AustLit

'David King was only ten years old when he met the Angels.

'This is a story full of childhood adventures, street smarts and ingenuity. It is the story of a survivor in a time when violence in the home was commonplace, and of the gang of Angels who took him under their wing, protected him and taught him the value of ‘safety in numbers’.'

'This candidly written memoir, enlivened by the author’s impish sense of humour, narrates the way in which, by chance and circumstance, Tom Lowenstein placed his career at the service of the Australian art world.

'The book describes Lowenstein’s numerous David and Goliath battles with the Australian Government and the Australian Tax Office for a greater understanding and fairer treatment of the unique set of circumstances and numerous challenges faced by the country’s creative sectors.

'Lowenstein’s interactions with his colourful and gregarious clients took him frequently out of the comfort of the corporate environment into the artists’ homes and studios. The personalities of Charles Blackman, Colin Lanceley, Margaret Olley, John Olsen, Garry Shead, Tim Storrier, and many other luminaries of the art world are vividly brought out with unique insights and unexpected angles.

'The book is richly illustrated with photographs from Lowenstein’s personal archives documenting his longstanding friendships and reflecting its heady mixture of accounting, art, and wine.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'I’ll Be Gone is not just the story of an accidental masterpiece, a song written by Mike Rudd and recorded by his seminal Australian band ‘Spectrum’ in 1969. It is also the story of a time of unprecedented political and cultural upheaval and promise both in Australia and the Western world. 

'Most of all, I’ll Be Gone is the story of a unique Australian artist and his unerring artistic vision, often in the face of immense personal hardship and sorrow.'

Source : publication summary

'David’s girlfriend dumped him, he writes about bars for a shrinking newspaper, and he’s desperately searching for meaning amongst Sydney’s shallow social and dating scene.

'Then he meets a young woman at a party who just might be the answer to his life’s meaninglessness. However, she’s only 19 – and one of his journalism student’s friends.

'Drowning in the Shallows is about a man who tries to curb his sleazier tendencies in the #metoo era, about a cat’s ruthless attempt to dominate its owner, and about how – in a society obsessed with networking – we’re more estranged than ever.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'This book examines the life and career of acclaimed designer, Kristian Fredrikson (1940–2005), who worked across genres of theatre, dance, opera, film and television.

'His collaborations with leading choreographers and directors saw scenes of unleashed imagination, breathtaking beauty and impeccable craftsmanship, pulsing with human emotion.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'Since childhood, Mark Carr wanted to and fly he did … firstly as a naval aviator, a jet instructor and then pilot for Cathay Pacific Airways.

'This ‘techno-biography’ is written for those who, like him, seemingly have hydraulic oil flowing through their veins. However the book also gives readers of a non-flying background an insight into military and civil aviation.

'Sit in the cockpit with Mark and gain a rare insight into how these amazing machines, that we now take for granted, work, and how the men and women in the cockpits and flight decks operate them safely and efficiently.

'His story is also entwined with historical context including his first-hand account of the infamous Australian Pilots’ Dispute of 1989 and life as an expatriate in Hong Kong.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'This book tells the story of the cyclists who were overcome by the need to venture forth on two wheels; the courageous men and women who undertook some of the most epic bicycle journeys of all time.

'Wild Ride reminds us of a thrilling period of exploration all but forgotten in the age of the motorcar. Daniel Oakman takes us on a rich ride through the 130 years of Australian cycling; from the overlanding heroes of Arthur Richardson and Francis Birtles, to the lesser known but no less amazing feats of Jerome Murif, Ted Ryko and Joe Pearson, through to modern-day bikepacking trailblazers such as Kate Leeming, Tegan Streeter and Tom Richards. Celebrity riders are here too; from the historic icons of Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman, Wendy Duncan and Shirley Law, to the more recent triumphs of actor Sam Johnson and his audacious quest to ride a unicycle 15,000 kilometres around the country.

'You will be astounded by their journeys, retold here with sparkling clarity. Be inspired for your next pedal powered adventure.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman was a sporting icon, a cycling phenomenon whose epic feats of endurance captivated the cycling world. For over two decades, he dominated almost every race he entered and shattered record after record in Australia and Great Britain. In 1928, he led the first Australasian team to ever contest the Tour de France.

'But Oppy was more than a just a champion. During the Great Depression, a time of painful economic and social change, he became a transcendent symbol of Australian fortitude. He became a household name, a legend - as popular as the cricketer Don Bradman and the racehorse Phar Lap.

'Until now, Oppy has never been the subject of a complete biography.

'By peeling away decades of mythology, Daniel Oakman tells Opperman's story like never before. As well as vividly retelling his sporting triumphs, this book is the first to consider the legacy of Opperman's post-cycling career. It explores the emotional pain of his private life, the controversies that dogged his seventeen-year political career, including his post as Immigration Minister in the Menzies Government and the remarkable and far-reaching changes he helped bring to Australian immigration policy.

