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Witch-Children: Hans Sebald
$95.00The period of persecution and execution of so-called witches is a venomous chapter of Western civilisation. The hunt extended from the Middle Ages into the early modern era, and from the Old World to the New. Although efforts have been made to understand this hysterical mass murder, many disturbing aspects are still shrouded in mystery. The participation of small children and adolescents, whether as the accused or as accusers, is crucial. Dr. Sebald examines a number of historic witch trials, including the infamous events at Salem, in England, Sweden, Austria and Germany. -
Funny people, sportsmen...in more ways than one! From the sublimely amusing to the ridiculous, the sporting arena - be it a circket field, a gold course or a billiard table - sees them all. Sport can be a very serious business, but it's the sportsman's ability to laugh at his friends, his foes and himself which sets him apart from those who merely look on. Illustrated by Paul Rigby. -
The cops of Hollywood Station are still overworked, understaffed, bound in red tape and always amazed by what the boulevards can throw at them. Nate Weiss has transferred from the mid-watch to become a Crow - a Community Relations Officer. The Crows deal with domestic disputes, noise complaints, abandoned shopping trolleys and chronic complainers. It's regarded as a sissie beat - and the pay is better. But when Nate and fellow Crow Bix get mixed up with Margot, a seemingly harmless Hollywood hill-bunny in the middle of an ugly divorce, things aren't quite so uncomplicated. The author was an LAPD detective, so this is Ground Zero writing, wherein he knows of what he speaks. There are quirky characters that couldn't be invented - such as the Indian man who thieved a couple of frocks from a posh boutique then popped one on before heading for Paramount Studios...Flotsam and Jetsam, two surf-frenzied detectives...and Sergeant Treakle, non-affectionately known as Chicken-Lips. -
Chips Rafferty became a legendary figure with an indefinable star quality and a presence that seemed, to the world at large, to be every Anzac rolled into one. He was always passionately committed to the Australian film industry. Yet for a long time he was either knocked, ognored or taken for granted in his own country. Born John William Pilbeam Goffage, the sone of a miner near Broken Hill, he became Chips Rafferty much later . Diverted from is first ambition - commercial art - Chips wandered through the back blocks from Queenland to Victoria for ten years, working as a drover, a shearer, a miner, a 'roo shooter, a fisherman and opal fossicker. The progression from extra to star to character actor began slowly, and his success in such classic films as The Overlanders, Forty Thousand Horsemen, Rats Of Tobruk and Bush Christmas made his name world-wide. Illustrated with black and white photographs. -
Since white men landed and changed the name of Warungarea to Hunter's Hill, North Sydney has been in a constant state of flux. Smuggling, farming and business-building occupied the 19th century and then East St. Leonard's came into being. By the 1860s, it was divided into three boroughs: East St. Leonard's, St. Leonard's and Victoria. In amongst the current modern sophistication of skyscrapers, restaurants and a top yachting club, nooks and crannies of the past still exist. Don Bank, an early farmhouse, stands between two multi-storey buildings; St. Thomas's sits on a bustling business street and Graythwaite, now a school administration building, yet retains the peace of the past. -
Who'd have thought a Dublin mammy with a cream cardigan and elasticated tan tights could storm British TV screens and leave a nation helpless with laughter? Brendan O'Carroll saw his TV show Mrs. Brown's Boys become a number 1 ratings success. But he had to battle hard for success. The youngest of eleven children, his mother was Maureen O'Carroll, a former nun who went on to become the first woman to be elected to the Irish parliament. Brendan adored his strong, widowed mother - and she later became the inspiration for his indomitable character Agnes Brown. The family endured poverty reminiscent of Angela's Ashes and Brendan saw no option but to leave school at 12 to work. He married young and for decades struggled to make ends meet. Eventually, bankrupt and desperate, Brendan went to see a fortune teller who told him she could see his future achieving worldwide success as a comedian and actor. At first Brendan laughed at the notion, but then he thought of how much his friends loved his gags, and decided to give it a go...A magical story of how a lovable Irishman with a wig and with a wit as caustic as battery acid surprised everyone - most of all himself - by becoming one of the best-loved comedians in the world. It is also a story of hardship, heartbreak and talent - a reminder that sometimes facts can be even more extraordinary than fiction. -
Still Me: Christopher Reeve
$12.00When the first 'Superman' movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences - a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. And I also meant individuals who are slightly larger than life: Houdini and Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles: a fifteen-year-old boy who landed on his head while wrestling with his brother, leaving him barely able to swallow or speak; Travis Roy, paralysed in the first thirty seconds of a hockey game in his freshman year at college. These are real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them. The whole world waited for news as Christopher Reeve struggled for life on Memorial Day, 1995. On the third jump of a riding competition, Reeve was thrown headfirst from his horse in an accident that broke his neck and left him unable to move or breathe. From then until his death in 2004 he not only survived but fought for himself, for his family, and for the hundreds of thousands of people with spinal cord injuries in the United States and around the world. And he wrote Still Me, the heartbreaking, funny, courageous, and hopeful story of his life. Chris described his early success on Broadway opposite the legendary Katherine Hepburn, the adventure of filming Superman on the streets of New York, and how the movie made him a star. With dignity and sensitivity, he described the journey he has made - physically, emotionally, spiritually - as well as exploring his complex relationship with his parents, his efforts to remain a devoted husband and father, and his continuing and heroic battle to rebuild his life. The Man who could not move never stopped moving. -
Published by the Newcastle and Hunter District Historical Society in 1985, this is a comprehensive look at the growth of the ' Steel City' from 1829 until approximately the 1850s, covering banking and postal services; landmarks such as the Old Gaol, the Barracks and the Obelisk; the growth of the Port; religion, education, leisure and social life as well as the institutions of hospitals, cemeteries and industrial growth. -
In all of Australia's history, the bizarre life and exploits of Edward 'Ned' Kelly and his small gang are probably the most often referred to, the most emotive and the least well documented. Stories of Ned, Dan, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart abound. Kelly the folk-hero, the myth, the legend is perpetuated in songs, paintings and a welter of conflicting opinions. Who - in all this confusion - was the real Ned Kelly? Published on the centenary of Kelly's hanging, it's a revealing study of the man and his times. With contributions from Professor Manning Clark, Professor Weston Bate, Professor Louis Walker, Ian Jones, Glen Tomasetti and others. Illustrated.
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