection on the discrimination, sexism and cartelisation entrenched in the surgical community, and particularly the world of orthopaedics, Slice Girls shines light on a surgical path that is made needlessly challenging for women, and finds that while women are ready for surgery, it forces the question: is surgery ready for women?
But when her career takes her to the UK, and then Australia, she encounters the `bonemen' - a boy's club whose members are easily identified in the hospital corridors by their loud voices and self-assured swagger. Their medieval attitudes wield a stranglehold on the development of orthopaedics, compromising patient care.
Joan is totally unprepared for the obstacles and prejudices she encounters - but the tables are turned when she suffers a health scare of her own, which ultimately gives her the perspective she needs to speak and fight without fear.
A provocative reflection on the discrimination, sexism and cartelisation entrenched in the surgical community, and particularly the world of orthopaedics, Slice Girls shines light on a surgical path that is made needlessly challenging for women, and finds that while women are ready for surgery, it forces the question: is surgery ready for women?
Leeward: A Memoir
Geoffrey Lehmann
$34.99
Paperback • 464 pages
`For my first ten years I grew up in Lavender Bay with the smell of salt water, in houses facing the grey curved eye of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There was a distant rumble, like thunder, when trains went across.' This is a lyrical and honest memoir of a poet's life in Sydney. From Lavender Bay to Lindfield, Geoff Lehmann tells the story of his life as a poet, tax lawyer, member of the Sydney Push, single father to three small children and finally, a happily married man who returns to poetry writing and translation. His life and work crosses with some of the leading cultural figures of the twentieth century and beyond - Les Murray, Judith Wright, Christopher Brennan, Clive James. He traces the contours of his own life and his family history, and the contours of particular slice of Sydney.
Monash: As Military Commander
Peter Pedersen
$34.99
Paperback
Dr Peter Pedersen's scholarly study of Sir John Monash remains the finest analysis of Australia's best known military leader.
In 1918 the Australian Corps under Monash's command played a leading role in the Allied advance to victory on the Western Front. Its successes in the battles of Hamel and Amiens, the taking of Mont St Quentin and Peronne and the breaching of the Hindenburg Line are among the most prominent landmarks in Australia's military history. Monash was central to these pivotal achievements.
This book traces Monash's development as a commander from his pre-war militia service to his wartime experience at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. It examines in detail how each stage of his military career influenced his approach to command and the tactical problems he faced as the wartime commander of an infantry brigade and division and, ultimately, the Australian Corps. The influence of his education and civilian training are also examined in this meticulous study.
What emerges from this nuanced and sophisticated assessment of Monash as a soldier is a superb portrayal of how a commander works and what he could achieve under conditions so inimical to the exercise of command as those that prevailed on the Western Front. Along the way, Dr Pedersen establishes Monash's place among his contemporaries, British and Australian, and provides the definitive answer to the question 'Just how good was Monash?'
Published for the centenary of the great victories of 1918, this new and updated edition of Dr Pedersen's classic work is a timely study of Australia's finest general.
In 1918 the Australian Corps under Monash's command played a leading role in the Allied advance to victory on the Western Front. Its successes in the battles of Hamel and Amiens, the taking of Mont St Quentin and Peronne and the breaching of the Hindenburg Line are among the most prominent landmarks in Australia's military history. Monash was central to these pivotal achievements.
This book traces Monash's development as a commander from his pre-war militia service to his wartime experience at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. It examines in detail how each stage of his military career influenced his approach to command and the tactical problems he faced as the wartime commander of an infantry brigade and division and, ultimately, the Australian Corps. The influence of his education and civilian training are also examined in this meticulous study.
What emerges from this nuanced and sophisticated assessment of Monash as a soldier is a superb portrayal of how a commander works and what he could achieve under conditions so inimical to the exercise of command as those that prevailed on the Western Front. Along the way, Dr Pedersen establishes Monash's place among his contemporaries, British and Australian, and provides the definitive answer to the question 'Just how good was Monash?'
Published for the centenary of the great victories of 1918, this new and updated edition of Dr Pedersen's classic work is a timely study of Australia's finest general.
The Finest Gold: The Making of an Olympic Swimmer
Brad Cooper
$32.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Munich, 1972. In the men's 400-metre freestyle race, America's Rick DeMont beats Australia's Brad Cooper by a hundredth of a second. It's the first electronic timing to deliver a win by such a close margin. The following day, DeMont is stripped of his medal in the world's first swim doping disqualification. Three days later, as the Black September terrorist attack is unfolding on the other side of the Village, Brad is presented with gold in a 'farce of firsts'. Neither Brad nor the Olympics will ever be the same.
This is a story about a global sporting competition - its glory, ignominy, and industry - but mostly it is the intimate account of the making of an athlete. In poetic, whip-smart prose, we journey from Brad's childhood in 1960s Rockhampton, where his acid-tongued mother feeds a pining for her glamorous ex-pat days by holding Latin nights and smoking Craven 'A', via his parents' vicious split, to an itinerant adolescence with his amnesiac, portent-driven father, where the only constant is the relentless search for training lanes as the pair pinball up and down Australia's east coast, from boarding house to sleep-out. At fifteen, with the Munich Olympics looming, Brad teams up with the legendary and fearsome coach Don Talbot, aka Ming the Merciless; his career is about to step into overdrive with two world records and an Olympic gold medal, but it would take the rest of his life to work out what it all meant.
The Finest Gold is a rollicking coming-of-age and a compelling exploration of the limits and lengths of the human body.
This is a story about a global sporting competition - its glory, ignominy, and industry - but mostly it is the intimate account of the making of an athlete. In poetic, whip-smart prose, we journey from Brad's childhood in 1960s Rockhampton, where his acid-tongued mother feeds a pining for her glamorous ex-pat days by holding Latin nights and smoking Craven 'A', via his parents' vicious split, to an itinerant adolescence with his amnesiac, portent-driven father, where the only constant is the relentless search for training lanes as the pair pinball up and down Australia's east coast, from boarding house to sleep-out. At fifteen, with the Munich Olympics looming, Brad teams up with the legendary and fearsome coach Don Talbot, aka Ming the Merciless; his career is about to step into overdrive with two world records and an Olympic gold medal, but it would take the rest of his life to work out what it all meant.
The Finest Gold is a rollicking coming-of-age and a compelling exploration of the limits and lengths of the human body.
Advocate - Biography
abbeys.com.au
More Dashing: Further Letters of Patrick Leigh Fermor
Patrick Leigh Fermor , Adam Sisman
$49.99
Hardback • 480 pages
The second volume of exuberant, lively letters from legendary travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor The first collection of letters from Patrick Leigh Fermor, Dashing for the Post, delighted critics and public alike. This second volume, More Dashing, presents a further selection of letters that exude a zest for life and adventure characteristic of the man known to all as `Paddy'.
Paddy's exuberant letters contain glimpses of the great and the good: a chance conversation with the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, when Paddy opens the wrong door, or a glass of ouzo under the pine trees with Harold Macmillan. They describe encounters with such varied figures as Jackie Onassis, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Oswald Mosley and Peter Mandelson, while also relating adventures with the humble: a `pick-nick' with the stonemasons at Kardamyli, or a drunken celebration in the Cretan mountains with his old comrades from the Resistance, most of them simple shepherds and goatherds. Paddy was at ease in any company - unfailingly charming, boyish, gentle and fun.
Patrick Leigh Fermor has long been recognised as one of the greatest travel writers of his time. Nowhere is his restless curiosity and delight in language more dazzlingly displayed than in his letters, skilfully edited in this collection by Adam Sisman.
Paddy's exuberant letters contain glimpses of the great and the good: a chance conversation with the Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, when Paddy opens the wrong door, or a glass of ouzo under the pine trees with Harold Macmillan. They describe encounters with such varied figures as Jackie Onassis, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Oswald Mosley and Peter Mandelson, while also relating adventures with the humble: a `pick-nick' with the stonemasons at Kardamyli, or a drunken celebration in the Cretan mountains with his old comrades from the Resistance, most of them simple shepherds and goatherds. Paddy was at ease in any company - unfailingly charming, boyish, gentle and fun.
Patrick Leigh Fermor has long been recognised as one of the greatest travel writers of his time. Nowhere is his restless curiosity and delight in language more dazzlingly displayed than in his letters, skilfully edited in this collection by Adam Sisman.
Brutally Honest
Melanie Brown , Louise Gannon
$29.99
Paperback • 256 pages
The tell-all memoir from the loudest, proudest Spice Girl - and the truth behind the headlines.
As one-fifth of the iconic Spice Girls and judge on X Factor and America's Got Talent, Melanie Brown - aka Scary Spice - has been an international star since her 20s.
Brutally Honest is an expose of the struggles and acute pain that lay behind the glamour and success.
With deep personal insight, remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour, this book removes the mask of fame to reveal the true story behind the Spice Girls, and the horror of Mel B's most recent marriage and 10-year struggle to be free.
As one-fifth of the iconic Spice Girls and judge on X Factor and America's Got Talent, Melanie Brown - aka Scary Spice - has been an international star since her 20s.
Brutally Honest is an expose of the struggles and acute pain that lay behind the glamour and success.
With deep personal insight, remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour, this book removes the mask of fame to reveal the true story behind the Spice Girls, and the horror of Mel B's most recent marriage and 10-year struggle to be free.
The Cave: The Inside Story of the Amazing Thai Cave Rescue
Liam Cochrane
$29.99
Paperback
Twelve lost boys, their coach, and the heroes who rescued them.
When the 12 young members of the Wild Boars soccer club walked into a Thai cave with their coach, they expected to be out by nightfall. A birthday cake waited in the fridge for one boy, another boy had a tutoring class. They had rope and torches but no food. Then a sudden monsoonal downpour flooded their route out. They were trapped - imprisoned in a cave said to be haunted by a mythical broken-hearted princess.
So began the greatest search-and-rescue mission in living memory. People from across Thailand, and soon from across the world, joined hands to find the boys and get them out.
ABC foreign correspondent Liam Cochrane was on the ground as the dramatic events unfolded. Using his local knowledge, and working with a team of Thai researchers, he puts us at the centre of the story, witnessing the boys' agonising wait, the divers' battle against muddy torrents, the race to pump out flooded caves, the secret drilling plans.
With unrivalled access, he reveals fresh details about the boys' time inside the cave and gives an exclusive account of the rescue from lead diver John Volanthen. Amidst the hope, there are tensions, tragedy and powerful players guiding the rescue. But most of all, this is the inspirational story of an amazing group of boys and what can be achieved when the world unites.
When the 12 young members of the Wild Boars soccer club walked into a Thai cave with their coach, they expected to be out by nightfall. A birthday cake waited in the fridge for one boy, another boy had a tutoring class. They had rope and torches but no food. Then a sudden monsoonal downpour flooded their route out. They were trapped - imprisoned in a cave said to be haunted by a mythical broken-hearted princess.
So began the greatest search-and-rescue mission in living memory. People from across Thailand, and soon from across the world, joined hands to find the boys and get them out.
ABC foreign correspondent Liam Cochrane was on the ground as the dramatic events unfolded. Using his local knowledge, and working with a team of Thai researchers, he puts us at the centre of the story, witnessing the boys' agonising wait, the divers' battle against muddy torrents, the race to pump out flooded caves, the secret drilling plans.
With unrivalled access, he reveals fresh details about the boys' time inside the cave and gives an exclusive account of the rescue from lead diver John Volanthen. Amidst the hope, there are tensions, tragedy and powerful players guiding the rescue. But most of all, this is the inspirational story of an amazing group of boys and what can be achieved when the world unites.
Oscar: A Life
Matthew Sturgis
$49.99
Hardback • 656 pages
The first major biography of Oscar Wilde in thirty years.
Oscar Wilde's life – like his wit – was alive with paradox. He was both an early exponent and a victim of 'celebrity culture': famous for being famous, he was lauded and ridiculed in equal measure. His achievements were frequently downplayed, his successes resented. He had a genius for comedy but strove to write tragedies. He was an unabashed snob who nevertheless delighted in exposing the faults of society. He affected a dandified disdain but was prone to great acts of kindness.
Although happily married, he became a passionate lover of men and, at the very peak of his success, he brought disaster upon himself. He disparaged authority, yet went to the law to defend his love for Lord Alfred Douglas. Having delighted in fashionable throngs, Wilde died almost alone: barely a dozen people were at his graveside. Yet despite this ruinous end, Wilde's star continues to shine brightly. His was a life of extraordinary drama and, above all, it is his refusal to conform to the social and sexual orthodoxies of his day that make him a hero and an inspiration to all who seek to challenge convention.
In the first major biography of Oscar Wilde in thirty years, Matthew Sturgis draws on new material to place the man firmly in the context of his times. He brings alive the distinctive mood and characters of the fin de siecle in the richest and fullest account of Wilde's life to date.
Oscar Wilde's life – like his wit – was alive with paradox. He was both an early exponent and a victim of 'celebrity culture': famous for being famous, he was lauded and ridiculed in equal measure. His achievements were frequently downplayed, his successes resented. He had a genius for comedy but strove to write tragedies. He was an unabashed snob who nevertheless delighted in exposing the faults of society. He affected a dandified disdain but was prone to great acts of kindness.
Although happily married, he became a passionate lover of men and, at the very peak of his success, he brought disaster upon himself. He disparaged authority, yet went to the law to defend his love for Lord Alfred Douglas. Having delighted in fashionable throngs, Wilde died almost alone: barely a dozen people were at his graveside. Yet despite this ruinous end, Wilde's star continues to shine brightly. His was a life of extraordinary drama and, above all, it is his refusal to conform to the social and sexual orthodoxies of his day that make him a hero and an inspiration to all who seek to challenge convention.
In the first major biography of Oscar Wilde in thirty years, Matthew Sturgis draws on new material to place the man firmly in the context of his times. He brings alive the distinctive mood and characters of the fin de siecle in the richest and fullest account of Wilde's life to date.
Yes Please
Amy Poehler
$19.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Part memoir, part 'missive-from-the-middle', Yes Please is a hilarious collection of stories, thoughts, ideas, haikus and words-to-live-by drawn from the life and mind of acclaimed actress, writer and comedian Amy Poehler.
Yes Please finds Amy riffing on everything from sex and love to motherhood, family, friendship and plastic surgery, and is full of great jokes and sage advice (the useful kind, not the annoying kind you didn't ask for).
WINNER of the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Humour
Yes Please finds Amy riffing on everything from sex and love to motherhood, family, friendship and plastic surgery, and is full of great jokes and sage advice (the useful kind, not the annoying kind you didn't ask for).
WINNER of the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Humour
Never Grow Up
Jackie Chan
$35.00
Paperback • 400 pages
Everyone knows Jackie Chan. Whether it's from Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, The Karate Kid, or Kung Fu Panda, Jackie is admired by generations of moviegoers for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and mind-bending stunts. In 2016 - after fifty-six years in the industry, over 200 films, and many broken bones - he received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement in film. But at 64 years-old, Jackie is just getting started.
Now, in Never Grow Up, the global superstar reflects on his early life, including his childhood years at the China Drama Academy (in which he was enrolled at the age of six), his big breaks (and setbacks) in Hong Kong and Hollywood, his numerous brushes with death (both on and off film sets), and his life as a husband and father (which has been, admittedly and regrettably, imperfect).
Jackie has never shied away from his mistakes. Since The Young Master in 1980, Jackie's films have ended with a bloopers reel in which he stumbles over his lines, misses his mark, or crashes to the ground in a stunt gone south. In Never Grow Up, Jackie applies the same spirit of openness to his life, proving time and time again why he's beloved the world over: he's honest, funny, kind, brave beyond reckoning and-after all this time - still young at heart.
Now, in Never Grow Up, the global superstar reflects on his early life, including his childhood years at the China Drama Academy (in which he was enrolled at the age of six), his big breaks (and setbacks) in Hong Kong and Hollywood, his numerous brushes with death (both on and off film sets), and his life as a husband and father (which has been, admittedly and regrettably, imperfect).
Jackie has never shied away from his mistakes. Since The Young Master in 1980, Jackie's films have ended with a bloopers reel in which he stumbles over his lines, misses his mark, or crashes to the ground in a stunt gone south. In Never Grow Up, Jackie applies the same spirit of openness to his life, proving time and time again why he's beloved the world over: he's honest, funny, kind, brave beyond reckoning and-after all this time - still young at heart.
Advocate - History
abbeys.com.au
Angkor and the Khmer Civilization
Michael D. Coe , Damian Evans
$39.99
Hardback • 256 pages
The ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia has fascinated scholars and visitors alike since its rediscovery in the mid-19th century. All are wonderstruck by the beauty and multiplicity of the sculptures that adorn its temples and structures and are overwhelmed by the sheer size of Angkor. There is nothing to equal it in the archaeological world.
A great deal was already known about the history of Angkor and the brilliant Khmer civilization that built it thanks to pioneering work by archaeologists and scholars, but our knowledge has now been completely revolutionized by cutting-edge technology. Airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) has revealed entire cities that were previously unknown and a complex urban landscape with highways and waterways, profoundly transforming our interpretations of the development and supposed decline of Angkor.
In this comprehensively updated edition of Angkor and the Khmer Civilization, respected archaeologist Michael Coe is joined by Damian Evans, who led this remarkable programme of scientific exploration, to present for the first time in book form the results and implications of these ground-breaking discoveries that are rewriting history.
A great deal was already known about the history of Angkor and the brilliant Khmer civilization that built it thanks to pioneering work by archaeologists and scholars, but our knowledge has now been completely revolutionized by cutting-edge technology. Airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) has revealed entire cities that were previously unknown and a complex urban landscape with highways and waterways, profoundly transforming our interpretations of the development and supposed decline of Angkor.
In this comprehensively updated edition of Angkor and the Khmer Civilization, respected archaeologist Michael Coe is joined by Damian Evans, who led this remarkable programme of scientific exploration, to present for the first time in book form the results and implications of these ground-breaking discoveries that are rewriting history.
The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons: Decoding the Ancestry of the English
Jean Manco
$39.99
Hardback • 256 pages
Who are the English? Their language and culture have had an impact on the modern world out of all proportion to the size of their homeland. But what do we really understand about their ancestry?
Traditionally they have been seen as the descendants of those Germanic peoples who poured into Britain after the Roman legions departed, today known as the Anglo-Saxons. Alternative interpretations have questioned this picture, or suggested complications. At last, the astonishing progress made in extracting and analysing ancient DNA means that theories can be tested empirically, shedding new light on the movement and migrations of peoples in the past.
Skilfully and accessibly blending together results from this cutting-edge DNA technology with new research from archaeology and linguistics, Jean Manco reveals a long and adventurous journey before a word of English was spoken. Going beyond a narrow focus on the Anglo-Saxon period, she probes into the deep origins of the Germani and their kin, and extends the story to the language of Shakespeare, taken to the first British colony in America. The result is an exciting new history of the English people, and a ground-breaking analysis of their development.
Traditionally they have been seen as the descendants of those Germanic peoples who poured into Britain after the Roman legions departed, today known as the Anglo-Saxons. Alternative interpretations have questioned this picture, or suggested complications. At last, the astonishing progress made in extracting and analysing ancient DNA means that theories can be tested empirically, shedding new light on the movement and migrations of peoples in the past.
Skilfully and accessibly blending together results from this cutting-edge DNA technology with new research from archaeology and linguistics, Jean Manco reveals a long and adventurous journey before a word of English was spoken. Going beyond a narrow focus on the Anglo-Saxon period, she probes into the deep origins of the Germani and their kin, and extends the story to the language of Shakespeare, taken to the first British colony in America. The result is an exciting new history of the English people, and a ground-breaking analysis of their development.
Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt
Chris Naunton
$39.99
Hardback • 304 pages
Where are the tombs of Alexander the Great or Cleopatra? Both rulers were buried in Egypt, but their tombs have never been found despite years of intensive research and excavation. Yet we have tantalizing clues. Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt describes the quest for these and other great `missing' tombs - those we know existed, but which have not yet been identified. It also discusses key moments of discovery that have yielded astonishing finds and created the archetypal image of the archaeologist poised at the threshold of a tomb left untouched for millennia.
In this gripping account, Chris Naunton explains the mysteries of the missing tombs and presents all the evidence, skilfully unravelling the tangled threads surrounding the burials of the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten and his son Tutankhamun, and the burial place of Imhotep, architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, among others. Could other such tombs lie undiscovered in the Valley of the Kings? In fact, the Valley almost certainly does guard hidden treasures. Amazing finds of unsuspected tombs continue to occur there and elsewhere in Egypt, making headlines worldwide - all are covered in this book. As well as immersing the reader, step by step, in the action of the search and the thrill of discovery, the book also explores the reasons why tombs remain such a central part of both the popular perception of Egyptology and the continuing allure of ancient Egypt.
Memento Mori: What the Romans Can Tell Us About Old Age and Death
Peter Jones
$29.99
Hardback • 224 pages
Romans inhabited a world where man, knowing nothing about hygiene let alone disease, had no defences against nature. Death was everywhere. Half of all Roman children were dead by the age of five. Only eight per cent of the population made it over sixty. One bizarre result was that half the population consisted of teenagers.
From the elites' philosophical take on the brevity of life to the epitaphs left by butchers, bakers and buffoons, Memento Mori ('Remember you are mortal') shows how the Romans faced up to this world and attempted to take the sting out of death.
From the elites' philosophical take on the brevity of life to the epitaphs left by butchers, bakers and buffoons, Memento Mori ('Remember you are mortal') shows how the Romans faced up to this world and attempted to take the sting out of death.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
Mike Duncan
$22.99
Paperback • 352 pages
The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world.
In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic.
Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, THE STORM BEFORE THE STORM dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.
In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic.
Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, THE STORM BEFORE THE STORM dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.
The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of the African Middle Ages
Francois-Xavier Fauvelle
$64.99
Hardback • 280 pages
A leading historian reconstructs the forgotten history of medieval Africa From the birth of Islam in the seventh century to the voyages of European exploration in the fifteenth, Africa was at the center of a vibrant exchange of goods and ideas. It was an African golden age in which places like Ghana, Nubia, and Zimbabwe became the crossroads of civilizations, and where African royals, thinkers, and artists played celebrated roles in the globalized world of the Middle Ages. The Golden Rhinoceros brings this unsung era marvelously to life, taking readers from the Sahara and the Nile River Valley to the Ethiopian highlands and southern Africa.
