Author Autographed

//Author Autographed
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  • Imagine - you have just finished building your dream home, it has two bedrooms and has been designed just for you. You've endured the traumas of tradesmen who you've had to cajole, bribe and beg in order to get your home finished.  The next thing that happens is that you are suddenly married, and five of your husband's children, two grandchildren, a step-son-in-law and an assortment of animals are living with you. At the end of the year, your cosy two-bedroom dream home has become a six-room mansion.  This is Patsy's entertaining story - all the comical incidents, tradesmen trials, nosy neighbours and extended-family dilemmas from her first year of marriage to Bill, a psychiatrist. Patsy Rowe combined being a best-selling author with coaching in business etiquette, conducting fun nationwide seminars. She passed away in 2016.
  • Galway, universally recognised as the man with the golden flute, recounts his life that began in the back streets of Belfast, where 'everybody played an instrument and if they couldn't afford one, they sang'. For six years he was principal flautist with the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan and he also played with the London Symphony orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic. His subsequent solo concerts and recordings have established him as a virtuoso with a superb technique. He began playing the mouth organ, then the violin and then the flute - a complete individualist, of whom von Karajan said, "Talking to Jimmy Galway is like talking to a man from Mars!"
  • Here is a collection of poems all based on real events, highlighting the spirit of Australians.  There is humor, history, mystery;  past events and characters that were part of the landscape of Australia and who,  sadly, are seen no more.  Just some of the titles: Mona Vale Surf Rescue; The Wilga Ghost; Outback Library Man; The Old Camp Oven; Barnado Boy; The Anzacs; Cyclone Tracy and many more. Beautifully illustrated by Jenny Colless.
  • Edward Francis "Eddie" Charlton,  AM (31 October 1929 – 8 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and English billiards player. He won the Australian Professional Championship numerous times, was the Pot Black Champion three times and winner of the Kronenbrau 1308 Classic and the Limosin International. He will be remembered fondly by Australians  as 'Steady Eddie' and his appearances on the BBC-TV programme Pot Black.      
  • "If people turn to look at you in the street, you are not well dressed, but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable." So said Beau Brummell, the first metrosexual, 200 years before the word was even invented. His name has become synonymous with wit, profligacy, fine tailoring, and fashion. A style pundit, Brummell was responsible for changing forever the way men dress - inventing, in effect, the suit. He cut a dramatic swath through British society, from his early years as a favorite of the Prince of Wales and an arbiter of taste in the Age of Elegance, to his precipitous fall into poverty, incarceration, and madness, creating the blueprint for celebrity crash and burn, falling dramatically out of favor and spending his last years in a hellish asylum. But for nearly two decades, Brummell ruled over the tastes and pursuits of the well heeled and influential - deemed more important than Napoleon and the inspiration for Byron's Don Juan. Through love letters, historical records, and poems, Ian Kelly reveals the man inside the suit, unlocking the scandalous behavior of London's high society while illuminating Brummell's enigmatic life in the colorful, tumultuous West End. A rare rendering of an era filled with excess, scandal, promiscuity, opulence, and luxury, 'Beau Brummell' is the first comprehensive view of an elegant and ultimately tragic figure whose influence continues to this day.
  • Frederic Slaney Poole (1845-1936), son of Judge  Thomas Slaney Poole, stepped off the St. Vincent at Port Adelaide on November 30, 1867  to work at the Poonindie Native Institution, was priested in 1869, and became incumbent of Robe, a vast parish. Before becoming headmaster  Christ Church Grammar School, Mount Gambier, he travelled to London and married Rebecca Scott. In 1874 be became incumbent of St John's, Halifax Street, Adelaide. Tall, thin, bearded and a keen sportsman, Poole was a popular preacher, fearless in denouncing commercial and sexual immorality, and with 'the reputation of being a man without cant … who is not above taking an occasional glass of whisky, and who would not express unbounded indignation if asked to participate in a game of billiards or cards'.  He was a lecturer in the classics; he conducted a school for choirboys; was chaplain to the Adelaide hospital, gaol and destitute asylum; and  was one of South Australia's first clerical Freemasons, helping to establish the Grand Lodge of South Australia in Adelaide in 1884. His descendant Cynthia has told his incredible story of his life, from horseback priest to Canon.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Slaney_Poole
  • Australian actor and comedian Slim DeGrey (1918 - 2007), known for his roles in They're A Weird Mob, You Can't See Around Corners and many other Australian film and T.V. productions was a member of the A.I.F. Prisoners' Concert Party in the infamous Changi Gaol. There was a funny side; not often and not always, but hilarious and absurd incidents did occur and together with the infamous style of Australian dry humour, helped sustain morale and relieve the drab lives of the P.O.Ws. Littered with fabulous Australianisms and droll sketches, Slim DeGrey definitely found Changi's funny side.
