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Colleen McCullough was always resistant to the idea of writing an autobiography, believing that books about the self tend to be 'stuffed to pussy's bow with boring bits.' So she left those out and wrote a series of essays, some of which touch on events in her adventurous life. Here are the clues, the philosophy of life and the beliefs that shaped the mind of Australia's most brilliant author: the impulsive, confused, thoughtlessly cruel mother; the miserly absentee father the brother she loved dearly and what Colleen thought about all manner of things including the Crucifixion, Midsomer Murders, William Shakespeare, the journalist who believed cat farts harmed the planet and unelected power. -
Dear M: Jack Pollock
$15.00Or, Letters from a Gentleman of Excess. Until 1983, Jack Pollock was the owner of the Pollock Gallery of Toronto, where he exhibited new Canadian artists. Then, abruptly, he lost both his business and his health. Twenty years of flashy flamboyancy had led to drug addiction, open heart surgery, bankruptcy - and a profound spiritual and psychological malaise. Broken, he retreated to the south of France, expecting to die. Instead, he began to come to terms with himself and his life, confiding his deepest feelings in a torrent of letters to M., a psychiatrist he had consulted briefly before his departure. The letters tell of his everyday life in France, his encounters with David Hockney and other artists, of religion and the power of sexuality: a courageously honest assessment of his life.
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A secular bible history that examines the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalen, Eve, Sarah, Lot’s wife, Potiphar’s wife, Ruth, Delilah, the ‘witch' of Endor as well as Herodias and Jezebel, written in such a way as to throw clarity, insight and understanding of their roles and contributions to the kingdom. -
A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson is one of the first, foremost and most influential figures in Australian literary history. He was a member of the group of writers and artists gathered around the "Sydney Bulletin" in the 1890s; went to the South African War as a newspaper correspondent; he visited China at the time of the Boxer Rebellion; was an ambulance driver in France in WW1; a noted horseman and an authority on racehorses and horse breeding and much more. Illustrated with black and white photographs. -
Skymen: Larry Forrester
$15.00A beautiful commemorative of the heroes of the early days of flight. Those remarkable pioneers - men and women - are honoured in personal stories containing a wealth of fascinating information on their backgrounds, careers and characters. Without them, who knows when Man would have conquered the skies? Among the book's Roll of Honour are Orville and Wilbur Wright; Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier; "Daredevil' Samson, the first man to take off from the deck of a moving ship; Germany's suave, monocled 'Red Baron'; and many other heroes from all over the world. -
Everything You Learnt At School, But Have Since Forgotten...Perplexed by Pythagoras? Undone by famous dates? Can't tell your Magnesium from your Manganese? Then this is the book for you. Divided into classroom subject-themed chapters, The Universal Crammer is packed full of key lessons that easily slip the mind once O-levels and GCSEs become a distant memory. Flex your dormant brain muscles and see how much you can remember from those days of staring at the white board/black board (depending on whether you're from the era of computers or exercise books). The ideal nostalgia present for any know-it-all in the family. Re-discover facts and theories, from geography to history, from maths to English, including: Remember LSD? No, not the illegal drug, but the geological process of long shore drift of course. Then there's osmosis, meiosis, photosynthesis... All those similar sounding biological processes that ring a distant bell. Is carpe diem the limit of your Latin? Declensions, conjugations and those Latin tables you were made to learn. Mean, median and mode...is that someone who's stingy, mediocre, yet stylish? I kicked the ball. A classic S.V.O. sentence. S.V.O? Elementary, my dear - the basics of the linguistic typology: subject; verb; object. Loads of fun for anyone.
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How did Max Krilich get to meet the Killer Rabbit? Why was Andy Gregory glad to get the hell out of Australia? Who was the Man in the Bowler Hat? How did Ronny Gibbs get on Sale of the Century? What was Johnny Raper doing in ladies underwear...and what was the miracle at Lang Park? How did Fatty Vautin save Steve Mortimer's life? What did Freddie Jones say that shocked the PM? And what was Allan Langer doing in the USA with all those big oily men??? The answers to these and many more questions are all here in the most hilarious collection of sporting stories ever assembled in Australia. Cartoons by Scott Rigney. -
Or Why I Don't Steal Towels from Great Hotels Anymore. This is not a travel book, exactly, and it's not a book about hotels. It's a book about obsessions and the need to let our obsessions guide us to discoveries...Travel can be the supreme pleasure in life but only if we undertake an interior journey along with our exterior voyage.Among other topics, Dale covers: Why men want to read maps and women want to ask the way; how to stop a taxi driver from talking to you; where to find the guidebook that suits your personality; the how, what and why of souveniring from Great Hotels; whether you should be in love with your travelling companion; where to go star-spotting for dead celebrities; how to enjoy fake travel and pseudo nostalgia; the best and worst waiters, streets, train dining cars, restaurants and small museums in the world; and why shopping is a waste of good siesta time. With amusing sketches by Matthew Martin.
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Comprehensive in coverage and meticulously researched, this book calls on the latest scientific research to challenge our society's largely unquestioning commitment to new technology. While modern technology has many benefits, the authors believe that Western society's reliance on the latest tech as a cure-all for our problems is seriously misplaced - in some cases, dangerously so. Health and environment issues include: The damaging effects on human health of certain microwaves, including those from mobile phones, mobile phone base stations and television transmission towers; the ongoing debate about the effects of human health of aluminium in food and other consumer products; the growing evidence that the trans-polyunsaturated acids formed in most margarines during manufacture may be worse for your health than butter; and the growing understanding that the amount of natural light entering the eyes can contribute significantly to the body's ability to fight disease. There is much which is disagreeable and sometimes distressing, but this book is not a downer. At the end of each chapter there's a positive 'What YOU can do' section.