Drawing on fragmented written sources as well as his many years of experience as an archaeologist, Fran ois-Xavier Fauvelle painstakingly reconstructs an African past that is too often denied its place in history - but no longer. He looks at ruined cities found in the mangrove, exquisite pieces of art, rare artifacts like the golden rhinoceros of Mapungubwe, ancient maps, and accounts left by geographers and travelers - remarkable discoveries that shed critical light on political and architectural achievements, trade, religious beliefs, diplomatic episodes, and individual lives.
A book that finally recognizes Africa's important role in the Middle Ages, The Golden Rhinoceros also provides a window into the historian's craft. Fauvelle carefully pieces together the written and archaeological evidence to tell an unforgettable story that is at once sensitive to Africa's rich social diversity and alert to the trajectories that connected Africa with the wider Muslim and Christian worlds.
Drawing on fragmented written sources as well as his many years of experience as an archaeologist, Fran ois-Xavier Fauvelle painstakingly reconstructs an African past that is too often denied its place in history - but no longer. He looks at ruined cities found in the mangrove, exquisite pieces of art, rare artifacts like the golden rhinoceros of Mapungubwe, ancient maps, and accounts left by geographers and travelers - remarkable discoveries that shed critical light on political and architectural achievements, trade, religious beliefs, diplomatic episodes, and individual lives.
A book that finally recognizes Africa's important role in the Middle Ages, The Golden Rhinoceros also provides a window into the historian's craft. Fauvelle carefully pieces together the written and archaeological evidence to tell an unforgettable story that is at once sensitive to Africa's rich social diversity and alert to the trajectories that connected Africa with the wider Muslim and Christian worlds.
Australia Remember This Too!
Bob Byrne
$34.99
Paperback • 256 pages
Australia Remember This Too! is a photographic celebration of nostalgia, particularly for Baby Boomers, 114,000 of whom follow the `Australia Remember When' Facebook page, sharing their photos and memories.
Remember Mike Willesee's A Current Affair from the '70s? Fairy bread with hundreds and thousands at every birthday party? Remember takeaway fish and chips with lots of salt and vinegar and Dad carefully dividing a brick of ice cream into equal portions to go with Mum's homemade preserved peaches? Oh, sweet memories! Take a wonderfully sentimental trip down memory lane with Bob Byrne as he shows us bits of Australia we'd forgotten, identities and landmarks we loved and let him remind us that some of the best things about Australia haven't changed.
Including the best of Bob Byrne's hit Facebook page and much more, Australia Remember This Too! is a trip back in time which will at once bring a smile to your face, cause a lump in your throat and bring a tear to your eye! Enjoy the memories!
Remember Mike Willesee's A Current Affair from the '70s? Fairy bread with hundreds and thousands at every birthday party? Remember takeaway fish and chips with lots of salt and vinegar and Dad carefully dividing a brick of ice cream into equal portions to go with Mum's homemade preserved peaches? Oh, sweet memories! Take a wonderfully sentimental trip down memory lane with Bob Byrne as he shows us bits of Australia we'd forgotten, identities and landmarks we loved and let him remind us that some of the best things about Australia haven't changed.
Including the best of Bob Byrne's hit Facebook page and much more, Australia Remember This Too! is a trip back in time which will at once bring a smile to your face, cause a lump in your throat and bring a tear to your eye! Enjoy the memories!
By Sea and Stars: The Story of the First Fleet
Trent Dalton
$24.99
Hardback
Dazzling, poetic and vivid storytelling from one of Australia's greatest writers, which tells the bloody, brutal and enthralling story of the epic journey of the First Fleet.
Originally published as a multi-part serial in The Australian, By Sea and Stars tells the story of the epic voyage which led to the founding of our nation, as told from the point of view of the people who took part - willingly or unwillingly - in it. Drawing from historical sources of the time, including letters and journals, Trent Dalton, one of Australia's best writers, brings this epic voyage, and the people who went on it, to vivid life.
This is not dry history of dates and names. These are gripping stories of real people, from the lowest to the highest. From terrified nine year old chimney sweep and convict John Hudson to conscientious Lieutenant Ralph Clark, pining after his wife and son, to the brave and determined Captain-General Arthur Phillip, the brightest star of the British Navy: these are the people who made the voyage, and these are their stories - of death, duty, glory, lust, violence, escape, mutiny - and a great southern land...
Originally published as a multi-part serial in The Australian, By Sea and Stars tells the story of the epic voyage which led to the founding of our nation, as told from the point of view of the people who took part - willingly or unwillingly - in it. Drawing from historical sources of the time, including letters and journals, Trent Dalton, one of Australia's best writers, brings this epic voyage, and the people who went on it, to vivid life.
This is not dry history of dates and names. These are gripping stories of real people, from the lowest to the highest. From terrified nine year old chimney sweep and convict John Hudson to conscientious Lieutenant Ralph Clark, pining after his wife and son, to the brave and determined Captain-General Arthur Phillip, the brightest star of the British Navy: these are the people who made the voyage, and these are their stories - of death, duty, glory, lust, violence, escape, mutiny - and a great southern land...
Kangaroo Squadron: American Courage in the Darkest Days of World War II
Bruce D. Gamble
$27.99
Paperback
In early 1942, while most of the American military was still in disarray from the devastating attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, a single squadron advanced to the far side of the world to face America's new enemy.
Based in Australia with poor supplies and no ground support, the pilots and crew faced tropical diseases while confronting numerically superior Japanese forces. Yet the outfit, dubbed the Kangaroo Squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful, conducting long-range bombing raids, armed reconnaissance missions, and rescuing General MacArthur and his staff from the Philippines.
Before now, the story of their courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds has largely been untold. Using eyewitness accounts based on personal diaries, letters, new interviews, and memoirs as well as Japanese sources, historian Bruce Gamble brings to vivid life this dramatic true story.
But the Kangaroo Squadron's story doesn't end in World War II. One of the B-17s, crash landed on its first mission, has recently been recovered from jungle swamps. The intertwined stories of the Kangaroo Squadron and the "Swamp Ghost" are filled with thrilling accounts of aerial combat, an epic jungle survival story, and the powerful mystique of an abandoned bomber that compelled men to possess it at any cost.
Based in Australia with poor supplies and no ground support, the pilots and crew faced tropical diseases while confronting numerically superior Japanese forces. Yet the outfit, dubbed the Kangaroo Squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful, conducting long-range bombing raids, armed reconnaissance missions, and rescuing General MacArthur and his staff from the Philippines.
Before now, the story of their courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds has largely been untold. Using eyewitness accounts based on personal diaries, letters, new interviews, and memoirs as well as Japanese sources, historian Bruce Gamble brings to vivid life this dramatic true story.
But the Kangaroo Squadron's story doesn't end in World War II. One of the B-17s, crash landed on its first mission, has recently been recovered from jungle swamps. The intertwined stories of the Kangaroo Squadron and the "Swamp Ghost" are filled with thrilling accounts of aerial combat, an epic jungle survival story, and the powerful mystique of an abandoned bomber that compelled men to possess it at any cost.
The Harbour
Scott Bevan
$35.00
Paperback • 656 pages
In the bestselling tradition of Peter Ackroyd's The Thames, a celebration of one of the world's great waterways Everyone knows Sydney Harbour. At least, we think we do.
Everyone can see the harbour, whether we have ever been to Sydney or not. By as little as a word or two, the harbour floats into our mind's eye. The Bridge. The Opera House. Fireworks on New Year's Eve. When we see those images, we feel a sense of belonging. No matter who we are or where we're from, we see the harbour and we feel good.
In this beautiful, authoritative and meditative journey, Scott Bevan takes us from cove to cove, by kayak, yacht and barge to gather the harbour's stories, past and present, from boat builders, ship captains and fishermen to artists, divers, historians and environmentalists, from signs of ancient life to the submarine invasion by the Japanese.
This is the ultimate story of Sydney Harbour - a city's heart and a country's soul.
Everyone can see the harbour, whether we have ever been to Sydney or not. By as little as a word or two, the harbour floats into our mind's eye. The Bridge. The Opera House. Fireworks on New Year's Eve. When we see those images, we feel a sense of belonging. No matter who we are or where we're from, we see the harbour and we feel good.
In this beautiful, authoritative and meditative journey, Scott Bevan takes us from cove to cove, by kayak, yacht and barge to gather the harbour's stories, past and present, from boat builders, ship captains and fishermen to artists, divers, historians and environmentalists, from signs of ancient life to the submarine invasion by the Japanese.
This is the ultimate story of Sydney Harbour - a city's heart and a country's soul.
The Quest for Queen Mary
James Pope-Hennessy , Hugo Vickers
$32.99
Paperback • 336 pages
When James Pope-Hennessy began his work on Queen Mary's official biography, it opened the door to meetings with royalty, court members and retainers around Europe. The series of candid observations, secrets and indiscretions contained in his notes were to be kept private for 50 years. Now published in full for the first time and edited by the highly admired royal biographer Hugo Vickers, this is a riveting, often hilarious portrait of the eccentric aristocracy of a bygone age.
Giving much greater insight into Queen Mary than the official version, and including sharply observed encounters with, among others, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Duke of Gloucester, and a young Queen Elizabeth, The Quest for Queen Mary is set to be a classic of royal publishing.
Giving much greater insight into Queen Mary than the official version, and including sharply observed encounters with, among others, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Duke of Gloucester, and a young Queen Elizabeth, The Quest for Queen Mary is set to be a classic of royal publishing.
The Islamic World: A History in Objects
Ladan Akbarnia , Venetia Porter , Fahmida Suleman , William Greenwood
$55.00
Hardback • 272 pages
This illustrated introduction offers a fresh approach to the history of the Islamic world from its origins to the present day. Told in six chapters, arranged both chronologically and thematically, and richly enhanced with outstanding images, it provides an illuminating insight into the material culture produced from West Africa to Southeast Asia through art and artefacts, people and places.
From pre-Islamic works that provided a foundation for the arts of Islam to masterpieces produced under the great empires and objects that continue to be made today, this expansive survey traces the development of civilizations at the forefront of philosophical and scientific ideas, artistic and literary developments, and technological innovations, exploring a wealth of cultural treasures along the way.
Texts are accompanied by a wide variety of objects, including architectural decoration, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, calligraphy, textiles, musical instruments, coins, illustrated manuscripts, and modern and contemporary art, all of which shed new light on the Islamic world both past and present. This book will inspire and inform anyone interested in one of the most influential and diverse cultures of the world.
From pre-Islamic works that provided a foundation for the arts of Islam to masterpieces produced under the great empires and objects that continue to be made today, this expansive survey traces the development of civilizations at the forefront of philosophical and scientific ideas, artistic and literary developments, and technological innovations, exploring a wealth of cultural treasures along the way.
Texts are accompanied by a wide variety of objects, including architectural decoration, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, calligraphy, textiles, musical instruments, coins, illustrated manuscripts, and modern and contemporary art, all of which shed new light on the Islamic world both past and present. This book will inspire and inform anyone interested in one of the most influential and diverse cultures of the world.
The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World
Peter Frankopan
$27.99
Paperback • 304 pages
From the Sunday Times and internationally bestselling author of The Silk Roads `Masterly mapping out of a new world order' - Evening Standard The New Silk Roads - a brand new book by Peter Frankopan - takes a fresh look at the network of relationships being formed along the length and breadth of the Silk Roads today.
The world is changing dramatically and in an age of Brexit and Trump, the themes of isolation and fragmentation permeating the western world stand in sharp contrast to events along the Silk Roads, where ties have been strengthened and mutual cooperation established.
Following the Silk Roads eastwards from Europe through to China, by way of Russia and the Middle East, The New Silk Roads provides a timely reminder that we live in a world that is profoundly interconnected. In this prescient contemporary history, Peter Frankopan assesses the global reverberations of these continual shifts in the centre of power - all too often absent from headlines in the west.
This important - and ultimately hopeful - book asks us to reread who we are and where we are in the world, illuminating the themes on which all our lives and livelihoods depend.
The Silk Roads, a major reassessment of world history, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
The world is changing dramatically and in an age of Brexit and Trump, the themes of isolation and fragmentation permeating the western world stand in sharp contrast to events along the Silk Roads, where ties have been strengthened and mutual cooperation established.
Following the Silk Roads eastwards from Europe through to China, by way of Russia and the Middle East, The New Silk Roads provides a timely reminder that we live in a world that is profoundly interconnected. In this prescient contemporary history, Peter Frankopan assesses the global reverberations of these continual shifts in the centre of power - all too often absent from headlines in the west.
This important - and ultimately hopeful - book asks us to reread who we are and where we are in the world, illuminating the themes on which all our lives and livelihoods depend.
The Silk Roads, a major reassessment of world history, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Alexander the Great: From His Death to the Present Day
John Boardman
$54.95
Hardback • 176 pages
An illustrious scholar presents an elegant, concise, and generously illustrated exploration of Alexander the Great's representations in art and literature through the ages John Boardman is one of the world's leading authorities on ancient Greece, and his acclaimed books command a broad readership. In this book, he looks beyond the life of Alexander the Great in order to examine the astonishing range of Alexanders created by generations of authors, historians, and artists throughout the world--from Scotland to China.
Alexander's defeat of the Persian Empire in 331 BC captured the popular imagination, inspiring an endless series of stories and representations that emerged shortly after his death and continues today. An art historian and archaeologist, Boardman draws on his deep knowledge of Alexander and the ancient world to reflect on the most interesting and emblematic depictions of this towering historical figure.
Some of the stories in this book relate to historical events associated with Alexander's military career and some to the fantasy that has been woven around him, and Boardman relates each with his customary verve and erudition. From Alexander's biographers in ancient Greece to the illustrated Alexander Romances of the Middle Ages to operas, films, and even modern cartoons, this generously illustrated volume takes readers on a fascinating cultural journey as it delivers a perfect pairing of subject and author.
Alexander's defeat of the Persian Empire in 331 BC captured the popular imagination, inspiring an endless series of stories and representations that emerged shortly after his death and continues today. An art historian and archaeologist, Boardman draws on his deep knowledge of Alexander and the ancient world to reflect on the most interesting and emblematic depictions of this towering historical figure.
Some of the stories in this book relate to historical events associated with Alexander's military career and some to the fantasy that has been woven around him, and Boardman relates each with his customary verve and erudition. From Alexander's biographers in ancient Greece to the illustrated Alexander Romances of the Middle Ages to operas, films, and even modern cartoons, this generously illustrated volume takes readers on a fascinating cultural journey as it delivers a perfect pairing of subject and author.
Alexander the Great: Conqueror, Commander, King
John Sadler , Rosie Serdiville
$19.99
Paperback • 160 pages
Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. In just over a generation, his northern Greek state of Macedon rose to control the whole of the vast Persian Empire. It was the legacy of his father, Philip, that launched Alexander on a spectacular career of conquest that planted Hellenic culture across most of Asia. In a dozen years Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus. No-one in history has equalled his achievement. Julius Caesar, contemplating his hero's statue, is said to have wept because by contrast he had accomplished so little.
Much of Alexander's success can be traced to the Macedonian phalanx, a close-ordered battle formation of sarissa-wielding infantry that proved itself a war-winning weapon. The army Alexander inherited from his father was the most powerful in Greece, highly disciplined, trained and loyal only to the king. United in a single purpose, they fought as one. Alexander recognized this and is quoted as saying, Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. Cavalry was also of crucial importance in the Macedonian army, as the driving force to attack the flanks of the enemy in battle. A talented commander, able to anticipate how his opponent would think, Alexander understood how to commit his forces to devastating effect, and was never defeated in battle. He also developed a corps of engineers that utilised catapults and siege towers against enemy fortifications. Alexander led from the front, fighting with his men, eating with them, refusing water when there was not enough, and his men would quite literally follow him to the ends of the (known) world, and none of his successors was able to hold together the empire he had forged. Although he died an early death his fame and glory persist to this day.
This concise history gives an overview of Alexander's life from a military standpoint, from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death.
Much of Alexander's success can be traced to the Macedonian phalanx, a close-ordered battle formation of sarissa-wielding infantry that proved itself a war-winning weapon. The army Alexander inherited from his father was the most powerful in Greece, highly disciplined, trained and loyal only to the king. United in a single purpose, they fought as one. Alexander recognized this and is quoted as saying, Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. Cavalry was also of crucial importance in the Macedonian army, as the driving force to attack the flanks of the enemy in battle. A talented commander, able to anticipate how his opponent would think, Alexander understood how to commit his forces to devastating effect, and was never defeated in battle. He also developed a corps of engineers that utilised catapults and siege towers against enemy fortifications. Alexander led from the front, fighting with his men, eating with them, refusing water when there was not enough, and his men would quite literally follow him to the ends of the (known) world, and none of his successors was able to hold together the empire he had forged. Although he died an early death his fame and glory persist to this day.
This concise history gives an overview of Alexander's life from a military standpoint, from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death.
Blood Roses: The Houses of Lancaster and York before the Wars of the Roses
Kathryn Warner
$49.99
Hardback • 320 pages
Traditionally, the Wars of the Roses - one of the bloodiest conflicts on English soil - began in 1455, when the Duke of York attacked King Henry VI's army in the narrow streets of St Albans. But this conflict did not spring up overnight.
Blood Roses traces it back to the beginning.
Starting in 1245 with the founding of the House of Lancaster, Kathryn Warner follows a twisted path of political intrigue, bloody war and fascinating characters for 200 years. From the Barons Wars to the overthrowing of Edward II, Eleanor of Castile to Isabella of France, and true love to Loveday, this is a new look at an infamous era. The first book to look at the origins of both houses, Blood Roses reframes some of the biggest events of the medieval era; not as stand-alone conflicts, but as part of a long-running family feud that would have drastic consequences.
Blood Roses traces it back to the beginning.
Starting in 1245 with the founding of the House of Lancaster, Kathryn Warner follows a twisted path of political intrigue, bloody war and fascinating characters for 200 years. From the Barons Wars to the overthrowing of Edward II, Eleanor of Castile to Isabella of France, and true love to Loveday, this is a new look at an infamous era. The first book to look at the origins of both houses, Blood Roses reframes some of the biggest events of the medieval era; not as stand-alone conflicts, but as part of a long-running family feud that would have drastic consequences.
Armies of the Late Roman Empire AD 284 to 476: History, Organization and Uniforms
Gabriele Esposito
$52.99
Hardback • 208 pages
This guide to the Late Roman Army focusses on the dramatic and crucial period that started with the accession of Diocletian and ended with the definitive fall of the Western Roman Empire. This was a turbulent period during which the Roman state and its armed forces changed.
Gabriele Esposito challenges many stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the Late Roman Army; for example, he argues that the Roman military machine remained a reliable and efficient one until the very last decades of the Western Empire. The author describes the organization, structure, equipment, weapons, combat history and tactics of Late Roman military forces. The comitatenses (field armies), limitanei (frontier units), foederati (allied soldiers), bucellarii (mercenaries), scholae palatinae (mounted bodyguards), protectores (personal guards) and many other kinds of troops are covered.
The book is lavishly illustrated in color, including the shield devices from the Notitia Dignitatum. The origins and causes for the final military fall of the Empire are discussed in detail, as well as the influence of the ‘barbarian’ peoples on the Roman Army.
Gabriele Esposito challenges many stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the Late Roman Army; for example, he argues that the Roman military machine remained a reliable and efficient one until the very last decades of the Western Empire. The author describes the organization, structure, equipment, weapons, combat history and tactics of Late Roman military forces. The comitatenses (field armies), limitanei (frontier units), foederati (allied soldiers), bucellarii (mercenaries), scholae palatinae (mounted bodyguards), protectores (personal guards) and many other kinds of troops are covered.
The book is lavishly illustrated in color, including the shield devices from the Notitia Dignitatum. The origins and causes for the final military fall of the Empire are discussed in detail, as well as the influence of the ‘barbarian’ peoples on the Roman Army.
Unruly Waters: How Mountain Rivers and Monsoons Have Shaped South Asia's History
Sunil Amrith
$55.00
Hardback • 416 pages
Asia's history has been shaped by its waters. In Unruly Waters, historian Sunil Amrith reimagines Asia's history through the stories of its rains, rivers, coasts, and seas - and of the weather-watchers and engineers, mapmakers and farmers who have sought to control them.
Looking out from India, he shows how dreams and fears of water shaped visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to reshape nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations.
Today, Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts; hundreds of millions crowd into coastal cities threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only Asia's past but its future.
Looking out from India, he shows how dreams and fears of water shaped visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to reshape nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations.
Today, Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts; hundreds of millions crowd into coastal cities threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only Asia's past but its future.
Patriot or Traitor: The Life and Death of Sir Walter Ralegh
Anna Beer
$34.99
Hardback • 336 pages
A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year `Talking much is a sign of vanity, for the man who is lavish with words is cheap in deeds.' Sir Walter Ralegh Sir Walter Ralegh was a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer. He lived more lives than most in his own time, in any time.
We do not even know when this fifth son of a Devonshire gentleman was born, yet he went on to `climb full high' in the England of Queen Elizabeth I. How was such a man able to do this?
His life was romantic, irresistible and of central importance to early modern history. Prone to periods of extreme melancholy alternating with extreme activity, here was a liar who believed his own lies. He had a hunger for life, a longing for death, a passion for words ... and a love of silk stockings.
Always driven, and always consumed with wonder, Ralegh was a man who pored over maps, asking dangerous questions of the world around him.
His death is a convoluted and contested tale of bargaining, failure and betrayal. Through the Elizabethan golden age and Ralegh's famous adventures to the final act, Anna Beer presents his stranger-than-fiction life in all its richness.
We do not even know when this fifth son of a Devonshire gentleman was born, yet he went on to `climb full high' in the England of Queen Elizabeth I. How was such a man able to do this?
His life was romantic, irresistible and of central importance to early modern history. Prone to periods of extreme melancholy alternating with extreme activity, here was a liar who believed his own lies. He had a hunger for life, a longing for death, a passion for words ... and a love of silk stockings.
Always driven, and always consumed with wonder, Ralegh was a man who pored over maps, asking dangerous questions of the world around him.
His death is a convoluted and contested tale of bargaining, failure and betrayal. Through the Elizabethan golden age and Ralegh's famous adventures to the final act, Anna Beer presents his stranger-than-fiction life in all its richness.