  • This is the story of an ordinary soldier, his experiences and those of his mates during the Malayan campaign and subsequent life as a P.O.W. in Changi, Singapore and Japan. At the time of publication (1991) it was the first and only book to tell the story of G Force and their experiences in Changi, Osaka, Takefu and Akenobi. It was typed on the reverse side of Naval Message S1320B forms on an hour-to-hour basis from January 1, 1942 - February 16, 1942. A carbon copy, typed on the same paper, was buried in a cylinder with a detailed account of the murders of Cpl. Breavington, Pte Gale and two British soldiers which brought to an end the Selerang Barrack's Changi Incident - where all P.O.Ws were herded into a square until they signed a 'Non-Escape Form'. The cylinder and its contents were retrieved after the war. The fate of the original is unknown. The story of G Force, from Changi to Japan, back to Manila and repatriation via H.M.S. Formidable - a British aircraft carrier - is supported by diaries kept by two members of G Force. Cry Crucify has been written to maintain fact from fiction and to give a balanced account of the war in Malaya and Japan, interspersed with accounts of the lighter side of P.O.W. life, together with the compassion, faith, hope and comradeship in the life of the prisoners.
  • James Duncan and Peter Jirapon, brought together by the search for a missing witness in a rape and murder case, they are totally opposite in age, temperament and race.  Duncan is a cynical, high flying publicity man in his middle fifties; Jirapon is a young, intense, idealistic Aboriginal lawyer.  In the course of the search they are swept out to sea in an open boat of the coast of Northern Australia and must find a comradeship in order to survive.
  • The son of New Zealand artist Douglas Badcock, David came to Australia in 1977 with the dream of establishing himself as an Australian landscape painter. His journey began as a commercial artist, learning a skill to rely upon between his early exploration of the the Australian landscape and light. From one such adventure his Flinder's Ranges collection drew the attention to The Elder Fine Art Gallery in  Adelaide who exhibited his location paintings for the first time in 1981. By the 1980s his dream of being an Australian landscape painter was completed and he was featured in a televised documentary series Artists of the Far North.  This book of his paintings charts his remarkable journey.
  • An ancient Egyptian tomb - sealed from the outside world for centuries, deep inside solid rock...the sarcophagus is opened...and inside is a freshly murdered corpse! Legendary detective G.K. Chesterton investigates the mystery  and reveals the amazing solution - but not before there are more deaths and deadly dangers. Take this trip down the Nile, past the ancient temple of Karnak, the Valley Of The Kings and the city of Luxor, to an archeological  dig in the valley of Deir el-Bahri in the year 1919...and into a surprise world of suspence and romance.
  • Book I of the Jelindel Chronicles. An all-powerful, enchanted mailshirt from the stars...and six links are missing. An orphan, a streetwise urchin and a swordsman must find the links before the greatest evil known descends upon Qzar. Jelindel dek Mediesar led a charmed life until Lindrak assassins murdered her family. Fleeing to the markets, Jelindel dresses as a boy to avoid detection. Here she teams up with Zimak, a street-wise urchin, and Daretor, a warrior on a quest to destroy an alien artifact. Murder, betrayal and deceit are just some of the hurdles they must face in order to find the missing links from a star-dwellers' mailshirt six powerful links, whose individual powers are nothing compared with that of the complete mailshirt. Cover art by Cathy Larsen.