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Ballarat profited so much from the discovery of gold that one of its founders in 1837 marvelled how, within 30 years, the scene had changed from 'a flock of sheep tended by a solitary shepherd; to that of a great, teeming city. Ballarat's wealth in gold, grazing, iron and industry, together with the freedom to choose from all that Europe offered, created an architectural panorama for the studious and delightful variety for all visitors. Ballarat's dynamic history can be traced through its variety of structures, encompassing iron-filigreed verandahs, classical facades, 'Ballarat Baroque', polychrome brick and Gothic revival. -
Here is an autobiographical tale that so captured the public imagination, as well as the spirit and feel of an age, that it went into 63 editions in less than ten years. The author describes how he built the house that became known as San Michele on the site of an old monastery on Capri before the beginning of the 1900s. He also includes stories of famous men he had known in Europe, stories of medicine and anecdotes about his friends. -
Referred to as 'the dean of American decorators', it seemed that Billy was always marked for success. His Aunt Olivia claimed that he even had charm in his crib. His autobiography has the same personal charm, with an unerring eye for detail and a wickedly sensitive ear. He created beautiful environments for fascinating people for over 40 years. He was always in the limelight and could count among his friends luminaries such as Cole Porter, Great Garbo, Pauline de Rothschild, Jacqueline Onassis and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. He saw life as a celebration and in his autobiography has given the reader an intimate look at a great professional and a collection of mischievous tales about some of the most fashionable and envied celebrities of his day. Illustrated with black and white photographs. -
After many years abroad, H.V. Morton set out one morning in the mid-1920s, in his Morris two-seater, in search of England. This is not an unbiased travel guide - if he's unhappy with a place, the reader will know. He 'expects the worst' at Wigan and believes Norfolk to be 'the most suspicious county in England.' The reader will see through his eyes: Stonehenge, Dartmoor, the ruins of Glastonbury, Hadrian's Wall, inns, cathedrals and churches. Written almost one hundred years ago some things, like the generation gap, haven't changed - a cockle gatherer claimed that they were the last of their kind since 'girls today want to be ladies and they don't like hard work either.' After being lured into a tea shop he feels that 'the Crusades could have been stopped by a Dorsetshire tea'. He is excellent company and this is no run-of-the-mill travel guide. This is England between the wars and preserved by this leading author - and believe it or not, still in print today. -
Singularly susceptible to Celtic romance and history, H. V. goes in search of Wales, and finds equal delight in climbing Snowdon (inclement weather aside) and going down a coal mine. Bustling with intriguing local stories and characters, Morton's fascinating account reaches from the scenic grandeur of the north to the domestic beauty of the industrial south. In the Vale of Clwydd it rains 'with grim enthusiasm' while at the Eisteddfod in Bangor, he is 'slightly worried by the trousers of bard and druid, which are visible for a few inches below their gowns. Father Christmas has this same trouble with his trousers...' Anecdotal, leisurely, full of character and event, insight and opinion, this is travel writing to treasure. With black and white photographs. -
A very glossy and colourful look at the way we were when we celebrated 200 years. All the events are covered: the Tall Ships, the First Fleet re-enactment, the Round Australia Yacht Race, the Transcontinental Balloon Challenge and more; articles on Cook's preparations for his voyage, Australian migration, Royal visits, our sporting achievements and festivals, Australian art - even fashion, media and society. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs. -
I've given up everything - my friends, my family, my country, & he simply roared with laughter, and then of course so did I...Nancy Mitford and the Free French commander Gaston Palewski conducted a less than ideal love affair in post-war France. She was one of the twentieth century's most glamorous and popular authors, he was one of the most significant European politicians of the period. He inspired and encouraged her to write one of the funniest, most painfully poignant and best-loved novels of its time, The Pursuit Of Love, and she supported him through a tumultuous political career. Their mutual life was spent amongst some of the most exciting, powerful and controversial figures of their times in the reawakening centre of European civilisation. By modern standards, their relationship was sometimes a disaster - "Oh, the horror of love!" once exclaimed Nancy to her sister, Diana Mosley. But the result is a provocative, emotionally challenging book about a very different way of conducting an affair of the heart. With discipline, gentleness and a great deal of elegance, Nancy Mitford and Gaston Palewski achieved a very adult ideal, whose story will test the reader as much as it charms. Photographically illustrated. -
From New Year's Day 1995 to June 1996, Alec Guinness kept a diary in which he recorded not only day-to-day events, but also a range of memories, views and musings. Certain pre-occupations, theatre and film, books and paintings; the Church; food and drink and the delights of home and family. Friendship is also central to Sir Alec's life, and his friendships with Alan Bennett, Jill Balcon, Lauren Bacall and Barry Humphries, among others, forms the backbone of this entertaining 'days in the life' of a retiring actor. -
An incredible voyage of discovery from the frozen summit of Ben Nevis to the white sands of the Isle of Scilly; and from the rain-drenched tip of western Ireland to the dry expanses of East Anglia. Alan descends a Yorkshire waterfall twice as tall as Niagara Falls, climbs one of the highest mountains in Scotland, forages with red squirrels in Formby, takes a trip back in time to find hippos roaming Trafalgar Square, a huge forest from Land's End to John O'Groats and prehistoric reptiles paddling Britain's tropical seas. Here is the evolution of the British landscape and wildlife through dramataic geological, cliatic and human change, and an examination of the land today with fresh challenges and responsibilities for us to face.