A Field Guide to the English Clergy: A Compendium of Diverse Eccentrics, Pirates, Prelates and Adventurers; All Anglican, Some Even Practising
The Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie
$24.99
Hardback • 192 pages
A Book of the Year for The Times, Mail on Sunday and BBC History Magazine Judge not, lest ye be judged. This timeless wisdom has guided the Anglican Church for hundreds of years, fostering a certain tolerance of eccentricity among its members.
Good thing, too.
The `Mermaid of Morwenstow' excommunicated a cat for mousing on a Sunday. When he was late for a service, Bishop Lancelot Fleming commandeered a Navy helicopter. `Mad Jack' swapped his surplice for a leopard skin and insisted on being carried around in a coffin. And then there was the man who, like Noah's evil twin, tried to eat one of each of God's creatures...
In spite of all this they saw the church as their true calling. After all, who cares if you're wearing red high heels when there are souls to be saved?
Good thing, too.
The `Mermaid of Morwenstow' excommunicated a cat for mousing on a Sunday. When he was late for a service, Bishop Lancelot Fleming commandeered a Navy helicopter. `Mad Jack' swapped his surplice for a leopard skin and insisted on being carried around in a coffin. And then there was the man who, like Noah's evil twin, tried to eat one of each of God's creatures...
In spite of all this they saw the church as their true calling. After all, who cares if you're wearing red high heels when there are souls to be saved?
Devices and Desires: Bess of Hardwick and the Building of Elizabethan England
Kate Hubbard
$49.99
Hardback • 384 pages
The remarkable story of Bess of Hardwick, her ascent through Elizabethan society and the houses she built that shaped British architectural history.
Born in 1521, Bess of Hardwick, property tycoon, businesswoman, money-lender and four-times wife, lived an astonishing eighty-seven years. Through canny choices and a will of steel she rose from country squire's daughter to Dowager Countess, establishing herself as one of the richest and most powerful women in England, second only to Queen Elizabeth.
Bess forged her way, not merely by a judicious choice of husbands, but by shrewd exploitation of whatever assets those husbands brought her. At a time when women were legally and financially subordinate to their husbands, Bess succeeded in manipulating hers to her own, and her children's, advantage, accumulating great riches and estates in the process.
But her greatest passion was for building and Bess kept a beady eye on every stage of the creation of her four houses. Hardwick New Hall, her sole surviving building, is stamped all over with Bess's identity and her initials, both outside and in. Hardwick is a celebration of one woman's triumphant progress through Elizabethan England.
In this new biography, Kate Hubbard examines Bess's life as a builder within the context of the Elizabethan building world, dominated as it was by men. Devices and Desires traces the building of Hardwick, but also of other houses that Bess knew, visited and coveted; Longleat, Holdenby, Theobalds. Throughout, it seeks to locate Bess within Hardwick, the lasting monument she left behind her.
Born in 1521, Bess of Hardwick, property tycoon, businesswoman, money-lender and four-times wife, lived an astonishing eighty-seven years. Through canny choices and a will of steel she rose from country squire's daughter to Dowager Countess, establishing herself as one of the richest and most powerful women in England, second only to Queen Elizabeth.
Bess forged her way, not merely by a judicious choice of husbands, but by shrewd exploitation of whatever assets those husbands brought her. At a time when women were legally and financially subordinate to their husbands, Bess succeeded in manipulating hers to her own, and her children's, advantage, accumulating great riches and estates in the process.
But her greatest passion was for building and Bess kept a beady eye on every stage of the creation of her four houses. Hardwick New Hall, her sole surviving building, is stamped all over with Bess's identity and her initials, both outside and in. Hardwick is a celebration of one woman's triumphant progress through Elizabethan England.
In this new biography, Kate Hubbard examines Bess's life as a builder within the context of the Elizabethan building world, dominated as it was by men. Devices and Desires traces the building of Hardwick, but also of other houses that Bess knew, visited and coveted; Longleat, Holdenby, Theobalds. Throughout, it seeks to locate Bess within Hardwick, the lasting monument she left behind her.
Dreamers: When the Writers Took Power, Germany 1918
Volker Weidermann , Ruth Martin
$35.00
Hardback • 256 pages
At the end of the First World War in Germany, the journalist and theatre critic Kurt Eisner organised a revolution which overthrew the monarchy, and declared a Free State of Bavaria. In February 1919, he was assassinated, and the revolution failed. But while the dream lived, it was the writers, the poets, the playwrights and the intellectuals who led the way. As well as Eisner, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, and many other prominent figures in German cultural history were involved. In his characteristically lucid, sharp prose, Volker Weidermann presents us with a slice of history - November 1918 to April 1919 - and shows how a small group of people could have altered the course of the twentieth century.
1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder
Arthur Herman
$32.99
Paperback • 496 pages
How did two men move the world away from wars for land and treasure to wars over ideas and ideologies-a change that would go on to kill millions In April 1917, Woodrow Wilson-champion of American democracy but also of segregation, advocate for free trade and a new world order based on freedom and justice-thrust the United States into the First World War in order to make the world safe for democracy -only to see his dreams for a liberal international system dissolve into chaos, bloodshed, and betrayal.
That October, Vladimir Lenin-communist revolutionary and advocate for class war and dictatorship of the proletariat -would overthrow Russia's earlier democratic revolution that had toppled the powerful czar, all in the name of liberating humanity-and instead would set up the most repressive totalitarian regime in history, the Soviet Union.
In this incisive, fast-paced history, the New York Times bestselling author Arthur Herman brilliantly reveals how Lenin and Wilson rewrote the rules of modern geopolitics. Prior to and through the end of World War I, countries marched into war only to advance or protect their national interests. After World War I, countries began going to war over ideas. Together Lenin and Wilson unleashed the disruptive ideologies that would sweep the world, from nationalism and globalism to Communism and terrorism, and that continue to shape our world today.
Our new world disorder is the legacy left by Wilson and Lenin, and their visions of the perfectibility of man. One hundred years later, we still sit on the powder keg they first set the detonator to, through war and revolution.
That October, Vladimir Lenin-communist revolutionary and advocate for class war and dictatorship of the proletariat -would overthrow Russia's earlier democratic revolution that had toppled the powerful czar, all in the name of liberating humanity-and instead would set up the most repressive totalitarian regime in history, the Soviet Union.
In this incisive, fast-paced history, the New York Times bestselling author Arthur Herman brilliantly reveals how Lenin and Wilson rewrote the rules of modern geopolitics. Prior to and through the end of World War I, countries marched into war only to advance or protect their national interests. After World War I, countries began going to war over ideas. Together Lenin and Wilson unleashed the disruptive ideologies that would sweep the world, from nationalism and globalism to Communism and terrorism, and that continue to shape our world today.
Our new world disorder is the legacy left by Wilson and Lenin, and their visions of the perfectibility of man. One hundred years later, we still sit on the powder keg they first set the detonator to, through war and revolution.
The Kremlin Letters: Stalin's Wartime Correspondence with Churchill and Roosevelt
David Reynolds , Vladimir Pechatnov
$59.99
Hardback • 660 pages
A penetrating account of the dynamics of World War II's Grand Alliance through the messages exchanged by the Big Three.
Stalin exchanged more than six hundred messages with Allied leaders Churchill and Roosevelt during the Second World War. In this riveting volume - the fruit of a unique British-Russian scholarly collaboration - the messages are published and also analyzed within their historical context. Ranging from intimate personal greetings to weighty salvos about diplomacy and strategy, this book offers fascinating new revelations of the political machinations and human stories behind the Allied triumvirate.
Edited and narrated by two of the world's leading scholars on World War II diplomacy and based on a decade of research in British, American, and newly available Russian archives, this crucial addition to wartime scholarship illuminates an alliance that really worked while exposing its fractious limits and the issues and egos that set the stage for the Cold War that followed.
Stalin exchanged more than six hundred messages with Allied leaders Churchill and Roosevelt during the Second World War. In this riveting volume - the fruit of a unique British-Russian scholarly collaboration - the messages are published and also analyzed within their historical context. Ranging from intimate personal greetings to weighty salvos about diplomacy and strategy, this book offers fascinating new revelations of the political machinations and human stories behind the Allied triumvirate.
Edited and narrated by two of the world's leading scholars on World War II diplomacy and based on a decade of research in British, American, and newly available Russian archives, this crucial addition to wartime scholarship illuminates an alliance that really worked while exposing its fractious limits and the issues and egos that set the stage for the Cold War that followed.
Going Deep: John Philip Holland and the Invention of the Attack Submarine
Lawrence Goldstone
$23.95
Paperback • 352 pages
From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to The Hunt for Red October, readers the world over have demonstrated an enduring fascination with travel under the sea. Yet the riveting story behind the invention of the submarine - an epic saga of genius, persistence, ruthlessness, and deceit-is almost completely unknown.
Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed.
Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure - surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed - at its heart this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds.
Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed.
Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure - surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed - at its heart this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds.
Beautiful Country Burn Again: Trump's Rise to Power, and the State of the Country that Voted for Him
Ben Fountain
$24.99
Paperback • 448 pages
As Ben Fountain sees it, the United States is facing its third existential crisis. The first was the struggle over slavery, culminating in the Civil War. The second was the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialised world, which brought about the New Deal. The third, is Donald Trump. But how will it end?
Taking in America's love affair with firearms, celebrity culture, Russia, Obamacare, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Trump himself, Beautiful Country Burn Again explores how the United States reached a new crisis point and asks how America really can be great again.
'Whip-smart and searching in its indictment of cant and falsity, this is perhaps the best portrait yet of an astounding election.' - Publishers Weekly
Taking in America's love affair with firearms, celebrity culture, Russia, Obamacare, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Trump himself, Beautiful Country Burn Again explores how the United States reached a new crisis point and asks how America really can be great again.
'Whip-smart and searching in its indictment of cant and falsity, this is perhaps the best portrait yet of an astounding election.' - Publishers Weekly
Where We Go From Here: Two Years in the Resistance
Bernie Sanders
$34.99
Paperback • 288 pages
During his campaign for President in 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders repeatedly stated that the future of America was dependent upon its willingness to start a political revolution. Real change never occurs from the top down - it always happens from the bottom up. That's what he said when he ran for President, and that's what he believes now more than ever.
At a time of massive and growing wealth inequality, with the US moving closer and closer to an oligarchic form of society, and in the shadow of the most reactionary Presidency in the history of the Republic, Sanders is calling for an unprecedented grassroots political movement to stand up to the greed of the billionaire class and the politicians they own.
And the good news is, progress is being made.
In this important new book, America's most popular political figure speaks about what he's been doing to oppose the Trump agenda and strengthen the progressive movement, how America can go forward as a nation and the impact that can have on the global stage.
In an era that leaves many would-be liberal and progressive voters feeling frustrated about politics, Bernie Sanders shows what he stands for, not just what he stands against. In this book, he details the core values of the progressive movement and translates them into the actions that will truly uplift the nation and the world.
Praise for Bernie Sanders:
'A decent, honest person. It's pretty unusual in the political system.' - Noam Chomsky
'Gives us a glimpse of what politics could be like.' - Yanis Varoufakis
'Bernie Sanders has changed US politics for ever.' - Owen Jones
At a time of massive and growing wealth inequality, with the US moving closer and closer to an oligarchic form of society, and in the shadow of the most reactionary Presidency in the history of the Republic, Sanders is calling for an unprecedented grassroots political movement to stand up to the greed of the billionaire class and the politicians they own.
And the good news is, progress is being made.
In this important new book, America's most popular political figure speaks about what he's been doing to oppose the Trump agenda and strengthen the progressive movement, how America can go forward as a nation and the impact that can have on the global stage.
In an era that leaves many would-be liberal and progressive voters feeling frustrated about politics, Bernie Sanders shows what he stands for, not just what he stands against. In this book, he details the core values of the progressive movement and translates them into the actions that will truly uplift the nation and the world.
Praise for Bernie Sanders:
'A decent, honest person. It's pretty unusual in the political system.' - Noam Chomsky
'Gives us a glimpse of what politics could be like.' - Yanis Varoufakis
'Bernie Sanders has changed US politics for ever.' - Owen Jones
Lost Kingdom: A History of Russian Nationalism from Ivan the Great to Vladimir Putin
Serhii Plokhy
$22.99
Paperback • 432 pages
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and attempted to seize a portion of Ukraine. While the world watched in outrage, this violation of national sovereignty was in fact only the latest iteration of a centuries-long effort to expand Russian boundaries and create a pan-Russian nation. In Lost Kingdom,award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can only understand the merging of imperialism and nationalism in Russia today by delving into its history. Spanning over two thousand years, from the end of the Mongol rule to the present day, Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin have exploited existing forms of identity, warfare and territorial expansion to achieve imperial supremacy. A strikingly ambitious book, Lost Kingdom chronicles the long and belligerent history of Russia's empire and nation-building quest.
Advocate - Science
abbeys.com.au
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
Mary Robinson
$29.99
Hardback • 176 pages
SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2018
Holding her first grandchild in her arms in 2003, Mary Robinson was struck by the uncertainty of the world he had been born into. Before his fiftieth birthday, he would share the planet with more than nine billion people - people battling for food, water, and shelter in an increasingly volatile climate. The faceless, shadowy menace of climate change had become, in an instant, deeply personal.
Mary Robinson's mission would lead her all over the world, from Malawi to Mongolia, and to a heartening revelation: that an irrepressible driving force in the battle for climate justice could be found at the grassroots level, mainly among women, many of them mothers and grandmothers like herself. From Sharon Hanshaw, the Mississippi matriarch whose campaign began in her East Biloxi hair salon and culminated in her speaking at the United Nations, to Constance Okollet, a small farmer who transformed the fortunes of her ailing community in rural Uganda, Robinson met with ordinary people whose resilience and ingenuity had already unlocked extraordinary change.
Powerful and deeply humane, Climate Justice is a stirring manifesto on one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time, and a lucid, affirmative, and well-argued case for hope.
Holding her first grandchild in her arms in 2003, Mary Robinson was struck by the uncertainty of the world he had been born into. Before his fiftieth birthday, he would share the planet with more than nine billion people - people battling for food, water, and shelter in an increasingly volatile climate. The faceless, shadowy menace of climate change had become, in an instant, deeply personal.
Mary Robinson's mission would lead her all over the world, from Malawi to Mongolia, and to a heartening revelation: that an irrepressible driving force in the battle for climate justice could be found at the grassroots level, mainly among women, many of them mothers and grandmothers like herself. From Sharon Hanshaw, the Mississippi matriarch whose campaign began in her East Biloxi hair salon and culminated in her speaking at the United Nations, to Constance Okollet, a small farmer who transformed the fortunes of her ailing community in rural Uganda, Robinson met with ordinary people whose resilience and ingenuity had already unlocked extraordinary change.
Powerful and deeply humane, Climate Justice is a stirring manifesto on one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time, and a lucid, affirmative, and well-argued case for hope.
Cosmos Magazine: Summer 2019: Issue 81
Cosmos Magazine
$15.00
Paperback • 130 pages
1. Zeroing in on consciousness - Elizabeth Finkel It was once a problem for philosophers. No longer. Braining imaging studies are zeroing in to explain this once nebulous feature of the human experience.
2. Nanosats Mars (IEEE) Diminutive cube sats are all the rage because they are cheap to launch. But they are only powerful enough to beam messages from Earth orbits. The next generation, being built now for Mars missions, will be powerful enough to beam back from Mars and other planets.
3. Stem cells- 20 years on - Elizabeth Finkel and Alan Trounson It's been 20 years since Alan Trounson dramatically changed the direction of his research to embrace the new field of stem cell research. Since then his discoveries have triggered world interest in the potential of stem cells to help cure many diseases. Here, he reflects on the past 20 years and considers the future possibilities in the field.
4. Electronic aviation - Phil Dooley The revolution to electric aviation promises huge improvements in footprint- NASA and airbus are testing hybrid planes with up to 80% reduction in footprint. For short hops an air taxi service is being trialled in New Zealand, which promises to reduce congestion much more than rideshare - which studies show has actually increased congestion.
2. Nanosats Mars (IEEE) Diminutive cube sats are all the rage because they are cheap to launch. But they are only powerful enough to beam messages from Earth orbits. The next generation, being built now for Mars missions, will be powerful enough to beam back from Mars and other planets.
3. Stem cells- 20 years on - Elizabeth Finkel and Alan Trounson It's been 20 years since Alan Trounson dramatically changed the direction of his research to embrace the new field of stem cell research. Since then his discoveries have triggered world interest in the potential of stem cells to help cure many diseases. Here, he reflects on the past 20 years and considers the future possibilities in the field.
4. Electronic aviation - Phil Dooley The revolution to electric aviation promises huge improvements in footprint- NASA and airbus are testing hybrid planes with up to 80% reduction in footprint. For short hops an air taxi service is being trialled in New Zealand, which promises to reduce congestion much more than rideshare - which studies show has actually increased congestion.
Transformations: Harriet and Helena Scott, Colonial Sydney's Finest Natural History Painters
Vanessa Finney
$49.99
Hardback • 220 pages
The fascinating story of the Scott sisters, who transformed nature into art in their extraordinary paintings of butterflies and moths, is told here for the first time.
With their collecting boxes, notebooks and paintbrushes, Harriet and Helena Scott entered the masculine worlds of science and art and became two of nineteenth-century Australia's most prominent natural history painters.
Transformations tells the complete story of the Scott sisters for the first time - their early lives in colonial Sydney, their training as naturalists and artists on the isolated Ash Island in the Hunter River near Newcastle, and their professional triumphs. This is a rare pictorial record of two talented and determined women who transformed nature into art in their extraordinary paintings of Australian butterflies and moths.
With their collecting boxes, notebooks and paintbrushes, Harriet and Helena Scott entered the masculine worlds of science and art and became two of nineteenth-century Australia's most prominent natural history painters.
Transformations tells the complete story of the Scott sisters for the first time - their early lives in colonial Sydney, their training as naturalists and artists on the isolated Ash Island in the Hunter River near Newcastle, and their professional triumphs. This is a rare pictorial record of two talented and determined women who transformed nature into art in their extraordinary paintings of Australian butterflies and moths.
More of the latest new releases
The Mathematics of Everyday Life
Alfred S. Posamentier , Christian Spreitzer
$44.99
Hardback • 320 pages
If you think of mathematics as a series of pointless classroom exercises without much relevance to real life, this book will change your mind. As the authors show, math is deeply embedded in almost every aspect of daily life - from managing your personal finances, making consumer purchases, and sharpening your computational skills, to learning to apply mathematical concepts that will give you a better grasp of both ordinary and extraordinary events and help you better appreciate the world we live in. With some basic geometry under your belt, you'll discover that there is an optimal point on a soccer field from which to shoot a goal. And you'll be more clever with the gears of a bike. If you like to play cards or go to the casino, knowing something about probability will give you an edge. You'll also have an enhanced understanding of the whispering effect inside the Capitol rotunda, why a car's headlights are so bright, and even why sewer covers are round.
Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects
Chad Orzel
$29.99
Paperback • 288 pages
A Sunday Times Book of the Year From the author of the international bestseller How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Exciting physics doesn't just show up in billion-dollar experiments like the Large Hadron Collider or in extreme astrophysical environments like black holes. It's to be found all around us, just beneath the surface of our normal everyday lives.
An ordinary morning routine depends on some of the weirdest phenomena ever discovered. Did you know for instance that even the humble alarm clock holds secrets about quantum mechanics or that classical physics couldn't explain why your toaster's heating element glows orange? Or that the sensor your phone uses to take pictures of your kids or cats is, at a fundamental level, quantum mechanical, relying as it does on the particle nature of light?
In Breakfast with Einstein, Chad Orzel elevates the everyday by showing the wonder and amazement that can be found in even the simplest activities. Quantum physics is one of the great intellectual triumphs of human civilisation, and it's all around us, everyday - if you just know where to look.
An ordinary morning routine depends on some of the weirdest phenomena ever discovered. Did you know for instance that even the humble alarm clock holds secrets about quantum mechanics or that classical physics couldn't explain why your toaster's heating element glows orange? Or that the sensor your phone uses to take pictures of your kids or cats is, at a fundamental level, quantum mechanical, relying as it does on the particle nature of light?
In Breakfast with Einstein, Chad Orzel elevates the everyday by showing the wonder and amazement that can be found in even the simplest activities. Quantum physics is one of the great intellectual triumphs of human civilisation, and it's all around us, everyday - if you just know where to look.
The Beginning and the End of Everything: From the Big Bang to the End of the Universe
Paul Parsons
$32.99
Hardback • 288 pages
13.8 billion years ago, something incredible happened. Matter, energy, space and time all suddenly burst into existence in a cataclysmic event that's come to be known as the Big Bang. It was the birth of our universe. What started life smaller than the tiniest subatomic particle is now unimaginably vast and plays home to trillions of galaxies. The formulation of the Big Bang theory is a story that combines some of the most far-reaching concepts in fundamental physics with equally far-reaching observations of the universe. And as our understanding of the birth of the universe deepens, so does the realisation that it cannot last for ever.
Including the latest astronomical observations and theoretical breakthroughs, as well as examining the theories that reveal how our universe could end, this is an enlightening account of modern cosmology.
Including the latest astronomical observations and theoretical breakthroughs, as well as examining the theories that reveal how our universe could end, this is an enlightening account of modern cosmology.
Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand: Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe
Marcus Chown
$19.99
Paperback • 256 pages
Did you know that you could fit the whole human race in the volume of a sugar cube? Or that the electrical energy in a single mosquito is enough to cause a global mass extinction? Or that we are all, in fact, living in a giant hologram? Or perhaps, most importantly of all, out there in the universe there are an infinite number of copies of you reading an infinite number of copies of this?
Using these impossible-sounding truths, Marcus Chown reveals some of the most significant scientific discoveries in human history about who we are, where we came from and the complexities and wonders of our universe. Witty, engaging and accessible, Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand brings to life the forces that rule our universe and reveals the intriguing details of our existence.
Using these impossible-sounding truths, Marcus Chown reveals some of the most significant scientific discoveries in human history about who we are, where we came from and the complexities and wonders of our universe. Witty, engaging and accessible, Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand brings to life the forces that rule our universe and reveals the intriguing details of our existence.