  • Higham alleges that "Errol Flyn could have been tried for treason. The world-famous star could have ended his life on a hangman's noose." Dramatic? Definitely.  He also alleges that he has seen documents, now declassified and therefore available to the public, that prove the star of Robin Hood, They Died With Their Boots On, Captain Blood and many other films was in fact a spy for the Gestapo, working together with Dr. Hermann Erben, leading SS man, and that the film industry was involved in the cover up.  And yet more - Higham also claims Flynn the Infamous Womaniser also had affairs with Howard Hughes, fellow heart throb actor Tyrone Power and Truman Capote. Manslaughter, drug running and gold smuggling are also alleged.  The declassified documents that Higham claims are not reproduced in this book - only listed.
  • In this volume, people of the Bush pay tribute to their dogs for the extraordinary role they play in Australian rural life. Uncomplaining, tough and loyal, they are the only workers that never go on strike or hit the grog. In this classic collection of more than 300 original stories, many from listeners to ABC Radio's Country Hour, these cheerful workaholics are celebrated in tales of heroism, extraordinary intuition and intelligence. On this journey around the nation's farms, this band of canine characters shows they can be pretty funny, too. During long days spent together in paddocks and yards, working dogs can be a sympathetic ear when times are hard - and in a moment of total disaster, every dog have the ability to back over his shoulder with the cheekiest grin in the world.
  • "Shane O'Donnell" was born to almost total deafness, yet he grew up to play an important part in the development of the Ord River Dam area and in conserving the natural life of that fascinating environment.  The "O'Donnell" family are real.  Their names were changed for the publication of this book. This is a case history of how to do the best for profoundly deaf children but more, it is a story of a fight against the odds - and winning.

  • Book I of I.Q.: The Trilogy. In a future world,m where people can buy and sell I.Q.,two men set out on a quest to find out who they really are. This is the story of a 100, who never gambled; a 160 who has been reformatted and a I.Q. 1000 president who controls their world.
  • Larry Adler raised the mouth-organ from children's toy and music-hall turn to big time film and show business.  He appeared alongside Eddie Cantor, Fred Astaire, George Gershwin; he played at special performances for President Roosevelt, the King of Sweden and the Prince of Wales.  He toured with Jack Benny and Ingrid Bergman during the war.  Then came McCarthyism and the destruction of his career.  He moved to England and continued into journalism, and was nominated for an Oscar for his film score of Genevieve. Billie Holliday once remarked of his talent: "Man, you don't play that f***ing thing, you SING it!"  Autographed by Larry Adler.  
  • Have you killed any strangers lately? Try it - it can be fun! All you have to do is make a friend; because every time you make a friend you kill a stranger. Each person whose story is in this book has learnt this exciting, valuable lesson.  Many people, able-bodied and disabled, find it hard to make friends.  The book issues the challenge to the claim that normal (?) people are responsible for the non-acceptance of disabled folk in the full life of the community.  The disabled can equally be at fault. "It's a bit like the generation gap - both sides must be willing to walk some of the way across the bridge of communication." Here are REAL people willing to share their hidden scars and their joyous victories.
  • Book I of Agents Of Kalanon. Sir Brannon Kesh spent years building a new life as a physician and leaving the name Bloodhawk (and the wartime reputation that went with it) behind. But when the King's cousin is murdered, duty calls him back. The crime scene suggests dark magic and evidence points to the ambassador of Nilar, an alluring woman with secrets of her own and a view of Bloodhawk as little more than a war criminal. As bodies pile up and political ramifications escalate, Brannon must join forces with a vain mage, a socially awkward priest, and a corpse animating shaman to solve the murders and prevent another war. But who can he trust when the phases of a bigger plan fall into place? The Risen are the greatest danger Brannon has ever faced. If he and his team cannot stop the killer, then all of Kalanon - and the world - will descend into darkness. Winner of SpecFicNZ Novel Competition.
  • Laurie Lawrence is a remarkable Australian - a maker of champions, capable of lifting the spirits of those around him to soaring heights. As a swim coach possessing the gift of inspiration he is without peer, and his line-up of champions - Steve Holland, Tracey Wickham, Jon Sieben, Duncan Armstrong, Julie McDonald - bears gold medal testimony to his qualities. But Laurie Lawrence is very many other things too - extrovert, patriot, poet, humorist, singer and, in the 1990s, the most sought-after motivational speaker in Australia. Lawrence of Australia captures the essence of the man through 24 remarkable stories of sport and its champions. In these deeply personal, funny and very often inspiring tales, Lawrence uncovers profound secrets of success which translate to all walks of life. It is a book for everyone - entertaining, revealing and vastly uplifting.