Voyages of Discovery: A visual celebration of ten of the greatest natural history expeditions
Tony Rice
$34.99
Hardback • 336 pages
Voyages of Discovery is a mesmerising visual record of ten of the world's most significant natural history expeditions.
Superb artworks and photographs spanning three centuries document advances and watersheds in the field of natural science. The stories behind these images - of explorers, naturalists, artists and photographers - entwine into a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder.
Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloane's journey to Jamaica in 1687; James Cook's perilous Pacific crossings; and Darwin's historic voyage aboard HMS Beagle.
Hand-picked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, most of which have been presented for the first time in this stunning book.
Superb artworks and photographs spanning three centuries document advances and watersheds in the field of natural science. The stories behind these images - of explorers, naturalists, artists and photographers - entwine into a fascinating study of human achievement and natural wonder.
Among the many stories of adventure and great scientific endeavour are: Sir Hans Sloane's journey to Jamaica in 1687; James Cook's perilous Pacific crossings; and Darwin's historic voyage aboard HMS Beagle.
Hand-picked from the vast Library of the Natural History Museum, London, the illustrations and artworks contained here form a rare collection, most of which have been presented for the first time in this stunning book.
Why We Dream: The Science, Creativity and Transformative Power of Dreams
Alice Robb
$29.99
Paperback • 272 pages
We all dream, and 98 per cent of us can recall our dreams the next morning. Even in today's modern age, it is human nature to wonder what they mean.
Now, groundbreaking science is putting dreams at the forefront of new research into sleep, memory, the concept of self and human socialization. Once a subject of the New Age and spiritualism, the science of dreams is revealed to have a crucial role in the biology and neuroscience of our waking lives.
In Why We Dream, Alice Robb, a leading American science journalist, will take readers on a journey to uncover why we dream, why dreaming matters, and how we can improve our dream life - and why we should. Through her encounters with scientists at the cutting edge of dream research, she reveals how:
- Dreams can be powerful tools to help us process the pain of a relationship break-up, the grief of losing a loved one and the trauma after a dramatic event - Nightmares may be our body's warning system for physical and mental illness (including cancer, depression and Alzheimer's) - Athletes can improve their performance by dreaming about competing - Drug addicts who dream about drug-taking can dramatically speed up their recovery from addiction.
Robb also uncovers the fascinating science behind lucid dreaming - when we enter a dream state with control over our actions, creating a limitless playground for our fantasies. And as one of only 10 per cent of people with the ability to lucid-dream, she is uniquely placed to teach us how to do it ourselves.
With incredible new discoveries and stunning science, Why We Dream will give you dramatic insight into yourself and your body. You'll never think of dreams in the same way again.
Now, groundbreaking science is putting dreams at the forefront of new research into sleep, memory, the concept of self and human socialization. Once a subject of the New Age and spiritualism, the science of dreams is revealed to have a crucial role in the biology and neuroscience of our waking lives.
In Why We Dream, Alice Robb, a leading American science journalist, will take readers on a journey to uncover why we dream, why dreaming matters, and how we can improve our dream life - and why we should. Through her encounters with scientists at the cutting edge of dream research, she reveals how:
- Dreams can be powerful tools to help us process the pain of a relationship break-up, the grief of losing a loved one and the trauma after a dramatic event - Nightmares may be our body's warning system for physical and mental illness (including cancer, depression and Alzheimer's) - Athletes can improve their performance by dreaming about competing - Drug addicts who dream about drug-taking can dramatically speed up their recovery from addiction.
Robb also uncovers the fascinating science behind lucid dreaming - when we enter a dream state with control over our actions, creating a limitless playground for our fantasies. And as one of only 10 per cent of people with the ability to lucid-dream, she is uniquely placed to teach us how to do it ourselves.
With incredible new discoveries and stunning science, Why We Dream will give you dramatic insight into yourself and your body. You'll never think of dreams in the same way again.
How to Fall Slower Than Gravity: And Other Everyday (and Not So Everyday) Uses of Mathematics and Physical Reasoning
Paul J. Nahin
$59.99
Hardback • 320 pages
An engaging collection of intriguing problems that shows you how to think like a mathematical physicist
Paul Nahin is a master at explaining odd phenomena through straightforward mathematics. In this collection of twenty-six intriguing problems, he explores how mathematical physicists think. Always entertaining, the problems range from ancient catapult conundrums to the puzzling physics of a very peculiar kind of glass called NASTYGLASS - and from dodging trucks to why raindrops fall slower than the rate of gravity. The questions raised may seem impossible to answer at first and may require an unexpected twist in reasoning, but sometimes their solutions are surprisingly simple. Nahin's goal, however, is always to guide readers - who will need only to have studied advanced high school math and physics - in expanding their mathematical thinking to make sense of the curiosities of the physical world.
The problems are in the first part of the book and the solutions are in the second, so that readers may challenge themselves to solve the questions on their own before looking at the explanations. The problems show how mathematics - including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus - can be united with physical laws to solve both real and theoretical problems. Historical anecdotes woven throughout the book bring alive the circumstances and people involved in some amazing discoveries and achievements.
More than a puzzle book, this work will immerse you in the delights of scientific history while honing your math skills.
Paul Nahin is a master at explaining odd phenomena through straightforward mathematics. In this collection of twenty-six intriguing problems, he explores how mathematical physicists think. Always entertaining, the problems range from ancient catapult conundrums to the puzzling physics of a very peculiar kind of glass called NASTYGLASS - and from dodging trucks to why raindrops fall slower than the rate of gravity. The questions raised may seem impossible to answer at first and may require an unexpected twist in reasoning, but sometimes their solutions are surprisingly simple. Nahin's goal, however, is always to guide readers - who will need only to have studied advanced high school math and physics - in expanding their mathematical thinking to make sense of the curiosities of the physical world.
The problems are in the first part of the book and the solutions are in the second, so that readers may challenge themselves to solve the questions on their own before looking at the explanations. The problems show how mathematics - including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus - can be united with physical laws to solve both real and theoretical problems. Historical anecdotes woven throughout the book bring alive the circumstances and people involved in some amazing discoveries and achievements.
More than a puzzle book, this work will immerse you in the delights of scientific history while honing your math skills.
Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe
Jim Baggott
$40.95
Hardback • 480 pages
Today we are blessed with two extraordinarily successful theories of physics. The first is Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes the large-scale behaviour of matter in a curved spacetime. This theory is the basis for the standard model of big bang cosmology. The discovery of gravitational waves at the LIGO observatory in the US (and then Virgo, in Italy) is only the most recent of this theory's many triumphs.
The second is quantum mechanics. This theory describes the properties and behaviour of matter and radiation at their smallest scales. It is the basis for the standard model of particle physics, which builds up all the visible constituents of the universe out of collections of quarks, electrons and force-carrying particles such as photons. The discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN in Geneva is only the most recent of this theory's many triumphs.
But, while they are both highly successful, these two structures leave a lot of important questions unanswered. They are also based on two different interpretations of space and time, and are therefore fundamentally incompatible. We have two descriptions but, as far as we know, we've only ever had one universe. What we need is a quantum theory of gravity.
Approaches to formulating such a theory have primarily followed two paths. One leads to String Theory, which has for long been fashionable, and about which much has been written. But String Theory has become mired in problems. In this book, Jim Baggott describes : an approach which takes relativity as its starting point, and leads to a structure called Loop Quantum Gravity. Baggott tells the story through the careers and pioneering work of two of the theory's most prominent contributors, Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovelli. Combining clear discussions of both quantum theory and general relativity, this book offers one of the first efforts to explain the new quantum theory of space and time.
The second is quantum mechanics. This theory describes the properties and behaviour of matter and radiation at their smallest scales. It is the basis for the standard model of particle physics, which builds up all the visible constituents of the universe out of collections of quarks, electrons and force-carrying particles such as photons. The discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN in Geneva is only the most recent of this theory's many triumphs.
But, while they are both highly successful, these two structures leave a lot of important questions unanswered. They are also based on two different interpretations of space and time, and are therefore fundamentally incompatible. We have two descriptions but, as far as we know, we've only ever had one universe. What we need is a quantum theory of gravity.
Approaches to formulating such a theory have primarily followed two paths. One leads to String Theory, which has for long been fashionable, and about which much has been written. But String Theory has become mired in problems. In this book, Jim Baggott describes : an approach which takes relativity as its starting point, and leads to a structure called Loop Quantum Gravity. Baggott tells the story through the careers and pioneering work of two of the theory's most prominent contributors, Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovelli. Combining clear discussions of both quantum theory and general relativity, this book offers one of the first efforts to explain the new quantum theory of space and time.
Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder: A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science
James Mahaffey
$25.95
Paperback • 464 pages
Whether you are a scientist or a poet, pro-nuclear energy or staunch opponent, conspiracy theorist or pragmatist, James Mahaffey's books have served to open up the world of nuclear science like never before. With clear explanations of some of the most complex scientific endeavors in history, Mahaffey's new book looks back at the atom's wild, secretive past and then toward its potentially bright future.
Mahaffey unearths lost reactors on far flung Pacific islands and trees that were exposed to active fission that changed gender or bloomed in the dead of winter. He explains why we have nuclear submarines but not nuclear aircraft and why cold fusion doesn't exist. And who knew that radiation counting was once a fashionable trend? Though parts of the nuclear history might seem like a fiction mash-up, where cowboys somehow got a hold of a reactor, Mahaffey's vivid prose holds the reader in thrall of the infectious energy of scientific curiosity and ingenuity that may one day hold the key to solving our energy crisis or sending us to Mars.
Mahaffey unearths lost reactors on far flung Pacific islands and trees that were exposed to active fission that changed gender or bloomed in the dead of winter. He explains why we have nuclear submarines but not nuclear aircraft and why cold fusion doesn't exist. And who knew that radiation counting was once a fashionable trend? Though parts of the nuclear history might seem like a fiction mash-up, where cowboys somehow got a hold of a reactor, Mahaffey's vivid prose holds the reader in thrall of the infectious energy of scientific curiosity and ingenuity that may one day hold the key to solving our energy crisis or sending us to Mars.
Advocate - Today's World
abbeys.com.au
Best Australian Political Cartoons 2018
Russ Radcliffe
$29.99
Paperback • 192 pages
FREE DELIVERY WITHIN AUSTRALIA
with this in your order
with this in your order
With Dean Alston, Peter Broelman, Pat Campbell, Andrew Dyson, John Farmer, First Dog on the Moon, Matt Golding, Fiona Katauskas, Mark Knight, Jon Kudelka, Alan Moir, David Pope, David Rowe, Andrew Weldon, Cathy Wilcox, Paul Zanetti, and many more...
The Land Before Avocado: Journeys in a Lost Australia
Richard Glover
$29.99
Paperback
The new book from the bestselling author of Flesh Wounds. A funny and frank look at the way Australia used to be - and just how far we have come. 'It was simpler time'. We had more fun back then'. 'Everyone could afford a house'.
There's plenty of nostalgia right now for the Australia of the past, but what was it really like?
In The Land Before Avocado, Richard Glover takes a journey to an almost unrecognisable Australia. It's a vivid portrait of a quite peculiar land: a place that is scary and weird, dangerous and incomprehensible, and, now and then, surprisingly appealing.
It's the Australia of his childhood. The Australia of the late '60s and early '70s.
Let's break the news now: they didn't have avocado.
It's a place of funny clothing and food that was appalling, but amusingly so. It is also the land of staggeringly awful attitudes - often enshrined in law - towards anybody who didn't fit in.
The Land Before Avocado will make you laugh and cry, feel angry and inspired. And leave you wondering how bizarre things were, not so long ago.
Most of all, it will make you realise how far we've come - and how much further we can go.
Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another's Misfortune
Tiffany Watt Smith
$24.99
Hardback • 160 pages
'Nothing makes the world gleam like bad people getting the fate they deserve. For one glorious moment, the stars align, the universe delivers, and the commuter who barged past us all down the station stairs misses the train'
Schadenfreude - enjoying the pain and failures of others - is an all-too-familiar feeling. It has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries but, in a time of polarised politics, twitter trolls and 'sidebars of shame', has never been more relevant. Recent studies have shown that we smile more at a rival's loss than at our own success. No wonder we're said to be living in the 'Age of Schadenfreude'. But why can it be so much fun to witness another's distress? And what, if anything, should we do about it?
In Schadenfreude, historian of emotions Tiffany Watt Smith offers expert insight and advice. Ranging across thinkers from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson, investigating the latest scientific research, and collecting some outrageous confessions on the way - she reveals how everyone, babies, nuns, your most trusted friends, are enjoying your misfortunes. But rather than an emotional glitch, she argues, Schadenfreude can reveal profound truths about our relationships with others and our sense of who we are.
Frank, warm and laugh-out-loud funny, Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about this much-maligned emotion - and perhaps, even, embracing it.
Schadenfreude - enjoying the pain and failures of others - is an all-too-familiar feeling. It has perplexed philosophers and psychologists for centuries but, in a time of polarised politics, twitter trolls and 'sidebars of shame', has never been more relevant. Recent studies have shown that we smile more at a rival's loss than at our own success. No wonder we're said to be living in the 'Age of Schadenfreude'. But why can it be so much fun to witness another's distress? And what, if anything, should we do about it?
In Schadenfreude, historian of emotions Tiffany Watt Smith offers expert insight and advice. Ranging across thinkers from Nietzsche to Homer Simpson, investigating the latest scientific research, and collecting some outrageous confessions on the way - she reveals how everyone, babies, nuns, your most trusted friends, are enjoying your misfortunes. But rather than an emotional glitch, she argues, Schadenfreude can reveal profound truths about our relationships with others and our sense of who we are.
Frank, warm and laugh-out-loud funny, Schadenfreude makes the case for thinking afresh about this much-maligned emotion - and perhaps, even, embracing it.
Sh*t Towns of New Zealand
$22.99
Paperback
Based on the hugely popular Facebook page 'Shit Towns of New Zealand', this book describes New Zealand's towns and suburbs from the affluent to the effluent, the rural to the urinal, profiling all the best places not to visit, or heaven forbid, live.
Slagging off our towns is as much a national pastime as binge drinking and ball sports. Ever since a Dutch bloke in a sailboat did a drive-by and claimed to have discovered the place, New Zealanders have revelled in taking the mickey.
The towns and cities reviewed here have been carefully selected using an exacting set of scientific criteria, combined with extensive field research and a healthy sense of humour.
'Offensive.' Todd McClay, Rotorua MP
'Pretty funny.' Frankie Stevens, National Treasure
Slagging off our towns is as much a national pastime as binge drinking and ball sports. Ever since a Dutch bloke in a sailboat did a drive-by and claimed to have discovered the place, New Zealanders have revelled in taking the mickey.
The towns and cities reviewed here have been carefully selected using an exacting set of scientific criteria, combined with extensive field research and a healthy sense of humour.
'Offensive.' Todd McClay, Rotorua MP
'Pretty funny.' Frankie Stevens, National Treasure
Perpetual Disappointments Diary
Nick Asbury
$19.99
Paperback • 172 pages
MORE DISAPPOINTING THAN EVER.
'Best. Diary. Ever' Metro
'Cheeringly depressing' Guardian
'Abandon all hope, ye who buy it' New York Times
Perpetual Disappointments Diary is a downbeat journal for pessimists, cynics and losers everywhere. You'll love it.
Ground yourself with a weekly demotivational proverb ('If ignorance is bliss, why are you so sad?', 'Crappe diem') and reminders of Notable Deaths. Travel the world with Useful Phrases translated into four languages ('A table for one, please', 'I have destroyed my hire car'). And save time with templates for Apology and Passive-Aggressive Notes.
This may not be your year. But this is definitely your diary. This diary is not specific to one year – they are all basically the same.
2018 Edition includes:
Brand New Demotivational Proverbs, The Quantified Loser, More Notable Deaths, On This Day, Bank Insecurity Questions, Gaping Void Ahead, People Who Never Call, Notes Towards A Dull Novel, Pointless Doodles.
'Best. Diary. Ever' Metro
'Cheeringly depressing' Guardian
'Abandon all hope, ye who buy it' New York Times
Perpetual Disappointments Diary is a downbeat journal for pessimists, cynics and losers everywhere. You'll love it.
Ground yourself with a weekly demotivational proverb ('If ignorance is bliss, why are you so sad?', 'Crappe diem') and reminders of Notable Deaths. Travel the world with Useful Phrases translated into four languages ('A table for one, please', 'I have destroyed my hire car'). And save time with templates for Apology and Passive-Aggressive Notes.
This may not be your year. But this is definitely your diary. This diary is not specific to one year – they are all basically the same.
2018 Edition includes:
Brand New Demotivational Proverbs, The Quantified Loser, More Notable Deaths, On This Day, Bank Insecurity Questions, Gaping Void Ahead, People Who Never Call, Notes Towards A Dull Novel, Pointless Doodles.
The Chaser and Shovel Annual 2018
The Chaser
$24.95
Paperback • 128 pages
It was the year that our Deputy Prime Minister confessed he'd been drunk for the past three years, our biggest bank admitted it was collecting fees from dead people, and a jogging businessman did an actual poo on a Brisbane suburban street. Thirty times.
A year this momentous needs careful, thoughtful analysis. The Chaser and The Shovel 'two-in-one' Annual is the definitive guide to understanding what the hell happened in 2018. Bringing together writers from Australia's two leading political satire outfits, the 2018 Annual includes 132 pages of articles, analysis and leadership updates.
Look out for:
* The illustrated children's story 'Barnaby Joyce and The Big Mean Media Monster?
* "How I got my teeth whitened just like the caveman" - Pete Evans back-to-basic tips.
* An analysis of the day that vacuous, self-obsessed reality TV star met with Kim Kardashian in the White House.
* A clarification about The Shovel's $444 million government grant.
* Tips for coping with the single-use shopping bag ban and other life-changing crises.
* Our urgent humanitarian appeal to help French au pairs in need.
* A handy front-cover image to remind you who Australia's current Prime Minister is Trigger warning- contains descriptions of Barnaby Joyce's sex life.
A year this momentous needs careful, thoughtful analysis. The Chaser and The Shovel 'two-in-one' Annual is the definitive guide to understanding what the hell happened in 2018. Bringing together writers from Australia's two leading political satire outfits, the 2018 Annual includes 132 pages of articles, analysis and leadership updates.
Look out for:
* The illustrated children's story 'Barnaby Joyce and The Big Mean Media Monster?
* "How I got my teeth whitened just like the caveman" - Pete Evans back-to-basic tips.
* An analysis of the day that vacuous, self-obsessed reality TV star met with Kim Kardashian in the White House.
* A clarification about The Shovel's $444 million government grant.
* Tips for coping with the single-use shopping bag ban and other life-changing crises.
* Our urgent humanitarian appeal to help French au pairs in need.
* A handy front-cover image to remind you who Australia's current Prime Minister is Trigger warning- contains descriptions of Barnaby Joyce's sex life.
Vladimir Putin: Life Coach
Robert Sears
$24.99
Hardback • 192 pages
Be the dictator you've always dreamed of being, with this handy guide to life inspired by everyone's favourite autocrat.
What can the rise and reign of this century's most feared politician teach us about life, work and love? Rob Sears shows how the machinations that enabled Putin to dominate the Kremlin and undermine the United States of America could also help you take control of your mundane life. How would you like to ruin your enemies by sharing compromising material about that time they didn't wash their hands? Or annex territory by claiming the stationery cupboard at work as your personal empire? Fancy hacking democracy at the parent-teacher association to ensure you're a shoo-in for social secretary? Or serving up a cold dish called revenge in a high street restaurant?
Filled with stories from Putin's extraordinary time in power, and ideas and illustrations to help you emulate him on a small scale, Vladimir Putin: Life Coach is the ultimate guide to releasing the pseudo-elected, judo black-belt, 5D chess-playing autocrat inside each and every one of us.
What can the rise and reign of this century's most feared politician teach us about life, work and love? Rob Sears shows how the machinations that enabled Putin to dominate the Kremlin and undermine the United States of America could also help you take control of your mundane life. How would you like to ruin your enemies by sharing compromising material about that time they didn't wash their hands? Or annex territory by claiming the stationery cupboard at work as your personal empire? Fancy hacking democracy at the parent-teacher association to ensure you're a shoo-in for social secretary? Or serving up a cold dish called revenge in a high street restaurant?
Filled with stories from Putin's extraordinary time in power, and ideas and illustrations to help you emulate him on a small scale, Vladimir Putin: Life Coach is the ultimate guide to releasing the pseudo-elected, judo black-belt, 5D chess-playing autocrat inside each and every one of us.
The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene
$32.99
Paperback • 624 pages
Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people's drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people's masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.
In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate The World
Simon Garfield
$29.99
Hardback • 304 pages
In Miniature takes a big look at small things. It is a celebration of the obsessive, eccentric and meticulous, and welcomes us into the world of collectors, modellers and fans. Simon Garfield is a master of finding delight and fascination in unlikely places and here we discover flea circuses, 1,000 tiny Hitlers, miniature crime scenes, model villages and railways, minuscule food and a dozen more intricately examined pursuits. Each object considered plots the course of a new miniature byway, and in unexpected ways lets us see our world in a whole new light.
It is a wide-ranging exploration of the history, psychology and fanaticism attached to working and playing in tiny worlds of our own making. We bring things down to size to understand and appreciate them. This book does the same.
It is a wide-ranging exploration of the history, psychology and fanaticism attached to working and playing in tiny worlds of our own making. We bring things down to size to understand and appreciate them. This book does the same.
A Sporting Chance: Australian Sporting Scandals and the Path to Redemption
Titus O'Reily
$34.99
Paperback • 336 pages
Ridiculous Australian tales of sporting stuff-ups and forgiveness by the bestselling author of A Thoroughly Unhelpful History of Australian Sport.
In sport, the term ‘good bloke’ doesn't mean what it says. Like ‘fun run’, it often actually means exactly the opposite.
Titus O’Reily, the sports historian Australia neither needs nor deserves, examines why our nation’s sportspeople are so readily forgiven for doing terrible things.
With ridiculous tales from Australia’s chequered sporting history, A Sporting Chance dissects the scandals big and small, the mistakes made in covering them up and the path athletes tread back to redemption. From the Essendon supplements saga and the sandpaper-loving Australian cricket team to whatever it is Nick Kyrgios has done now, Titus reveals the archetypes at the heart of our greatest sporting scandals.
There’s the corrupt cop who gave us the race that stopped a nation and the boxing champion who refused to train. There’s the cashed-up businessmen who bankrupted clubs and the commentators who can’t get their foot out of their mouth. And of course there’s the good blokes, like Wayne Carey, Matthew Johns and Shane Warne, who it seems we’ll forgive for absolutely anything.
In his rambling and at times incoherent style, Titus asks the question: are Australians really that forgiving of their sporting heroes? With the rise of social media, women’s sport and the drive towards greater equality, are the good blokes of Australia’s sporting landscape an endangered species?
PAPERBACK
In sport, the term ‘good bloke’ doesn't mean what it says. Like ‘fun run’, it often actually means exactly the opposite.
Titus O’Reily, the sports historian Australia neither needs nor deserves, examines why our nation’s sportspeople are so readily forgiven for doing terrible things.
With ridiculous tales from Australia’s chequered sporting history, A Sporting Chance dissects the scandals big and small, the mistakes made in covering them up and the path athletes tread back to redemption. From the Essendon supplements saga and the sandpaper-loving Australian cricket team to whatever it is Nick Kyrgios has done now, Titus reveals the archetypes at the heart of our greatest sporting scandals.
There’s the corrupt cop who gave us the race that stopped a nation and the boxing champion who refused to train. There’s the cashed-up businessmen who bankrupted clubs and the commentators who can’t get their foot out of their mouth. And of course there’s the good blokes, like Wayne Carey, Matthew Johns and Shane Warne, who it seems we’ll forgive for absolutely anything.
In his rambling and at times incoherent style, Titus asks the question: are Australians really that forgiving of their sporting heroes? With the rise of social media, women’s sport and the drive towards greater equality, are the good blokes of Australia’s sporting landscape an endangered species?
More of the latest new releases
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PAPERBACK
Steve Smith's Men: Behind Australian Cricket's Fall
Geoff Lemon
$29.99
Paperback • 304 pages
He was top of the world, with numbers bettered only by Don Bradman - then captain Steve Smith led his Australian team into a cheating scandal that stunned cricket. Media exploded and million-dollar contracts were torn up. Australia's prime minister expressed the public anger and disappointment: `Our cricketers are role models, and cricket is synonymous with fair play.' But there was more to the story than the actions of a few young men. A tangle of personality, politics and culture had led them to this point.
Geoff Lemon witnessed that story from commentary boxes and press conferences, and was there in South Africa for its final act. This is a frank, fearless and often humorous account of the path from Ashes high to Cape Town low, from someone who watched it all unfold.
Geoff Lemon witnessed that story from commentary boxes and press conferences, and was there in South Africa for its final act. This is a frank, fearless and often humorous account of the path from Ashes high to Cape Town low, from someone who watched it all unfold.
Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future of White Majorities
Eric Kaufmann
$55.00
Hardback • 496 pages
Across the West, anti-immigration populists are tearing a path through the usual politics of left and right. Immigration is remaking Europe and North America- over half of American babies are non-white, and by the end of the century, minorities and those of mixed race are projected to form the majority in many countries. Drawing on an extraordinary range of surveys, Whiteshift explores the majority response to ethnic change in Western Europe, North America and Australasia. Eric Kaufmann, a leading expert on immigration, calls for us to move beyond empty talk about national identity and open up debate about the future of white majorities. He argues that we must ditch the 'diversity myth' that whites will dwindle, replacing it with whiteshift - a new story of majority transformation that can help lift anxieties and heal today's widening political divisions.
A bold, original work, Whiteshift will redefine the way we think about ethnic diversity and populism.
A bold, original work, Whiteshift will redefine the way we think about ethnic diversity and populism.
Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A guide to building a better world
Klaus Schwab
$35.00
Paperback • 208 pages
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing everything - from the way we relate to each other, to the work we do, the way our economies work, and what it means to be human. We cannot let the brave new world that technology is currently creating simply emerge. All of us need to help shape the future we want to live in. But what do we need to know and do to achieve this?
In Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Klaus Schwab explores how people from all backgrounds and sectors can influence the way that technology transforms our world. Drawing on contributions by more than 200 of the world's leading technology, economic and sociological experts to present a practical guide for citizens, business leaders, social influencers and policy-makers this book outlines the most important dynamics of the technology revolution, highlights important stakeholders that are often overlooked in our discussion of the latest scientific breakthroughs, and explores 12 different technology areas central to the future of humanity.
Emerging technologies are not predetermined forces out of our control, nor are they simple tools with known impacts and consequences. The exciting capabilities provided by artificial intelligence, distributed ledger systems and cryptocurrencies, advanced materials and biotechnologies are already transforming society. The actions we take today - and those we don't - will quickly become embedded in ever-more powerful technologies that surround us and will, very soon, become an integral part of us. By connecting the dots across a range of often-misunderstood technologies, and by exploring the practical steps that individuals, businesses and governments can take, Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution helps equip readers to shape a truly desirable future at a time of great uncertainty and change.
In Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Klaus Schwab explores how people from all backgrounds and sectors can influence the way that technology transforms our world. Drawing on contributions by more than 200 of the world's leading technology, economic and sociological experts to present a practical guide for citizens, business leaders, social influencers and policy-makers this book outlines the most important dynamics of the technology revolution, highlights important stakeholders that are often overlooked in our discussion of the latest scientific breakthroughs, and explores 12 different technology areas central to the future of humanity.
Emerging technologies are not predetermined forces out of our control, nor are they simple tools with known impacts and consequences. The exciting capabilities provided by artificial intelligence, distributed ledger systems and cryptocurrencies, advanced materials and biotechnologies are already transforming society. The actions we take today - and those we don't - will quickly become embedded in ever-more powerful technologies that surround us and will, very soon, become an integral part of us. By connecting the dots across a range of often-misunderstood technologies, and by exploring the practical steps that individuals, businesses and governments can take, Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution helps equip readers to shape a truly desirable future at a time of great uncertainty and change.
Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence
Kristen Ghodsee
$35.00
Paperback • 224 pages
The argument of this book can be summed up succinctly - unregulated capitalism is bad for women, and if we adopt some ideas from socialism, women will have better lives. If done properly, socialism leads to economic independence, better labour conditions, better work/family balance, and, yes, even better sex.
That's it. If you like the idea of such outcomes, then come along for an exploration of how we might change things.
If you are dubious because you don't understand why capitalism as an economic system is uniquely bad for women, and if you doubt that there could ever be anything good about socialism, this short treatise will provide some illumination.
If you don't give a whit about women's lives because you're a gynophobic right-wing internet troll, save your money and get back to your parents' basement right now; this isn't the book for you.
That's it. If you like the idea of such outcomes, then come along for an exploration of how we might change things.
If you are dubious because you don't understand why capitalism as an economic system is uniquely bad for women, and if you doubt that there could ever be anything good about socialism, this short treatise will provide some illumination.
If you don't give a whit about women's lives because you're a gynophobic right-wing internet troll, save your money and get back to your parents' basement right now; this isn't the book for you.
Advocate - Economics & Business
abbeys.com.au
Currency Wars: The Making of the Next Global Crisis (Fifth Anniversary Edition)
James Rickards
$35.00
Paperback • 256 pages
Donald Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro accused Germany of profiting from a 'grossly undervalued' currency. At the same time the President said countries such as Japan and China are responsible for 'global freeloading' due to their weak currencies.
Today, currency wars are raging across global markets, entering an even more dangerous phase, but they are nothing new. In this 5 year anniversary edition, James Rickards, two-time New York Times bestseller and Strategic Adviser to the US intelligence community, explores how currency wars are just as problematic now as they were in 1971 when President Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard.
Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared outcomes in international economics; at best, they result in countries stealing growth from their trading partners; at worst, they degenerate into inflation, recession and actual violence. Rickards analyses the 2008 US financial crash, the debasement of the dollar, the European debt crisis, bailouts in Greece and Ireland and Chinese exchange rate manipulation, as a series of attacks and counter-attacks and ultimately as indications of growing global currency conflict. But, the author concludes, in currency wars, as in real wars, there are never any winners and without systematic reform, it could end with massive casualties on all sides.
In this special five year edition, featuring analysis of the 'Age of Trump' and encounters with Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner and General Hayden, Rickards points the way towards a more effective course of action one that could stabilise the global economy and broker peace and prosperity for all.
Today, currency wars are raging across global markets, entering an even more dangerous phase, but they are nothing new. In this 5 year anniversary edition, James Rickards, two-time New York Times bestseller and Strategic Adviser to the US intelligence community, explores how currency wars are just as problematic now as they were in 1971 when President Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard.
Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared outcomes in international economics; at best, they result in countries stealing growth from their trading partners; at worst, they degenerate into inflation, recession and actual violence. Rickards analyses the 2008 US financial crash, the debasement of the dollar, the European debt crisis, bailouts in Greece and Ireland and Chinese exchange rate manipulation, as a series of attacks and counter-attacks and ultimately as indications of growing global currency conflict. But, the author concludes, in currency wars, as in real wars, there are never any winners and without systematic reform, it could end with massive casualties on all sides.
In this special five year edition, featuring analysis of the 'Age of Trump' and encounters with Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner and General Hayden, Rickards points the way towards a more effective course of action one that could stabilise the global economy and broker peace and prosperity for all.
Inside the Investments of Warren Buffett: Twenty Cases
Yefei Lu
$48.99
Paperback • 312 pages
Since the 1950s, Warren Buffett and his partners have backed some of the twentieth century's most profitable, trendsetting companies. But how did they know they were making the right investments? What did Buffet and his partners look for in an up-and-coming company, and how can others replicate their approach?
A gift to Buffett followers who have long sought a pattern to the investor's success, Inside the Investments of Warren Buffett presents the most detailed analysis to date of Buffett's long-term investment portfolio. Yefei Lu, an experienced investor, starts with Buffett's interest in the Sanborn Map Company in 1958 and tracks nineteen more of his major investments in companies like See's Candies, the Washington Post, GEICO, Coca-Cola, US Air, Wells Fargo, and IBM.
Accessing partnership letters, company documents, annual reports, third-party references, and other original sources, Lu pinpoints what is unique about Buffett's timing, instinct, use of outside knowledge, and postinvestment actions, and he identifies what could work well for all investors in companies big and small, domestic and global. His substantial chronology accounts for broader world events and fluctuations in the U.S. stock market, suggesting Buffett's most important trait may be the breadth of his expertise.
A gift to Buffett followers who have long sought a pattern to the investor's success, Inside the Investments of Warren Buffett presents the most detailed analysis to date of Buffett's long-term investment portfolio. Yefei Lu, an experienced investor, starts with Buffett's interest in the Sanborn Map Company in 1958 and tracks nineteen more of his major investments in companies like See's Candies, the Washington Post, GEICO, Coca-Cola, US Air, Wells Fargo, and IBM.
Accessing partnership letters, company documents, annual reports, third-party references, and other original sources, Lu pinpoints what is unique about Buffett's timing, instinct, use of outside knowledge, and postinvestment actions, and he identifies what could work well for all investors in companies big and small, domestic and global. His substantial chronology accounts for broader world events and fluctuations in the U.S. stock market, suggesting Buffett's most important trait may be the breadth of his expertise.
Advocate - Politics
abbeys.com.au
The Power of the Powerless
Vaclav Havel , Timothy Snyder
$12.99
Paperback • 176 pages
Cowed by life under Communist Party rule, a greengrocer hangs a placard in their shop window: Workers of the world, unite! Is it a sign of the grocer's unerring ideology? Or a symbol of the lies we perform to protect ourselves?
Written in 1978, Vaclav Havel's meditation on political dissent - the rituals of its suppression, and the sparks that re-ignite it - would prove the guiding manifesto for uniting Solidarity movements across the Soviet Union. A portrait of activism in the face of falsehood and intimidation, The Power of the Powerless remains a rousing call against the allure of apathy.
Written in 1978, Vaclav Havel's meditation on political dissent - the rituals of its suppression, and the sparks that re-ignite it - would prove the guiding manifesto for uniting Solidarity movements across the Soviet Union. A portrait of activism in the face of falsehood and intimidation, The Power of the Powerless remains a rousing call against the allure of apathy.
America vs the West: Can the liberal world order be preserved?
Kori Schake
$12.99
Paperback • 192 pages
'The rules-based international order is being challenged ... not by the usual suspects, but by its main architect and guarantor, the US.' European Council President Donald Tusk, 8 June 2018 Under President Donald Trump, the United States has burned like a wildfire through the goodwill it accrued in seventy years of propagating its liberal political values. Can Western nations preserve the liberal world order against rising authoritarian powers without the United States, or with Washington working against them? In America vs the West, Kori Schake argues that the success of the liberal order is not preordained. It will have to be fought for, compromised for, and rejuvenated. Can it be done without American leadership? That will depend on the strengths of the major challengers - Russia and China - but above all on whether the West?s middle powers are prepared to band together.
Democracy Hacked
Martin Moore
$29.99
Paperback
Democracies are being gamed. Authoritarian governments, elite populists, and freextremists are exploiting our digital information infrastructure and the vulnerabilities in our democratic system to distort and undermine our politics and elections. It is a war waged through information and it is personal and it is perpetual.
Our current digital information ecosystem is inherently unstable and prone to wild volatility. There is a vacuum in the middle of the system that is open to influence by those with the motivation, the money or the expertise. Played successfully it can lead to unprecedented swings of public opinion.
This book shows how hackers are gaming democracy, why they can do it, and what we need to do to save democracy for the digital age. This is a story about active measures ', election hacking, psy-ops, intelligence services, mercenaries, hard-right nutjobs, plutocrats, the collapse of local news, Silicon Valley, Trump, trolling, surveillance and you.
Our current digital information ecosystem is inherently unstable and prone to wild volatility. There is a vacuum in the middle of the system that is open to influence by those with the motivation, the money or the expertise. Played successfully it can lead to unprecedented swings of public opinion.
This book shows how hackers are gaming democracy, why they can do it, and what we need to do to save democracy for the digital age. This is a story about active measures ', election hacking, psy-ops, intelligence services, mercenaries, hard-right nutjobs, plutocrats, the collapse of local news, Silicon Valley, Trump, trolling, surveillance and you.
The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities
John J. Mearsheimer
$47.99
Hardback • 328 pages
A major theoretical statement by a distinguished political scholar explains why a policy of liberal hegemony is doomed to fail In this major statement, the renowned international-relations scholar John Mearsheimer argues that liberal hegemony, the foreign policy pursued by the United States since the Cold War ended, is doomed to fail. It makes far more sense, he maintains, for Washington to adopt a more restrained foreign policy based on a sound understanding of how nationalism and realism constrain great powers abroad.
It is widely believed in the West that the United States should spread liberal democracy across the world, foster an open international economy, and build institutions. This policy of remaking the world in America's image is supposed to protect human rights, promote peace, and make the world safe for democracy. But this is not what has happened. Instead, the United States has ended up as a highly militarized state fighting wars that undermine peace, harm human rights, and threaten liberal values at home. Mearsheimer tells us why this has happened.
It is widely believed in the West that the United States should spread liberal democracy across the world, foster an open international economy, and build institutions. This policy of remaking the world in America's image is supposed to protect human rights, promote peace, and make the world safe for democracy. But this is not what has happened. Instead, the United States has ended up as a highly militarized state fighting wars that undermine peace, harm human rights, and threaten liberal values at home. Mearsheimer tells us why this has happened.
Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy, Second Edition
John Dunn
$39.99
Paperback • 256 pages
Why does democracy - as a word and as an idea - loom so large in the political imagination, though it has so often been misused and misunderstood? Setting the People Free starts by tracing the roots of democracy from an improvised remedy for a local Greek difficulty 2,500 years ago, through its near extinction, to its rebirth amid the struggles of the French Revolution. Celebrated political theorist John Dunn then charts the slow but insistent metamorphosis of democracy over the next 150 years and its apparently overwhelming triumph since 1945. He examines the differences and the extraordinary continuities that modern democratic states share with their Greek antecedents and explains why democracy evokes intellectual and moral scorn for some, and vital allegiance from others. Now with a new preface and conclusion that ground this landmark work firmly in the present, Setting the People Free is a unique and brilliant account of an extraordinary idea.
National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy
Roger Eatwell , Matthew Goodwin
$22.99
Paperback • 368 pages
A crucial new guide to one of the most urgent political phenomena of our time- the rise of national populism.
Across the West, there is a rising tide of people who feel excluded, alienated from mainstream politics, and increasingly hostile towards minorities, immigrants and neo-liberal economics. Many of these voters are turning to national populist movements, which have begun to change the face of Western liberal democracy, from the United States to France, Austria to the UK.
This radical turn, we are told, is a last howl of rage from an aging electorate on the verge of extinction. Their leaders are fascistic and their politics anti-democratic; their existence a side-show to liberal democracy. But this version of events, as Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin show, could not be further from the truth.
Written by two of the foremost experts on fascism and the rise of national populism, this lucid and deeply-researched book is a vital guide to our transformed political landscape. Challenging conventional wisdoms, Eatwell and Goodwin make a compelling case for serious, respectful engagement with the supporters and ideas of national populism - not least because it is a tide that won't be stemmed anytime soon.
Across the West, there is a rising tide of people who feel excluded, alienated from mainstream politics, and increasingly hostile towards minorities, immigrants and neo-liberal economics. Many of these voters are turning to national populist movements, which have begun to change the face of Western liberal democracy, from the United States to France, Austria to the UK.
This radical turn, we are told, is a last howl of rage from an aging electorate on the verge of extinction. Their leaders are fascistic and their politics anti-democratic; their existence a side-show to liberal democracy. But this version of events, as Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin show, could not be further from the truth.
Written by two of the foremost experts on fascism and the rise of national populism, this lucid and deeply-researched book is a vital guide to our transformed political landscape. Challenging conventional wisdoms, Eatwell and Goodwin make a compelling case for serious, respectful engagement with the supporters and ideas of national populism - not least because it is a tide that won't be stemmed anytime soon.
Advocate - Philosophy
abbeys.com.au
Genetic Ethics: An Introduction
Colin Farrelly
$37.95
Paperback • 200 pages
Advances in biomedical sciences have the potential to help societies achieve important moral goals, including equality of opportunity, reproductive freedom, healthy aging, and the prevention and treatment of disease. However, technological progressions such as genetic screening, gene therapy and genome editing also raise a host of ethical questions. Is the idea of 'genetically engineering' humans a morally objectionable form of 'eugenics'? Should parents undergoing IVF be permitted to screen embryos for the sex of their offspring prior to implantation? Would it be ethical to alter the rate at which humans age, when doing so would increase the number of years we can expect to live on a warming planet with a population exceeding seven billion people?
Genetic Ethics: An Introduction addresses these and other pressing concerns. Colin Farrelly encourages readers to think rationally and cogently about the ethical and societal challenges raised by the 'genetic revolution'. The chapters include discussions of eugenics, infectious and chronic disease, evolutionary biology, epigenetics, happiness, reproductive freedom and longevity. Farrelly deftly weaves together the work of philosophers such as Habermas, Sandel, Savulescu and others, whilst also offering an original and engaging moral analysis.
Accessible in tone and compellingly argued, this book is an ideal introduction for students of bioethics, applied ethics, biomedical sciences, and related courses in philosophy and life sciences.
Genetic Ethics: An Introduction addresses these and other pressing concerns. Colin Farrelly encourages readers to think rationally and cogently about the ethical and societal challenges raised by the 'genetic revolution'. The chapters include discussions of eugenics, infectious and chronic disease, evolutionary biology, epigenetics, happiness, reproductive freedom and longevity. Farrelly deftly weaves together the work of philosophers such as Habermas, Sandel, Savulescu and others, whilst also offering an original and engaging moral analysis.
Accessible in tone and compellingly argued, this book is an ideal introduction for students of bioethics, applied ethics, biomedical sciences, and related courses in philosophy and life sciences.
Evil Online
Dean Cocking , Jeroen van den Hoven
$33.95
Paperback • 176 pages
"I am delighted to offer my highest praise to Dean Cocking and Jeroen van den Hoven's brilliant new book, Evil Online. The confrontation between good and evil occupies a central place in the challenges facing our human nature, and this creative investigation into the spread of evil by means of all-powerful new technologies raises fundamental questions about our morality and values. Cocking and Van den Hoven's account of the moral fog of evil forces us to face both the demons within each of us as well as the demons all around us. In the end, we are all enriched by their perceptive analyses." Phil Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Stanford University Principal Investigator, Stanford Prison Experiment
"The internet offers new and deeply concerning opportunities for immorality, much of it shocking and extreme. This volume explains with great insight and clarity the corrupting nature of the internet and the moral confusion it has produced. It will play a vital role in the growing debate about how to balance the benefits of the internet against the risks it poses to all of us. Evil Online is an excellent book."
Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Oxford
We now live in an era defined by the ubiquity of the internet. From our everyday engagement with social media to trolls on forums and the emergence of the dark web, the internet is a space characterized by unreality, isolation, anonymity, objectification, and rampant self-obsession - the perfect breeding ground for new, unprecedented manifestations of evil. Evil Online is the first comprehensive analysis of evil and moral character in relation to our increasingly online lives.
Chapters consider traditional ideas around the phenomenon of evil in moral philosophy and explore how the dawn of the internet has presented unprecedented challenges to older theoretical approaches. Cocking and Van den Hoven propose that a growing sense of moral confusion - moral fog - pushes otherwise ordinary, normal people toward evildoing, and that values basic to moral life such as autonomy, intimacy, trust, and privacy are put at risk by online platforms and new technologies. This new theory of evildoing offers fresh insight into the moral character of the individual, and opens the way for a burgeoning new area of social thought.
A comprehensive analysis of an emerging and disturbing social phenomenon, Evil Online examines the morally troubling aspects of the internet in our society. Written not only for academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, information science, and social science, Evil Online is accessible and compelling reading for anyone interested in understanding the emergence of evil in our digitally-dominated world.
"The internet offers new and deeply concerning opportunities for immorality, much of it shocking and extreme. This volume explains with great insight and clarity the corrupting nature of the internet and the moral confusion it has produced. It will play a vital role in the growing debate about how to balance the benefits of the internet against the risks it poses to all of us. Evil Online is an excellent book."
Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Oxford
We now live in an era defined by the ubiquity of the internet. From our everyday engagement with social media to trolls on forums and the emergence of the dark web, the internet is a space characterized by unreality, isolation, anonymity, objectification, and rampant self-obsession - the perfect breeding ground for new, unprecedented manifestations of evil. Evil Online is the first comprehensive analysis of evil and moral character in relation to our increasingly online lives.
Chapters consider traditional ideas around the phenomenon of evil in moral philosophy and explore how the dawn of the internet has presented unprecedented challenges to older theoretical approaches. Cocking and Van den Hoven propose that a growing sense of moral confusion - moral fog - pushes otherwise ordinary, normal people toward evildoing, and that values basic to moral life such as autonomy, intimacy, trust, and privacy are put at risk by online platforms and new technologies. This new theory of evildoing offers fresh insight into the moral character of the individual, and opens the way for a burgeoning new area of social thought.
A comprehensive analysis of an emerging and disturbing social phenomenon, Evil Online examines the morally troubling aspects of the internet in our society. Written not only for academics in the fields of philosophy, psychology, information science, and social science, Evil Online is accessible and compelling reading for anyone interested in understanding the emergence of evil in our digitally-dominated world.
Advocate - Religion
abbeys.com.au
The Islamic Jesus: How the King of the Jews Became a Prophet of the Muslims
Mustafa Akyol
$24.99
Paperback • 288 pages
"A welcome expansion of the fragile territory known as common ground." -The New York Times
When Reza Aslan's bestseller Zealot came out in 2013, there was criticism that he hadn't addressed his Muslim faith while writing the origin story of Christianity. In fact, Ross Douthat of The New York Times wrote that "if Aslan had actually written in defense of the Islamic view of Jesus, that would have been something provocative and new."
Mustafa Akyol's The Islamic Jesus is that book.
The Islamic Jesus reveals startling new truths about Islam in the context of the first Muslims and the early origins of Christianity. Muslims and the first Christians - the Jewish followers of Jesus - saw Jesus as not divine but rather as a prophet and human Messiah and that salvation comes from faith and good works, not merely as faith, as Christians would later emphasize. What Akyol seeks to reveal are how these core beliefs of Jewish Christianity, which got lost in history as a heresy, emerged in a new religion born in 7th Arabia: Islam.
Akyol exposes this extraordinary historical connection between Judaism, Jewish Christianity and Islam - a major mystery unexplored by academia. From Jesus' Jewish followers to the Nazarenes and Ebionites to the Qu'ran's stories of Mary and Jesus, The Islamic Jesus will reveal links between religions that seem so contrary today. It will also call on Muslims to discover their own Jesus, at a time when they are troubled by their own Pharisees and Zealots.
When Reza Aslan's bestseller Zealot came out in 2013, there was criticism that he hadn't addressed his Muslim faith while writing the origin story of Christianity. In fact, Ross Douthat of The New York Times wrote that "if Aslan had actually written in defense of the Islamic view of Jesus, that would have been something provocative and new."
Mustafa Akyol's The Islamic Jesus is that book.
The Islamic Jesus reveals startling new truths about Islam in the context of the first Muslims and the early origins of Christianity. Muslims and the first Christians - the Jewish followers of Jesus - saw Jesus as not divine but rather as a prophet and human Messiah and that salvation comes from faith and good works, not merely as faith, as Christians would later emphasize. What Akyol seeks to reveal are how these core beliefs of Jewish Christianity, which got lost in history as a heresy, emerged in a new religion born in 7th Arabia: Islam.
Akyol exposes this extraordinary historical connection between Judaism, Jewish Christianity and Islam - a major mystery unexplored by academia. From Jesus' Jewish followers to the Nazarenes and Ebionites to the Qu'ran's stories of Mary and Jesus, The Islamic Jesus will reveal links between religions that seem so contrary today. It will also call on Muslims to discover their own Jesus, at a time when they are troubled by their own Pharisees and Zealots.
The Norse Myths: Stories of The Norse Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
Dr Tom Birkett
$49.99
Hardback • 320 pages
The great Norse Myths are among the most dramatic and unforgettable stories in all human history. These fascinating, fantastical tales have inspired centuries of art, culture and literature, including the storytelling of Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, George RR Martin's GAME OF THRONES, Wagner's Ring Cycle and Marvel Comics.
THE NORSE MYTHS takes us on a thrilling journey through the Norse cosmos, from the creation of the world to Ragnarok, the final world-destroying conflict; via the Nine Worlds, and the exploits of the mighty gods and goddesses - mystical Odin, malicious Loki, mighty Thor and more - and their quarrel with the giants.
Bringing to life the magical world of monsters and mythical creatures, this also introduces the adventures of humankind: folk heroes and tricksters; Sigmund's great battle in the Volsung Saga; the exploits of Kings and Princes; and Viking exploration and settlement of new lands including Iceland, Greenland, America, and Viking life in the Mediterranean and the East.
As well as a treasure trove of these epic stories of heroism and cruelty, squabbles and seductions, THE NORSE MYTHS is a comprehensive study of their origins, survival and interpretations - as academically important as it is exhilarating.
THE NORSE MYTHS takes us on a thrilling journey through the Norse cosmos, from the creation of the world to Ragnarok, the final world-destroying conflict; via the Nine Worlds, and the exploits of the mighty gods and goddesses - mystical Odin, malicious Loki, mighty Thor and more - and their quarrel with the giants.
Bringing to life the magical world of monsters and mythical creatures, this also introduces the adventures of humankind: folk heroes and tricksters; Sigmund's great battle in the Volsung Saga; the exploits of Kings and Princes; and Viking exploration and settlement of new lands including Iceland, Greenland, America, and Viking life in the Mediterranean and the East.
As well as a treasure trove of these epic stories of heroism and cruelty, squabbles and seductions, THE NORSE MYTHS is a comprehensive study of their origins, survival and interpretations - as academically important as it is exhilarating.
The Birth of Modern Belief: Faith and Judgment from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment
Ethan H. Shagan
$68.00
Hardback • 404 pages
An illuminating history of how religious belief lost its uncontested status in the West.
This landmark book traces the history of belief in the Christian West from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, revealing for the first time how a distinctively modern category of belief came into being. Ethan Shagan focuses not on what people believed, which is the normal concern of Reformation history, but on the more fundamental question of what people took belief to be.
Shagan shows how religious belief enjoyed a special prestige in medieval Europe, one that set it apart from judgment, opinion, and the evidence of the senses. But with the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation, the question of just what kind of knowledge religious belief was - and how it related to more mundane ways of knowing - was forced into the open. As the warring churches fought over the answer, each claimed belief as their exclusive possession, insisting that their rivals were unbelievers. Shagan challenges the common notion that modern belief was a gift of the Reformation, showing how it was as much a reaction against Luther and Calvin as it was against the Council of Trent. He describes how dissidents on both sides came to regard religious belief as something that needed to be justified by individual judgment, evidence, and argument.
Brilliantly illuminating, The Birth of Modern Belief demonstrates how belief came to occupy such an ambivalent place in the modern world, becoming the essential category by which we express our judgments about science, society, and the sacred, but at the expense of the unique status religion once enjoyed.
This landmark book traces the history of belief in the Christian West from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, revealing for the first time how a distinctively modern category of belief came into being. Ethan Shagan focuses not on what people believed, which is the normal concern of Reformation history, but on the more fundamental question of what people took belief to be.
Shagan shows how religious belief enjoyed a special prestige in medieval Europe, one that set it apart from judgment, opinion, and the evidence of the senses. But with the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation, the question of just what kind of knowledge religious belief was - and how it related to more mundane ways of knowing - was forced into the open. As the warring churches fought over the answer, each claimed belief as their exclusive possession, insisting that their rivals were unbelievers. Shagan challenges the common notion that modern belief was a gift of the Reformation, showing how it was as much a reaction against Luther and Calvin as it was against the Council of Trent. He describes how dissidents on both sides came to regard religious belief as something that needed to be justified by individual judgment, evidence, and argument.
Brilliantly illuminating, The Birth of Modern Belief demonstrates how belief came to occupy such an ambivalent place in the modern world, becoming the essential category by which we express our judgments about science, society, and the sacred, but at the expense of the unique status religion once enjoyed.
Paul: The Pagans' Apostle
Paula Fredriksen
$36.99
Paperback • 336 pages
A groundbreaking new portrait of the apostle Paul, from one of today's leading historians of antiquity Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history's closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, one Jewish, one pagan. The first was incandescent with apocalyptic hopes, expecting God through his messiah to fulfill his ancient promises of redemption to Israel. The second teemed with ancient actors, not only human but also divine: angry superhuman forces, jealous demons, and hostile cosmic gods. Both worlds are Paul's, and his convictions about the first shaped his actions in the second.
Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. This original and provocative book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history's seminal figures.
Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. This original and provocative book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history's seminal figures.
Advocate - Poetry & Writing
abbeys.com.au
The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve
Stephen Greenblatt
$24.99
Paperback • 368 pages
Selected as a book of the year 2017 by The Times and Sunday TimesWhat is it about Adam and Eve?s story that fascinates us? What does it tell us about how our species lives, dies, works or has sex?
The mythic tale of Adam and Eve has shaped conceptions of human origins and destiny for centuries. Stemming from a few verses in an ancient book, it became not just the foundation of three major world faiths, but has evolved through art, philosophy and science to serve as the mirror in which we seem to glimpse the whole, long history of our fears and desires. In a quest that begins at the dawn of time, Stephen Greenblatt takes us from ancient Babylonia to the forests of east Africa. We meet evolutionary biologists and fossilised ancestors; we grapple with morality and marriage in Milton?s Paradise Lost; and we decide if the Fall is the unvarnished truth or fictional allegory.
The mythic tale of Adam and Eve has shaped conceptions of human origins and destiny for centuries. Stemming from a few verses in an ancient book, it became not just the foundation of three major world faiths, but has evolved through art, philosophy and science to serve as the mirror in which we seem to glimpse the whole, long history of our fears and desires. In a quest that begins at the dawn of time, Stephen Greenblatt takes us from ancient Babylonia to the forests of east Africa. We meet evolutionary biologists and fossilised ancestors; we grapple with morality and marriage in Milton?s Paradise Lost; and we decide if the Fall is the unvarnished truth or fictional allegory.
Shakespeare: The Theatre of Our World
Peter Conrad
$35.00
Hardback • 240 pages
Peter Conrad explores the phenomenon of Shakespeare, and assesses Shakespeare's global legacy across every continent and across every genre of the creative arts.
In 1623 the actors John Heminges and Henry Condell assembled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , better known as The First Folio . In doing so they preserved literature's most dramatically vital and poetically rich account of our human world. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and performers, Shakespeare's inexhaustible work has remained abreast of contemporary concerns ever since, and it continues to hold a mirror up to the nature of our troubled society and our contradictory selves. The plays accompany us through the ages of mankind, from comic springtime to wintry age, compressing our life in time into the three hours' traffic of the stage; the characters in them have shaped the way we think about politics and war, consciousness and morality, love and death.
Peter Conrad examines the world-view of the plays, their generic originality and their astonishingly inventive language. He goes on to explore Shakespeare's global legacy as his characters migrate to every continent and are reinvented by later writers, painters, composers, choreographers and film-makers.
In 1623 the actors John Heminges and Henry Condell assembled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , better known as The First Folio . In doing so they preserved literature's most dramatically vital and poetically rich account of our human world. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and performers, Shakespeare's inexhaustible work has remained abreast of contemporary concerns ever since, and it continues to hold a mirror up to the nature of our troubled society and our contradictory selves. The plays accompany us through the ages of mankind, from comic springtime to wintry age, compressing our life in time into the three hours' traffic of the stage; the characters in them have shaped the way we think about politics and war, consciousness and morality, love and death.
Peter Conrad examines the world-view of the plays, their generic originality and their astonishingly inventive language. He goes on to explore Shakespeare's global legacy as his characters migrate to every continent and are reinvented by later writers, painters, composers, choreographers and film-makers.
Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language
Paul Anthony Jones
$27.99
Hardback • 288 pages
'Brilliant for anyone interested in the effervescent oddness of English' -Stig Abell on Word Drops
What makes a place so memorable that it survives for ever in a word? In this captivating round-the-world jaunt, Paul Anthony Jones reveals the intriguing tales behind how 80 different places came to be immortalised in our language.
Beginning in London and heading through Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, then back to London again, each chapter leads into the next like a travelogue. As well as the origins of turkeys, brazil nuts, limericks and Panama hats, there's the story of how a small Czech village gave us the word dollar; how a tiny hamlet in Nottinghamshire became Gotham City; how an island with more bears than people gave us hooch; and how Stellenbosch, a South African town, became a verb meaning to demote someone on the sly.
Our dictionaries are full of hidden histories, tales and adventures from all over the world - if you know where to look. Beautifully designed, consistently entertaining and ideal for dipping into, Around the World in 80 Words is the perfect gift: a whimsical voyage through the far-flung reaches of the English language.
What makes a place so memorable that it survives for ever in a word? In this captivating round-the-world jaunt, Paul Anthony Jones reveals the intriguing tales behind how 80 different places came to be immortalised in our language.
Beginning in London and heading through Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Americas, then back to London again, each chapter leads into the next like a travelogue. As well as the origins of turkeys, brazil nuts, limericks and Panama hats, there's the story of how a small Czech village gave us the word dollar; how a tiny hamlet in Nottinghamshire became Gotham City; how an island with more bears than people gave us hooch; and how Stellenbosch, a South African town, became a verb meaning to demote someone on the sly.
Our dictionaries are full of hidden histories, tales and adventures from all over the world - if you know where to look. Beautifully designed, consistently entertaining and ideal for dipping into, Around the World in 80 Words is the perfect gift: a whimsical voyage through the far-flung reaches of the English language.
Babel: Around the World in 20 Languages
Gaston Dorren
$29.99
Hardback • 368 pages
If you were to master the 20 languages discussed in Babel you could chat to more than half the world's population. Actually, you could talk to another quarter of the world, who speak them as second languages.
As he did in Lingo, Gaston Dorren delves deep into the linguistic oddities and extraordinary stories of these global tongues, tracing their origins and tracking their sometimes bloody rise to greatness. He listens to their distinctly un-English sounds and deciphers their bewildering array of scripts, presents the gems and gaps in their vocabularies and charts their inventive coinages and surprising loans. He explains the oddities of their grammars, which order their speakers' worldview but often appear bafflingly complex to outsiders.
Learn why Russian has no word for blue, how Turkish stopped borrowing words, and why Arabic is possibly the hardest global language to learn. Look into the future of Chinese script and re-examine the Latin alphabet's gory past. Consider the difficulties of having four forms for 'I' as in Vietnamese, and the questions that arise from the way Tamil pronouns keep humans and deities apart.
Witty, fascinating and utterly compelling, Babel will change the way you look at the world and how it speaks.
As he did in Lingo, Gaston Dorren delves deep into the linguistic oddities and extraordinary stories of these global tongues, tracing their origins and tracking their sometimes bloody rise to greatness. He listens to their distinctly un-English sounds and deciphers their bewildering array of scripts, presents the gems and gaps in their vocabularies and charts their inventive coinages and surprising loans. He explains the oddities of their grammars, which order their speakers' worldview but often appear bafflingly complex to outsiders.
Learn why Russian has no word for blue, how Turkish stopped borrowing words, and why Arabic is possibly the hardest global language to learn. Look into the future of Chinese script and re-examine the Latin alphabet's gory past. Consider the difficulties of having four forms for 'I' as in Vietnamese, and the questions that arise from the way Tamil pronouns keep humans and deities apart.
Witty, fascinating and utterly compelling, Babel will change the way you look at the world and how it speaks.
The End of the End of the Earth
Jonathan Franzen
$32.99
Paperback • 240 pages
A sharp and provocative new essay collection from the award-winning author of Freedom and The Corrections.
In The End of the End of the Earth, which gathers essays and speeches written mostly in the past five years, Jonathan Franzen returns with renewed vigour to the themes - both human and literary - that have long preoccupied him. Whether exploring his complex relationship with his uncle, recounting his young adulthood in New York, or offering an illuminating look at the global seabird crisis, these pieces contain all the wit and disabused realism that we've come to expect from Franzen.
Taken together, these essays trace the progress of a unique and mature mind wrestling with itself, with literature and with some of the most important issues of our day, made more pressing by the current political milieu. The End of the End of the Earth is remarkable, provocative and necessary.
In The End of the End of the Earth, which gathers essays and speeches written mostly in the past five years, Jonathan Franzen returns with renewed vigour to the themes - both human and literary - that have long preoccupied him. Whether exploring his complex relationship with his uncle, recounting his young adulthood in New York, or offering an illuminating look at the global seabird crisis, these pieces contain all the wit and disabused realism that we've come to expect from Franzen.
Taken together, these essays trace the progress of a unique and mature mind wrestling with itself, with literature and with some of the most important issues of our day, made more pressing by the current political milieu. The End of the End of the Earth is remarkable, provocative and necessary.
The Brontes Treasury
Jane O'Neill
$19.99
Hardback • 176 pages
This book looks at the lives and works of the sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne) in a time of great social change, and explores the influence of their surroundings on their books. Divided into chapters on their family life, works, historical context and legacy, The Brontes Treasury reveals why novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have intrigued, inspired and shocked millions since they were first published over 170 years ago.
This quirky volume looks at the facts and myths of their life and times. The book reveals little known stories about the family, including the provenance of the surname Bronte, why the siblings all died so young, the passionate love that influenced Villette, and much more.
This quirky volume looks at the facts and myths of their life and times. The book reveals little known stories about the family, including the provenance of the surname Bronte, why the siblings all died so young, the passionate love that influenced Villette, and much more.
How to Say I Love You in (Almost) Every Language
Celeste Shelley , Loreta Isac
$24.99
Hardback • 120 pages
A beautifully designed and illustrated guide to saying `I love you' in almost every language you can imagine (including some fictional languages too!).
This is the perfect book for romantics, language nerds, travel enthusiasts and anyone on a round-the-world trip hoping to meet the love (or loves) of their life! With 150 languages covered (including some fictional ones, like Klingon and Elvish) this book has you covered. Each entry has a pronunciation guide and tells you where the language is spoken, so you'll be sure to say I Love You perfectly every time!
This is the perfect book for romantics, language nerds, travel enthusiasts and anyone on a round-the-world trip hoping to meet the love (or loves) of their life! With 150 languages covered (including some fictional ones, like Klingon and Elvish) this book has you covered. Each entry has a pronunciation guide and tells you where the language is spoken, so you'll be sure to say I Love You perfectly every time!
Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History
Rebecca Romney , J. P. Romney
$29.99
Paperback • 384 pages
A funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by television's favorite rare-book expert from HISTORY's hit series Pawn Stars.
Since the Gutenberg Bible first went on sale in 1455, printing has been viewed as one of the highest achievements of human innovation. But the march of progress hasn't been smooth; downright bizarre is more like it. Printer's Error chronicles some of the strangest and most humorous episodes in the history of Western printing, and makes clear that we've succeeded despite ourselves. Rare-book expert Rebecca Romney and author J. P. Romney take us from monasteries and museums to auction houses and libraries to introduce curious episodes in the history of print that have had a profound impact on our world.
Take, for example, the Gutenberg Bible. While the book is regarded as the first printed work in the Western world, Gutenberg's name doesn't appear anywhere on it. Today, Johannes Gutenberg is recognized as the father of Western printing. But for the first few hundred years after the invention of the printing press, no one knew who printed the first book. This long-standing mystery took researchers down a labyrinth of ancient archives and libraries, and unearthed surprising details, such as the fact that Gutenberg's financier sued him, repossessed his printing equipment, and started his own printing business afterward. Eventually the first printed book was tracked to the library of Cardinal Mazarin in France, and Gutenberg's forty-two-line Bible was finally credited to him, thus ensuring Gutenberg's name would be remembered by middle-school students worldwide.
Like the works of Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman, and Ken Jennings, Printer's Error is a rollicking ride through the annals of time and the printed word.
Since the Gutenberg Bible first went on sale in 1455, printing has been viewed as one of the highest achievements of human innovation. But the march of progress hasn't been smooth; downright bizarre is more like it. Printer's Error chronicles some of the strangest and most humorous episodes in the history of Western printing, and makes clear that we've succeeded despite ourselves. Rare-book expert Rebecca Romney and author J. P. Romney take us from monasteries and museums to auction houses and libraries to introduce curious episodes in the history of print that have had a profound impact on our world.
Take, for example, the Gutenberg Bible. While the book is regarded as the first printed work in the Western world, Gutenberg's name doesn't appear anywhere on it. Today, Johannes Gutenberg is recognized as the father of Western printing. But for the first few hundred years after the invention of the printing press, no one knew who printed the first book. This long-standing mystery took researchers down a labyrinth of ancient archives and libraries, and unearthed surprising details, such as the fact that Gutenberg's financier sued him, repossessed his printing equipment, and started his own printing business afterward. Eventually the first printed book was tracked to the library of Cardinal Mazarin in France, and Gutenberg's forty-two-line Bible was finally credited to him, thus ensuring Gutenberg's name would be remembered by middle-school students worldwide.
Like the works of Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman, and Ken Jennings, Printer's Error is a rollicking ride through the annals of time and the printed word.
Advocate - Performing Arts
abbeys.com.au
101 Marvellous Movies You May Have Missed
David Stratton
$24.99
Paperback • 232 pages
Are you tired of trawling through movies you don't recognise on Netflix? Sick of reading short film descriptions that sound boring? Don't know what to watch next?
Let leading film critic David Stratton introduce you to 101 movies that you probably haven't heard of, and tell you why they are worth seeing.
David Stratton's selection of overlooked gems includes movies from such well-known directors as David Lynch, Ang Lee and Sidney Lumet. They star popular actors such as Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Cate Blanchett, Clint Eastwood, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Newman, Emma Thompson and Jake Gyllenhaal. They include comedies, thrillers, westerns, musicals and romances, and were produced from the 1980s through to the past few years.
A perfect gift for anyone who relishes a cosy night at home with a good movie.
Let leading film critic David Stratton introduce you to 101 movies that you probably haven't heard of, and tell you why they are worth seeing.
David Stratton's selection of overlooked gems includes movies from such well-known directors as David Lynch, Ang Lee and Sidney Lumet. They star popular actors such as Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Cate Blanchett, Clint Eastwood, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Newman, Emma Thompson and Jake Gyllenhaal. They include comedies, thrillers, westerns, musicals and romances, and were produced from the 1980s through to the past few years.