  • Red In The Centre III. Are they really turning the old atomic testing site at Maralinga into a tourist park? Why did Gulflanders know 2011 was going to be a monster wet season? And what exactly is the H Chord anyway? Freelance multimedia journo and storyteller Monte Dwyer is in search of the answers to these questions as he travels through the Queensland floods of 2010, through the Great Victoria Desert and the Kimberley, across the Top End into Arnhem Land and then back into Queensland just in time for the 2011 wet season.  An exploration  of the 'cobwebby corners' of this great land. Illustrated with colour photographs.
  • Martin Fartingale hates English weather, hates Cornwall and most of all, hates his name. He is staying with his mother and batty grandmother in a small fishing village over looking St. Cecils Mount, an intriguing rocky blob at the end of a causeway out to sea. Ignoring the warnings of  his new school friends Danny and Charlotte (Charlie) that no-one has ever escaped from St. Cecils Mount, Mart5in decides to break into the ancient building and explore. He finds himself face to face with Gregor, the Mad Monk, Ursula, a black witch - and he must defeat Sir Bullimore Fergus in sword fighting and the Black Knight in a joust, with unexpected allies the ghost of Uncle Septimus Fartingale (who appears as a foul-smelling green vapour) and a white witch who looks remarkably like Charlie.
  • The story of Robert Six - ex-sailor, ex-truck driver and ex-pilot - the man behind one of America's more dramatic success stories. Six’s career began in the buccaneering days of aviation, when every flight was an adventure - and has continued into the age of jets and supersonic transports. Tough, scrappy and a gambler, Six set out to beat the big airlines at their own game, and made Continental into one of the most profitable and reliable 'big little' airlines in the world. The results are almost a legend in the circles of commercial aviation and American business. A lively view of the history of commercial airlines in America, full of anecdotes and regarded as entertaining.
  • Jamal and Bibi have a dream - to lead Australia to soccer glory in the next World Cup. But first they must face landmines, pirates, storms and assassins. Can Jamal and his family survive their incredible journey and get to Australia? Sometimes - to save the people you love - you just have to go overboard.
  • This book brings to life superb portraits of great Australian mothers - Elizabeth MacArthur, Caroline Chisholm, Dame Mary Gilmour;  the mothers of  luminaries  Helen Keller, Sir Don Bradman and Sir Winston Churchill; the American mothers who spurred their children to success - Barbara Guggenheim and Abraham Lincoln's TWO mothers; the mothers behind the great Australian retail names: Ann Horden and Belle Gross, mother of Mick Grace, former chairman of Grace Bros as well as creative mums, their famous children and inspirational mums.  Signed by the Author, 'Mr. Movies' Bill Collins, Ita Buttrose, Imelda and Bill Roche, the founders of  the Nutrimetics empire.
  • Armed robbery, murder, lies, treachery, 'confession' and legal tangle that ended in a sensational trial, followed by three executions - all the ingredients of a callous crime committed on the New Zealand goldfields in 1866. A gang of brutal Londoners - Richard Burgess, Tom Noon (Noonan), Joseph Sullivan and Phil Levy waylaid five gold-laden prospectors on a lonely track on Maungatapu ('Sacred Mountain'), killed them and hid the bodies before going on a spree. The prospectors were missed, and suspicion fell on the four. Hoping for a free pardon, Sullivan 'dobbed' on his mates and Burgess wrote a confession but implicated Sullivan. Clune traces the lives of the four and shows the influences played such an important role in shaping their twisted lives - the overcrowded Thames-side slums created by the Industrial Revolution, the laws that punished rather than reformed, the rotting prison hulks, the transportation system and the mental cruelty in the prisons of the day.
  • In 1999, General Peter Cosgrove was thrust into the full glare of the nation's spotlight following his appointment as Commander of the International Forces in East Timor. (INTERFET) Always in his slouch hat, he was a reassuring figure and we watched with pride the professionalism and concern of our peacekeeping forces who under his direction helped lay the foundations of a new nation. In his subsequent rise to Chief of Army and then, in July 2002, to Chief of the Defence force, the General cemented his reputation as a modern-day warrior chieftain as he displayed those characteristics we value most as Australians - strength, determination, intelligence, compassion and humour.