A perfect gift for anyone who relishes a cosy night at home with a good movie.
The Book of Daniel: From Silverchair to Dreams
Jeff Apter
$32.99
Paperback • 384 pages
When Silverchair shuddered to a halt in 2011, there was no swan song, no farewell tour, just a brief statement and then they were gone - after more than fifteen years of brilliant music, five hit albums, legions of fans, millions of record sales, scores of awards and the odd controversy. Three teenagers from Newcastle had taken the world by storm within the time it typically takes most bands to record their first single. Over their stratospheric career, Daniel Johns developed into a performer and songwriter with few peers in modern music.
Shortly after the break-up of the band, Johns' marriage to pop star Natalie Imbruglia also ended. He became the focus of sordid headlines and whispers of wayward behaviour. People feared what might happen next.
But at the same time a new Daniel Johns emerged. His debut solo album, Talk, appeared to rapturous reviews in 2015 and raced to the top of the Australian charts, and then 2018 saw the advent of DREAMS, his long-awaited collaboration with Luke Steele. This was a vastly different Daniel Johns to the grungy, guitar-blazing teen of the 1990s. His new sound and image were sophisticated, brilliant and sexy as hell. It was a remarkable creative makeover, perhaps the most ambitious ever undertaken by an Australian rockstar. Former rockstar.
The Book of Daniel documents how the reclusive Johns also battled many personal demons, including life-threatening anorexia and crippling reactive arthritis. Drawing on more than fifteen years of documenting the life and times of Daniel Johns, author Jeff Apter has brought his story to life, revealing the struggles and triumphs of one of Australia's most distinctive and dazzling talents. The book also includes a collection of exclusive photographs of Johns by eminent rock photographer Tony Mott.
More of the latest new releases
Acid For The Children: The autobiography of the Red Hot Chili Peppers legend
Flea
$32.99
Paperback • 320 pages
The strange tale of a boy named Flea starts in Rye, NY. It was all very normal. But soon his parents divorced and his mother Patricia remarried a jazz musician. Flea's stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions which sparked Flea's interest in music. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet, idolizing musicians like Miles, Dizzy, and Louis.
But the family soon fell apart, I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household, Flea later said. I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life. He began smoking weed at 13, and became a daily user of harder drugs. He was on the streets by 14 and soon after, met another social outcast and drug user named Anthony Kiedis. They form a band that would become the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
ACID FOR THE CHILDREN is pure, uncut Flea, with nothing left unsaid.
But the family soon fell apart, I was raised in a very violent, alcoholic household, Flea later said. I grew up being terrified of my parents, particularly my father figures. It caused [me] a lot of trouble later in life. He began smoking weed at 13, and became a daily user of harder drugs. He was on the streets by 14 and soon after, met another social outcast and drug user named Anthony Kiedis. They form a band that would become the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
ACID FOR THE CHILDREN is pure, uncut Flea, with nothing left unsaid.
How To Make Gravy
Paul Kelly
$24.99
Paperback • 576 pages
Paul Kelly is a uniquely gifted storyteller. For thirty years he has written songs of uncommon directness about everything from love and land rights to cricket and cooking. 'Before Too Long', 'To Her Door', 'Leaps And Bounds', 'Don't Start Me Talking', 'Dumb Things', 'From Little Things Big Things Grow', 'How To Make Gravy' - his songs connect generations of listeners across the country.
In a memoir that has been greeted with acclaim by critics and adulation by fans, Kelly takes the lyrics of his songs as starting points to tell the stories of his life - the highs and lows of performing, the art of songwriting, being on the road with the band, tales of his childhood, family, friends and fellow musicians. All illuminate Kelly's wide sources of inspiration, offering an unequalled portrait of the creative mind.
Playful and honest, insightful and intimate, How To Make Gravy is an irresistible reflection on both the big and little things in life.
Kelly's specially recorded versions of the A to Z songs, stripped back to their essentials as solo or duo performances, are available digitally and in a companion CD boxed set that included a 64-pages booklet of photographs.
'A carnival of ideas . . . The flavour of Kelly - his openness and honesty and passion for the detail of life - he suffuses the book . . . The closest we've come to an insight into the thoughts and work methods of this great poet.' Weekly Review
'The pre-eminent writer of his generation. His body of work stands against any novelist, playwright or filmmaker as the definitive narrative of recent decades.' Weekend Australian
'Perhaps the finest and most unflinching autobiography ever written by an Australian musician.? Noel Mengel
In a memoir that has been greeted with acclaim by critics and adulation by fans, Kelly takes the lyrics of his songs as starting points to tell the stories of his life - the highs and lows of performing, the art of songwriting, being on the road with the band, tales of his childhood, family, friends and fellow musicians. All illuminate Kelly's wide sources of inspiration, offering an unequalled portrait of the creative mind.
Playful and honest, insightful and intimate, How To Make Gravy is an irresistible reflection on both the big and little things in life.
Kelly's specially recorded versions of the A to Z songs, stripped back to their essentials as solo or duo performances, are available digitally and in a companion CD boxed set that included a 64-pages booklet of photographs.
'A carnival of ideas . . . The flavour of Kelly - his openness and honesty and passion for the detail of life - he suffuses the book . . . The closest we've come to an insight into the thoughts and work methods of this great poet.' Weekly Review
'The pre-eminent writer of his generation. His body of work stands against any novelist, playwright or filmmaker as the definitive narrative of recent decades.' Weekend Australian
'Perhaps the finest and most unflinching autobiography ever written by an Australian musician.? Noel Mengel
High Voltage: The Life of Angus Young - ACDC's Last Man Standing
Jeff Apter
$24.99
Paperback • 320 pages
Angus Young, the co-founder and the last surviving original member of AC/DC, has for more than 40 years been the face, sound and sometimes the exposed backside of the trailblazing rock band. In his trademark schoolboy outfit, guitar in hand, Angus has given his signature sound to songs such as 'A Long Way to the Top?, 'Highway to Hell? and 'Back in Black?, helping AC/DC become the biggest rock band on the planet.
High Voltage is the first biography to focus exclusively on Angus. It tells of his remarkable rise from working-class Glasgow and Sydney to the biggest stages in the world. The youngest of eight kids, Angus always seemed destined for a life in music, and it was his passion and determination that saw AC/DC become hard rock?s greatest act. Over the years, Angus has endured the devastating death of iconic vocalist Bon Scott, the forced retirement of his brother in arms, Malcolm Young, and more recently the loss from the band of singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd. Yet somehow the little guitar maestro has kept AC/DC not just on the rails, but at the top of the rock pile.
High Voltage is the first biography to focus exclusively on Angus. It tells of his remarkable rise from working-class Glasgow and Sydney to the biggest stages in the world. The youngest of eight kids, Angus always seemed destined for a life in music, and it was his passion and determination that saw AC/DC become hard rock?s greatest act. Over the years, Angus has endured the devastating death of iconic vocalist Bon Scott, the forced retirement of his brother in arms, Malcolm Young, and more recently the loss from the band of singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd. Yet somehow the little guitar maestro has kept AC/DC not just on the rails, but at the top of the rock pile.
Help!: The Beatles, Duke Ellington, and the Magic of Collaboration
Thomas Brothers
$39.95
Hardback • 416 pages
The Beatles and Duke Ellington's Orchestra stand as the two greatest examples of collaboration in music history. Thomas Brothers delivers a portrait of the creative process at work, demonstrating that the cooperative method at the foundation of these two artist-groups was the primary reason for their unmatched musical success.
While clarifying the historical record of who wrote what, with whom and how, Brothers brings the past to life with photos, anecdotes and more than thirty years of musical knowledge, and analysis of songs from Strawberry Fields Forever to Chelsea Bridge . Help! describes in rich detail the music and mastery of two cultural leaders whose popularity has never dimmed, and the process of collaboration that allowed them to achieve an artistic vision greater than the sum of their parts.
While clarifying the historical record of who wrote what, with whom and how, Brothers brings the past to life with photos, anecdotes and more than thirty years of musical knowledge, and analysis of songs from Strawberry Fields Forever to Chelsea Bridge . Help! describes in rich detail the music and mastery of two cultural leaders whose popularity has never dimmed, and the process of collaboration that allowed them to achieve an artistic vision greater than the sum of their parts.
Advocate - Visual Arts & Design
abbeys.com.au
Indigenous Artists: A Selection of the Best - The Torch Collection
Kent Morris
$79.99
Hardback
The Torch Collection showcases extraordinary artworks by Indigenous men and women who have come in contact with the criminal justice system in Victoria. The artworks express resilience, strength, the importance of cultural connection and the hope of a better future.
This collection of artworks confirms the transformative effects and healing power of art and culture for Indigenous offenders and ex-offenders.
The focus of The Torch is the role of culture and cultural identity in the rehabilitative process of Indigenous offenders. With its focus on cultural strengthening and building sustainable post release pathways, The Torch hopes to address the disproportionately high rates of Indigenous recidivism by increasing the participation of prisoners and former prisoners with the arts industry. The Torch plays a signifi cant role in reconnecting Indigenous prisoners with their culture through art. The program recognises Indigenous people's wisdom and knowledge and encourages self-determination and autonomy. The Torch is helping to realise the changes necessary to break the cycle of reoffending.
This collection of artworks confirms the transformative effects and healing power of art and culture for Indigenous offenders and ex-offenders.
The focus of The Torch is the role of culture and cultural identity in the rehabilitative process of Indigenous offenders. With its focus on cultural strengthening and building sustainable post release pathways, The Torch hopes to address the disproportionately high rates of Indigenous recidivism by increasing the participation of prisoners and former prisoners with the arts industry. The Torch plays a signifi cant role in reconnecting Indigenous prisoners with their culture through art. The program recognises Indigenous people's wisdom and knowledge and encourages self-determination and autonomy. The Torch is helping to realise the changes necessary to break the cycle of reoffending.
Love and Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate
National Gallery of Australia
$49.95
Hardback • 224 pages
Combining rebellion, beauty, scientific precision and imaginative grandeur, the Pre-Raphaelites constitute Britain's first modern art movement and still inspire 170 years later. Love and Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate presents an exceptional opportunity to see many of the Tate's most famous and best-loved paintings alongside Australia's major Pre-Raphaelite holdings and many of the finest works in British public collections.
For The Love Of Greyhounds: Adopted Greyhounds and their Happy Ever Afters
Alex Cearns
$24.99
Hardback
Gorgeous images and heartwarming true stories of adopted greyhounds that have found their forever homes.
This beautiful gift book celebrates the greyhounds who have won by finding happy homes with Australian families. These gentle giants are shown revelling in their new lives: whether romping with their new buddies, resting on the couch, or revealing their soft, squishy hearts as they relax with a posse of furry friends.
This beautiful gift book celebrates the greyhounds who have won by finding happy homes with Australian families. These gentle giants are shown revelling in their new lives: whether romping with their new buddies, resting on the couch, or revealing their soft, squishy hearts as they relax with a posse of furry friends.
Bruce Rickard: A Life in Architecture
Julie Cracknell , Peter Lonergan , Sam Rickard
$79.99
Hardback • 376 pages
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- If you (or a loved one) have any interest in design or in architecture, then take a look at this absolutely beautiful production from NewSouth Books. The earthy tones of the jacket, printed onto tactile cloth bound hardback, immediately signify the rugged Australian bushland - you'll be hearing the whipbirds and cicadas! Inside is the most extensive collection of imagery and essays of the life and works of an architect. Lots of beautiful photos of the houses and buildings, along with much historical information of twentieth-century Sydney. Craig Kirchner
-----
Bruce Rickard was one of the most significant Australian architects of the twentieth century. A key member of the Sydney School, his practice spanned 60 years and he produced some of the most notable and recognisable houses of the period.
In Bruce Rickard: A life in architecture, architects, writers, academics and family members, including Karen McCartney and Anna Fienberg (who have both lived in Rickard houses), Babette Hayes, Philip Drew and Richard Goodwin, share their unique insights into Rickard's practice.
Featuring never-before-published photographs by Max Dupain and Bruce Rickard's hand-drawn plans, this stunningly produced book celebrates the pared-back beauty and ingenuity of Rickard's buildings.
More of the latest new releases
The Icon Hunter: A Refugee's Quest to Reclaim Her Nation`s Stolen Heritage
Tasoula Georgiou Hadjitofi
$22.95
Paperback • 400 pages
In this powerful memoir, Tasoula Hadjitofi reveals her perilous journey orchestrating The Munich Case - one of the largest European art trafficking stings since WWII. With the Bavarian police in place, the Cypriots on their way, seventy undercover agents bust into the Munich apartment of a notorious Turkish smuggler suspected of holding looted antiquities. Tasoula places everything on the line to repatriate her country's sacred treasures, unaware that treachery lies in the shadow of her success.
The Icon Hunter is a story torn from the pages of Tasoula's life as she and her Greek Cypriot family lose everything during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Hundreds of ancient Cypriot churches are destroyed, their contents looted and all signs of her Greek Cypriot culture erased as if it never existed. As a refugee, she wants justice. And then fate intervenes in the form of an archbishop and a dubious art dealer in search of redemption.
Even as unspeakable personal tragedy strikes, she never gives up her search knowing the special place these antiquities hold in the hearts of Orthodox Christians. These icons are not just masterpieces - they are artistic manifestations of faith and a gate-way to the divine.
Using family and faith as her touchstones, Tasoula takes on these merchants of God as she navigates the underworld of art trafficking. Tasoula believes this to be her calling, and the Archbishop of Cyprus entrusts her - an ordinary woman, wife, and mother - with the mission. In order to succeed, however, she must place her trust in an art dealer known for his double-dealing.
Inspiring and empowering, The Icon Hunter is a gripping story by a remarkable woman that will captivate readers long after the nal page.
The Icon Hunter is a story torn from the pages of Tasoula's life as she and her Greek Cypriot family lose everything during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Hundreds of ancient Cypriot churches are destroyed, their contents looted and all signs of her Greek Cypriot culture erased as if it never existed. As a refugee, she wants justice. And then fate intervenes in the form of an archbishop and a dubious art dealer in search of redemption.
Even as unspeakable personal tragedy strikes, she never gives up her search knowing the special place these antiquities hold in the hearts of Orthodox Christians. These icons are not just masterpieces - they are artistic manifestations of faith and a gate-way to the divine.
Using family and faith as her touchstones, Tasoula takes on these merchants of God as she navigates the underworld of art trafficking. Tasoula believes this to be her calling, and the Archbishop of Cyprus entrusts her - an ordinary woman, wife, and mother - with the mission. In order to succeed, however, she must place her trust in an art dealer known for his double-dealing.
Inspiring and empowering, The Icon Hunter is a gripping story by a remarkable woman that will captivate readers long after the nal page.
The Essential Duchamp
Matthew Affron , Cecile Debray , Alexander Kauffman , Michael R. Taylor
$49.99
Paperback • 200 pages
An engaging and accessible introduction to one of the 20th century's greatest and most enigmatic artists.
This richly illustrated publication explores the full career of the hugely influential and endlessly fascinating French-American artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). A pioneer whose creative output was predicated on a fundamental questioning of what art is, Duchamp is well known despite remaining mysterious as an artist, owing to his elusive persona and the unconventional nature of his work.
Focusing on the world-renowned Duchamp collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Essential Duchamp tells the artist's story through four key periods. The book begins with his early paintings and engagement with the avant-garde, then charts his abandonment of painting and invention of the readymade. This is followed by the creation of his alter ego Rrose Selavy and the optical experiments of the interwar years, and, finally, by the making of Etant donnes (1946-66), the project that occupied the artist in the final two decades of his life. Shorter accompanying texts include explanations of key terms Duchamp used for his innovative ideas - readymade, precision optics, pictorial nominalism, and infrathin - as well as interviews and statements by the artist about his own art and ideas.
This richly illustrated publication explores the full career of the hugely influential and endlessly fascinating French-American artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968). A pioneer whose creative output was predicated on a fundamental questioning of what art is, Duchamp is well known despite remaining mysterious as an artist, owing to his elusive persona and the unconventional nature of his work.
Focusing on the world-renowned Duchamp collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Essential Duchamp tells the artist's story through four key periods. The book begins with his early paintings and engagement with the avant-garde, then charts his abandonment of painting and invention of the readymade. This is followed by the creation of his alter ego Rrose Selavy and the optical experiments of the interwar years, and, finally, by the making of Etant donnes (1946-66), the project that occupied the artist in the final two decades of his life. Shorter accompanying texts include explanations of key terms Duchamp used for his innovative ideas - readymade, precision optics, pictorial nominalism, and infrathin - as well as interviews and statements by the artist about his own art and ideas.
The Atlas of Beauty: Women of the World in 500 Portraits
Mihaela Noroc
$39.99
Paperback • 352 pages
Since 2013 Mihaela Noroc has travelled the world with her backpack and camera taking photos of everyday women to showcase the diversity and beauty all around us. The Atlas of Beauty is a collection of her photographs that celebrates women from all corners of the world and shows that beauty is everywhere, regardless of money, race or social status, and comes in many different sizes and colours. Noroc's portraits feature women in their native environments, from the Amazon rain forest to markets in India, London city streets and parks in Harlem, and visually demonstrate the juxtaposition between the varied built and social worlds these women inhabit.
Imants Tillers: Journey To Nowhere
Elita Ansone , Graham Coulter-Smith , Mark Ledbury , Ian McLean
$50.00
Paperback
For the renowned artist Imants Tillers, whose career spans more than four decades of prolific creative practice, this `journey to nowhere' is neither a homecoming nor a departure, but a fertile and thought-provoking meeting of worlds. The son of Latvian parents who were displaced during the Second World War, Tillers was born in Sydney, Australia, where he would speak Latvian before English and long feel the pull of a distant culture. Displacement, diaspora and an awareness of the complex weave of cultures marks all his work, from his experiments with installation in the 1970s and trailblazing appropriations in the 1980s to the holistic system of modular (canvasboard) paintings that number 108,224 today.
With contributions from Elita Ansone, Graham Coulter-Smith, Mark Ledbury, Ian McLean and Tillers himself, this publication traces the artist's career through his most formative journeys, be they physical, collaborative or philosophical. As the work crosses vast physical, metaphysical and mytho-poetic terrain, our authors find themselves in Karosta, Papunya, Cooma and many distant art-historical shores along the way. From this complex odyssey emerges a distinct and creative vision, that of a visual philosopher who identifies as an outsider in the city of his birth and visitor in his homeland.
With contributions from Elita Ansone, Graham Coulter-Smith, Mark Ledbury, Ian McLean and Tillers himself, this publication traces the artist's career through his most formative journeys, be they physical, collaborative or philosophical. As the work crosses vast physical, metaphysical and mytho-poetic terrain, our authors find themselves in Karosta, Papunya, Cooma and many distant art-historical shores along the way. From this complex odyssey emerges a distinct and creative vision, that of a visual philosopher who identifies as an outsider in the city of his birth and visitor in his homeland.
Advocate - Food & Garden
abbeys.com.au
Zero Fucks Cooking Endless Summer: Good Food Great Times
Yumi Stynes
$39.99
Paperback
As a follow-up to Yumi Stynes' successful first book, The Zero Fucks Cookbook, Zero Fucks Endless Summer continues in her signature style - with sass and attitude and excellent ideas for food that is delicious and kind to your body, but does not call for hours in the kitchen. Across 90 recipes, Yumi celebrates one of the things she loves most about Australia, which is the incredible quality and accessibility of good produce and the fact that because it tastes so good, it is shamelessly easy to work with. Even when you are running on zero fucks.
The book contains eight chapters: No cook Wonders (from salad to slaw to silken tofu); Endless Barbecue (a Yumi speciality, whatever the weather); Dips & Bits (for young kids and old); Oh Crap, It's Dinner Time (because that is the refrain of multi-taskers the world over); Sweet Miracles (exhibit A = Goddess Loaf); On With The Oven; and Low Stress Impress (because entertaining is meant to be fun).
As well, she will share wisdom and ideas based on some of her favourite food topics: Eating all the Colours; Barbecue Know-How; Stocking the Pantry; Surviving Celebrations. And more!
Ultimately, it is food that makes you feel good, food that celebrates the yumminess inherent in simple ingredients, food that encourages a 'no worries' attitude.
The book contains eight chapters: No cook Wonders (from salad to slaw to silken tofu); Endless Barbecue (a Yumi speciality, whatever the weather); Dips & Bits (for young kids and old); Oh Crap, It's Dinner Time (because that is the refrain of multi-taskers the world over); Sweet Miracles (exhibit A = Goddess Loaf); On With The Oven; and Low Stress Impress (because entertaining is meant to be fun).
As well, she will share wisdom and ideas based on some of her favourite food topics: Eating all the Colours; Barbecue Know-How; Stocking the Pantry; Surviving Celebrations. And more!
Ultimately, it is food that makes you feel good, food that celebrates the yumminess inherent in simple ingredients, food that encourages a 'no worries' attitude.
Yates Top 50 Indoor Plants And How Not To Kill Them!
Angie Thomas , Yates Australia
$35.00
Paperback
The top 50 indoor houseplants for Australia and New Zealand - what's best and how to keep them alive.
Bring the outdoors in and breathe new life to your home with plants! House plants are well and truly back on trend - they instantly lift an area, make a room feel fresh and welcoming, and brighten your mood.
On top of this, indoor plants are great for purifying the air and creating a healthier home.
Together with microbes in the soil, plants work wonders to reduce harmful pollutants released from indoor furniture. (It's true: look at the study conducted by the University of Technology, Sydney.) If you feel like your rooms need a splash of colour and a breath of life, there's no better starting point than this book. Whether your style is dramatic jungle plants or to sweetly shaped succulents, you'll find something to suit. With loads of glorious illustrations for inspiration, data on which plants are suitable where, and clear advice on how to pot, prune and pet your plants, this is the perfect guide for bringing the outdoors in - no matter what your level of gardening skill!
Bring the outdoors in and breathe new life to your home with plants! House plants are well and truly back on trend - they instantly lift an area, make a room feel fresh and welcoming, and brighten your mood.
On top of this, indoor plants are great for purifying the air and creating a healthier home.
Together with microbes in the soil, plants work wonders to reduce harmful pollutants released from indoor furniture. (It's true: look at the study conducted by the University of Technology, Sydney.) If you feel like your rooms need a splash of colour and a breath of life, there's no better starting point than this book. Whether your style is dramatic jungle plants or to sweetly shaped succulents, you'll find something to suit. With loads of glorious illustrations for inspiration, data on which plants are suitable where, and clear advice on how to pot, prune and pet your plants, this is the perfect guide for bringing the outdoors in - no matter what your level of gardening skill!
Australian Homes: 70 Years Well Lived
Australian House & Garden
$59.99
Hardback
Launched in 1948, Australian House & Garden magazine has been a trusted source of inspiration for homemakers across seven decades. This book charts architecture, interior and gardening passions and the path of domestic life in Australia, from the joyful optimism of postwar domesticity, through the explosion of colour and expression of the 1970s and '80s to the lifestyle-focused homes of today.
"You can live design daily without needing to be rich." BERYL GUERTNER, FOUNDING EDITOR, AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
"You can live design daily without needing to be rich." BERYL GUERTNER, FOUNDING EDITOR, AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
Antonio Carluccio: The Collection
Antonio Carluccio
$34.99
Paperback • 320 pages
The Godfather of Italian food, Antonio Carluccio is an internationally acclaimed cook whose worldwide book sales number in the millions and whose television series have screened in over 20 countries. Now, for the first time, he has brought together over 300 of his best recipes to form this ultimate compilation. Capturing Antonio's simple, joyful and no-fuss approach to cooking, this exceptional book provides a unique culinary journey covering every aspect of the Italian meal from antipasti to dolci and featuring mouthwatering dishes from each of Italy's distinct culinary regions. It is packed with stunning photographs and infused with Antonio's characteristic voice and style. Antonio's recipes are always beautifully simple and bursting with flavour, and now that they're collected into one stunning volume, you won't need to scramble between your cookbooks for your favourite recipes ever again. With only the very best recipes drawn from seven of his best-selling cookbooks, Antonio Carluccio: The Collection is bound to become the most significant Italian cookbook of its generation.
Advocate - Travel
abbeys.com.au
Green Nomads Wild Places
Bob Brown , Paul Thomas
$45.00
Hardback • 240 pages
Visit some of the most remote and beautiful places of south and west Australia in Green Nomads Wild Places, Bob Brown and partner Paul Thomas's three-month adventure across Australia.
This is a photographic and written record of a journey that took them first by yacht and then by road along the coasts and by-ways of southern Australia. They floated in hidden harbours and on ancient rivers, climbed over age-old rock formations, and camped at isolated Bush Heritage Australia properties, revelling in the beauty of the natural universe. Bob Brown and Paul Thomas remind us how extraordinary and diverse is our natural world.
Green Nomads Wild Places is a superb companion to Green Nomads, the book of their first 19 000 kilometre journey inland through eastern Australia, which followed Bob's retirement after 16 years in the Senate.
Praise for Bob and Paul's previous book, Green Nomads:
Green Nomads can be compared with publications by other stalwart defenders of the world's ecological systems such as David Attenborough and the Prince of Wales. - Clyde Selby, Mercury Green Nomads is ... pretty much all that you could imagine: glorious - Thuy On, Sunday Age
This is a photographic and written record of a journey that took them first by yacht and then by road along the coasts and by-ways of southern Australia. They floated in hidden harbours and on ancient rivers, climbed over age-old rock formations, and camped at isolated Bush Heritage Australia properties, revelling in the beauty of the natural universe. Bob Brown and Paul Thomas remind us how extraordinary and diverse is our natural world.
Green Nomads Wild Places is a superb companion to Green Nomads, the book of their first 19 000 kilometre journey inland through eastern Australia, which followed Bob's retirement after 16 years in the Senate.
Praise for Bob and Paul's previous book, Green Nomads:
Green Nomads can be compared with publications by other stalwart defenders of the world's ecological systems such as David Attenborough and the Prince of Wales. - Clyde Selby, Mercury Green Nomads is ... pretty much all that you could imagine: glorious - Thuy On, Sunday Age
Back Roads
Heather Ewart , Karen Michelmore
$32.99
Paperback
A road trip around Australia, discovering towns and communities outside the mainstream - and the colourful inhabitants whose grit and humour will uplift and inspire you.
Discover the resilient and inspiring people who live outside the big Australian cities - indeed off the beaten track altogether.
Defined by their strength and humility, these are characters whose grit and good humour will uplift and inspire. Meet strong women like Joan Sinclair, still riding horses in her 80s; Heather Jones from the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls; and Diane Reeves, a transgender former dairy farmer, shearer and truck driver. Visit historic places, such as Pine Creek, built on the sweat of Chinese workers, and Marree, where cameleers forged new paths far from home in this remote part of the world.
'They're proud communities like my hometown, full of surprises, fight and spirit,' says Heather Ewart, Back Roads presenter.
For anyone curious about what lies beyond, Back Roads will transport you from your city doorstep and show you a land of surprise and determination.
Discover the resilient and inspiring people who live outside the big Australian cities - indeed off the beaten track altogether.
Defined by their strength and humility, these are characters whose grit and good humour will uplift and inspire. Meet strong women like Joan Sinclair, still riding horses in her 80s; Heather Jones from the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls; and Diane Reeves, a transgender former dairy farmer, shearer and truck driver. Visit historic places, such as Pine Creek, built on the sweat of Chinese workers, and Marree, where cameleers forged new paths far from home in this remote part of the world.
'They're proud communities like my hometown, full of surprises, fight and spirit,' says Heather Ewart, Back Roads presenter.
For anyone curious about what lies beyond, Back Roads will transport you from your city doorstep and show you a land of surprise and determination.
Advocate - Children's
abbeys.com.au
101 Weird Words (and Three Fakes): From Ambidextrous to Zugzwang
David Astle
$9.99
Paperback
101 Weird Words (and Three Fakes) is a mini-dictionary jam-packed with unusual or interesting words, followed by a fun and descriptive definition for each one. Filled with silly pictures and strange wordy facts, this is a book to sweep the reader through the alphabet from AMBIDEXTROUS (no repeated letters) to ZUGZWANG (not a place you want to visit), with a generous sprinkling of riddles, puzzles and bonus facts. For an extra challenge, try to spot the three fakes in the collection. Is it YARG - the cheese that turned its maker backwards? Or maybe JUFFLE - the semi-jig, semi-shuffle you do on a zebra crossing? Only a true word detective will crack the case!
Give Me a Home Among the Gum Trees
Bob Brown , Ben Wood
$17.99
Hardback • 24 pages
Give me a home among the gum trees, with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo. Ben Wood's warm and funny illustrations bring this classic Aussie song to life.
Watership Down: Classic Gift Edition with Ribbon
Richard Adams
$24.99
Hardback • 528 pages
A phenomenal worldwide bestseller for over forty years, Richard Adams' spellbinding classic Watership Down is one of the best-loved novels of all time, and resonates just as vividly today as it did nearly half a century ago.
With a new four-part BBC adaptation planned for Christmas 2018, in collaboration with Netflix and voiced by stars including John Boyega, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Colman and James McAvoy, this beautiful new heritage edition will be treasured by children for years to come. Design features of this classic edition include gold foil, head and tail bands and a beautiful gold ribbon, making this the ideal gift for Christmas and beyond.
With a new four-part BBC adaptation planned for Christmas 2018, in collaboration with Netflix and voiced by stars including John Boyega, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Colman and James McAvoy, this beautiful new heritage edition will be treasured by children for years to come. Design features of this classic edition include gold foil, head and tail bands and a beautiful gold ribbon, making this the ideal gift for Christmas and beyond.
Tales From Moominvalley
Tove Jansson
$19.99
Hardback • 176 pages
Featuring the much loved stories in Waterstone's Oxfam bestseller, The Invisible Child and The Fir Tree - the Moomins' gloriously funny and generous take on Christmas - Tales from Moominvalley collects together nine delightful Moomin short stories. Highlights include The Spring Tune (which Jarvis Cocker described as the best story about composing music) and The Last Dragon in the World, revealing the true essence of friendship.
A perfect Christmas gift to complete the set of Moomin classics.
A perfect Christmas gift to complete the set of Moomin classics.
Moominvalley in November
Tove Jansson
$19.99
Hardback • 176 pages
In her last, most profound and poignant Moomin story, Jansson explores themes of loss, legacy and hope. The Moomins have left their beloved Moominvalley but as winter draws near Snufkin, Mymble, Toft and others move into the Moominhouse to await the family's return. Could that gentle flicker of light on the horizon be their boat?
The Last Dingo Summer (#8 Matilda Saga)
Jackie French
$29.99
Paperback
A body has been found in the burned-out wreckage of the church at Gibber's Creek - with older skeletons lying beneath it.
The corpse is identified as that of Ignatius Mervyn, the man who attempted to kill Jed Kelly and her unborn child.
Newcomer Fish Johnstone is drawn into the murder investigation, convinced that the local police are on the wrong track with their enquiries. But as she digs beneath the warm and welcoming surface of the Gibber's Creek community, more secrets emerge.
And Fish must also face her own mystery - the sudden appearance and then disappearance of her father, a Vietnamese refugee she never knew.
Set during the Indigenous rights and 'boat people' controversies of the late 1970s, this haunting story shows how love and kindness can create the courage to face the past.
The corpse is identified as that of Ignatius Mervyn, the man who attempted to kill Jed Kelly and her unborn child.
Newcomer Fish Johnstone is drawn into the murder investigation, convinced that the local police are on the wrong track with their enquiries. But as she digs beneath the warm and welcoming surface of the Gibber's Creek community, more secrets emerge.
And Fish must also face her own mystery - the sudden appearance and then disappearance of her father, a Vietnamese refugee she never knew.
Set during the Indigenous rights and 'boat people' controversies of the late 1970s, this haunting story shows how love and kindness can create the courage to face the past.
Facing the Flame (#7 Matilda Saga)
Jackie French
$19.99
Paperback
There have been fires before, but not like this.
In 1978, as the hot wind howls and the grass dries, all who live at Gibber's Creek know their land can burn. But when you love your land, you fight for it.
For Jed Kelly, an even more menacing danger looms: a man from her past determined to destroy her. Finding herself alone, trapped and desperate to save her unborn child, Jed's only choice is to flee - into the flames.
Heartbreaking and powerful, Facing the Flame celebrates the triumph of courage and community, and a love for the land so deep that not even bushfire can erode it.
In 1978, as the hot wind howls and the grass dries, all who live at Gibber's Creek know their land can burn. But when you love your land, you fight for it.
For Jed Kelly, an even more menacing danger looms: a man from her past determined to destroy her. Finding herself alone, trapped and desperate to save her unborn child, Jed's only choice is to flee - into the flames.
Heartbreaking and powerful, Facing the Flame celebrates the triumph of courage and community, and a love for the land so deep that not even bushfire can erode it.
Get Licked (#4 Funny Kid)
Matt Stanton
$14.99
Paperback
Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen.
And it's about time he used his talents for a good cause!
Max is the funny kid... and there are endangered animals to save!
Putting the fun in fundraising, launching a puppy-smuggling operation, fighting the great Redhill canteen war and planning a secret theme park are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure!
For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates and WeirDo, FUNNY KID is the mega-bestseller from author-illustrator Matt Stanton.
And it's about time he used his talents for a good cause!
Max is the funny kid... and there are endangered animals to save!
Putting the fun in fundraising, launching a puppy-smuggling operation, fighting the great Redhill canteen war and planning a secret theme park are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure!
For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates and WeirDo, FUNNY KID is the mega-bestseller from author-illustrator Matt Stanton.
The Last Secret (#6 Scarlet & Ivy)
Sophie Cleverly
$15.99
Paperback • 288 pages
Scarlet and Ivy are back at Rookwood school for what could be their final term...
The sixth and final book in the SCARLET AND IVY series is perfect for fans of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE. When Scarlet and Ivy return to school after the holidays, they quickly realise that the school is in danger. The twins will need to confront enemies from their past and their present if they are to have any chance of it surviving.
Could the last secret at Rookwood be the one that brings it down? Or will Scarlet and Ivy be able to untangle the trails of clues and red herrings in time to save it?
The sixth and final book in the SCARLET AND IVY series is perfect for fans of MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE. When Scarlet and Ivy return to school after the holidays, they quickly realise that the school is in danger. The twins will need to confront enemies from their past and their present if they are to have any chance of it surviving.
Could the last secret at Rookwood be the one that brings it down? Or will Scarlet and Ivy be able to untangle the trails of clues and red herrings in time to save it?
No Survivors (#2 Liars)
Jack Heath
$14.99
Paperback • 240 pages
Kelton was the perfect hiding place. Until now...
A plane crash destroys a house in Kelton. The cause of the accident is a mystery and all the passengers are missing.
Jarli has been lying low since the crime boss known as Viper threatened his family. But then his Truth App uncovers a dangerous secret at the crash sitea secret Viper wants to stay buried. Suddenly Jarli is a target again. There's no-one he can trust, not even the police. He has to find out what else Viper is hiding before it's too late.
Lies can hurt, but the truth can kill...
A plane crash destroys a house in Kelton. The cause of the accident is a mystery and all the passengers are missing.
Jarli has been lying low since the crime boss known as Viper threatened his family. But then his Truth App uncovers a dangerous secret at the crash sitea secret Viper wants to stay buried. Suddenly Jarli is a target again. There's no-one he can trust, not even the police. He has to find out what else Viper is hiding before it's too late.
Lies can hurt, but the truth can kill...
The Wonderling
Mira Bartok
$17.99
Paperback • 464 pages
In this extraordinary debut novel, Mira Bartok tells the story of Arthur, a shy, fox-like groundling who sets out on a quest to find his destiny.
Welcome to the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an institution run by evil Miss Carbunkle, a cunning villainess who believes her terrified young groundlings exist only to serve and suffer. For the Wonderling, an innocent-hearted, fox-like eleven-year-old known only as number 13, it is the only home he has ever known. But when unexpected courage leads him to rescue a young bird groundling named Trinket, the Wonderling is given two incredible gifts: a real name - Arthur, like the good king in the old stories - and a best friend. Using Trinket's ingenious invention, the pair escape over the wall and embark on an adventure that will take them out into the wider world and down the path of Arthur's true destiny.
Welcome to the Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an institution run by evil Miss Carbunkle, a cunning villainess who believes her terrified young groundlings exist only to serve and suffer. For the Wonderling, an innocent-hearted, fox-like eleven-year-old known only as number 13, it is the only home he has ever known. But when unexpected courage leads him to rescue a young bird groundling named Trinket, the Wonderling is given two incredible gifts: a real name - Arthur, like the good king in the old stories - and a best friend. Using Trinket's ingenious invention, the pair escape over the wall and embark on an adventure that will take them out into the wider world and down the path of Arthur's true destiny.
The Adventurers Guild
Nick Eliopulos , Zack Loran Clark
$16.99
Paperback • 320 pages
In one of the last cities standing after the world fell to monsters, best friends Zed Kagari and Brock Dunderfel have high hopes for the future. Zed desperately wishes to join the ranks of the Mages Guild, where his status as Freestone's only half elf might finally be an asset. Brock, the roguishly handsome son of merchants, is confident he'll be welcomed into the ranks of the Merchants Guild. But just as it seems the boys' dreams have come true, their lives take a startling turn... and they find themselves members of the perilous Adventurers Guild.
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
M. T. Anderson , Eugene Yelchin , Eugene Yelchin
$24.99
Hardback • 544 pages
Subverting convention, award-winning creators M. T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin pair up for an anarchic, outlandish, and deeply political saga of warring elf and goblin kingdoms.
Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom - from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain's host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them - and war for their nations.
Witty mixed media illustrations show Brangwain's furtive missives back to the elf kingdom, while Werfel's determinedly unbiased narrative tells an entirely different story. A hilarious and biting social commentary that could only come from the likes of National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin, this tale is rife with thrilling action and visual humor ... and a comic disparity that suggests the ultimate victor in a war is perhaps not who won the battles, but who gets to write the history.
Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom - from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain's host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them - and war for their nations.
Witty mixed media illustrations show Brangwain's furtive missives back to the elf kingdom, while Werfel's determinedly unbiased narrative tells an entirely different story. A hilarious and biting social commentary that could only come from the likes of National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson and Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin, this tale is rife with thrilling action and visual humor ... and a comic disparity that suggests the ultimate victor in a war is perhaps not who won the battles, but who gets to write the history.
Ecclesiastes: To Everything There Is a Season
Cynthia Rylant , Cynthia Rylant
$26.99
Hardback • 40 pages
In the spirit of her acclaimed Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant illustrates verses from the King James Bible chapter of Ecclesiastes in a simple yet powerful folk art style.
Cynthia Rylant takes the familiar text of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, as told in the King James Bible, and lovingly illustrates it in her simple but bold style that has been called stunning by School Library Journal. As she did with the creation story, Rylant has created a sublime take on a classic story that will appeal to readers of all ages.
Cynthia Rylant takes the familiar text of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, as told in the King James Bible, and lovingly illustrates it in her simple but bold style that has been called stunning by School Library Journal. As she did with the creation story, Rylant has created a sublime take on a classic story that will appeal to readers of all ages.
Stand Up, Stand out!: Real-Life Stories of 25 Rebel Heroes Who Stood Up for What They Believed in
Kay Woodward
$19.99
Hardback
Meet 25 of the bravest humans of all time!
These fascinating rebel heroes stood up for that they believed in, spoke out against injustice, and overcame impossible obstacles. From world leaders such as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to unsung heroes like Irena Sandler (who smuggled 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War 2) and Juliane Koepke, who survived an airplane crash aged 17, followed by 9 days in the Amazon rain forest; this book is filled with incredible and inspiring stories of passion and endurance.
What would you do to stand up for what you believe in?
These fascinating rebel heroes stood up for that they believed in, spoke out against injustice, and overcame impossible obstacles. From world leaders such as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to unsung heroes like Irena Sandler (who smuggled 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War 2) and Juliane Koepke, who survived an airplane crash aged 17, followed by 9 days in the Amazon rain forest; this book is filled with incredible and inspiring stories of passion and endurance.
What would you do to stand up for what you believe in?
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women
Catherine Thimmesh
$26.99
Hardback • 112 pages
This updated edition of the bestselling Girls Think of Everything, by Sibert-winner Catherine Thimmesh and Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, retains all the integrity of the original but includes expanded coverage of inventions (and inventors) to better reflect our diverse and technological world.
In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. What inspired these girls, and just how did they turn their ideas into realities?
Retaining reader-tested favorite inventions, this updated edition of the best-selling Girls Think of Everything features seven new chapters that better represent our diverse and increasingly technological world, offering readers stories about inventions that are full of hope and vitality - empowering them to think big, especially in the face of adversity.
In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. What inspired these girls, and just how did they turn their ideas into realities?
Retaining reader-tested favorite inventions, this updated edition of the best-selling Girls Think of Everything features seven new chapters that better represent our diverse and increasingly technological world, offering readers stories about inventions that are full of hope and vitality - empowering them to think big, especially in the face of adversity.
An Illustrated History of Filmmaking
Adam Allsuch Boardman
$29.99
Paperback • 112 pages
Explore the history of filmmaking in this detailed work from a new talent. Going back as far as prehistoric times, where cavemen played with light and shadow, through to the first cinemas and the creation of special effects, Boardman guides the reader on an epic filmmaking journey that covers cameras, directors, and stars through the ages. The book also speculates on the future of film, taking into account the popularity of the internet and streaming devices.
Space Atlas
Tom Jackson
$24.99
Hardback • 64 pages
What is life like on the International Space Station? Can we survive on Mars? Why is Pluto no longer a planet? Just how big is the universe anyway? Space Atlas answers all these questions and more while exploring the far reaches of space, from our own planet to neutron stars, thousands of light years away. Following the format of an atlas, Space Atlas showcases significant locations in space which are explored in-depth with stunning illustrations, interesting fact files, diagrams and information on scientific achievements. Includes: The Sun , Earth, solar system, Black holes, Quasars, The Milky Way.
Ocean
Helene Druvert , Emmanuelle Grundmann
$39.99
Hardback • 40 pages
This gorgeous, large-format book is filled with clever cutouts exploring the ocean, from the shoreline to the murkiest depths. This fact-filled journey is illustrated by Helene Druvert, the acclaimed creator of Paris Up, Up and Away, Mary Poppins Up, Up and Away, Anatomy and New York Melody.
I Will Eat You!
Giada Francia , Agnese Baruzzi
$24.99
Hardback • 32 pages
In the food chain, no one is safe! I will eat you, says the fish to the tadpole, but when the double-gatefold is opened, a menacing eel is revealed behind the tadpole--and an even more menacing heron behind the eel! I will eat you, says the snail to the mushroom, but again, a double-gatefold shows a frog springing for the snail, and a hungry badger close behind the frog.
Delightful illustrations, an intriguing layout and paper engineering, and fascinating front and back matter clearly explain the concept of food chains in diverse habitats.
Delightful illustrations, an intriguing layout and paper engineering, and fascinating front and back matter clearly explain the concept of food chains in diverse habitats.
Old Friends, New Friends
Andrew Daddo , Jonathan Bentley
$24.99
Hardback
A brand-new school year! I can't wait!
Hang on ... None of my old friends are in my new class ...
From the team who brought you First Day and When I Grow Up comes an empowering and relatable picture book about making friends and being yourself.
Hang on ... None of my old friends are in my new class ...
From the team who brought you First Day and When I Grow Up comes an empowering and relatable picture book about making friends and being yourself.
Edison: The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure
Torben Kuhlmann
$27.99
Hardback • 112 pages
Award-winning illustrator Torben Kuhlmann's stunning new book transports readers to new depths where imagination lights the way! A long time ago, one mouse learned to fly, another landed on the moon... what will happen in the next Mouse adventure?
From the creator of Lindbergh - The Tale of a Flying Mouse and Armstrong, comes Edison - The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure.
When two unlikely friends build a vessel capable of taking them to the bottom of the ocean find a missing treasure--the truth turns out to be far more amazing.
From the creator of Lindbergh - The Tale of a Flying Mouse and Armstrong, comes Edison - The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure.
When two unlikely friends build a vessel capable of taking them to the bottom of the ocean find a missing treasure--the truth turns out to be far more amazing.