'This meticulously researched biography gives readers a thrilling insight into the brutal world of professional cycling and an intimate portrait of an extraordinary Australian.'(Publication summary)

'AWAW has become a pillar of the literary landscape encouraging and showcasing emerging writers. This 11th 2018 edition features the cream of the past year's crop of award winning short story and poetry competitions. AWAW 2018 includes winning writing for the following competitions plus many more!'  (Publication summary)

'Each edition of Award Winning Australian Writing represents approximately 50 Writing organisations and competitions around Australia that run short story and poetry writing competitions.' (Publication summary)

'The ninth edition of Award Winning Australian Writing (AWAW) continues its commitment to showcasing the best short stories and poems that have won competitions around the country. The collection features over fifty writers and awards, and includes a foreword by Sam Cooney, writer, editor, lecturer, tutor and publisher of The Lifted Brow. Many prominent emerging writers are featured in this year’s anthology, including David Campbell, Jacqui Merckenschlager, and Jessica Yu, who appeared as a panellist at the 2016 Emerging Writers’ Festival. As always, the anthology features extensive national representation, with awards from every state and territory in Australia' (Publication summary)

'This biography studies the making of writer and artist's wife Cynthia Nolan, born Violet Cynthia Reed. She was almost forty when she married Sidney Nolan and consigned her past to obscurity. It tracks this brave, elusive figure through historical sources, letters, her novels, the recollections of friends and family, and the photographs and portraits made of her.

'After a privileged but constrained childhood, she travelled to Europe. Inspired by what she'd seen, she returned to Australia and, with a small circle of artists and designers, created a brief but influential business in contemporary art and design.

'In 1934 she moved to Sydney, hoping to find work as an actress. Disenchanted, Cynthia travelled to America, then London, to train as a nurse. Nurse Reed was in France when war was declared. She returned to Melbourne, pregnant, and stayed at Heide. She made a life for herself and her daughter, Mosca Jinx, in a cottage in Sydney, where she completed her much overlooked novels.

'Cynthia met Sidney through her sister-in-law, Sunday, who was married to John Reed. The women were close, but in 1941 Cynthia and Sunday had a falling out. Sidney came knocking on Cynthia's door in 1948. Once married, Sidney adopted Jinx, signalling his commitment to their family life.

'Cynthia had the requisite skills, experience and contacts to assist Sidney in his unprecedented success. From 1953, their home base was in Putney, London. Cynthia recorded their travels and preoccupations in four books, and also wrote a novel, A Bride for St Thomas, published in 1970. By this time she was frail, often in severe pain. In 1976, having confided in no-one, Cynthia died in a hotel room in London.

'In her letters and books we hear her distinctive and discriminating voice, despite the turmoil surrounding her at Heide. This book restores her rightful place in history, as an influential woman in her own right.' (Publication summary)

'The story of a young convict, Solomon Blay, who became Her Majesty's hangman in Van Diemen's Land; the man who personally had to deliver an Empire's judgement on 200 men and women, and endured his own noose of personal demons and demonisation in order to "survive"; all in the context of the great struggles of good-evil, life-death, hope-despair, which drew the attention of Darwin, Twain, Trollope and Dickens as Van Diemen's Land evolved from a Hades of Evil to sow the seeds of nationhood.

'The book paints a vivid picture of the society and poverty from which Blay's character was forged in England and the desperate, brutal nature of being a convict in Van Diemen's Land. Solomon's Noose is an important book in exposing the dark 'underbelly' in the formation of modern Australia. ' (Publication summary)

'The eighth edition of Award Winning Australian Writing (AWAW) continues its commitment to showcasing the best short stories and poems that have won competitions around the country. This year, AWAW is proudly launching at the Melbourne Writers Festival, on 30 August at 5pm.

'The collection will feature over fifty writers and competitions. It will include a foreword by Elizabeth Flux, freelance writer and editor of Voiceworks magazine. Both established and emerging writers are featured in this year's anthology, including Kevin Gillam, Emmie Rae, Jessica Yu, Laura Elizabeth Woollett, Chloe Wilson, who won The Age Short Story Competition in 2012, and David Campbell, who has published two books of original Australian verse and a collection of short stories, and has been published extensively in Australian short story and poetry anthologies. '

'Welcome to the world of The Grade Cricketer. Described as the most original voice in cricket, The Grade Cricketer represents the fading hopes and dreams of every ageing amateur sportsman.

'In this tell-all 'autobiography', The Grade Cricketer describes his cricketing career with unflinching honesty and plenty of humour, in turn providing insights into the hyper-masculine cricket 'dressing room'.

'This one-time junior prodigy is now experiencing the lean, increasingly existential years of adult cricket. Here, he learns quickly that one will need more than just runs and wickets to make it in the alpha-dominated grade cricket jungle, where blokes like Nuggsy, Bruiser, Deeks and Robbo reign supreme.

'Through it all, The Grade Cricketer lays bare his deepest insecurities - his relationship with Dad, his fleeting romances outside the cricket club - and, in turn, we witness a gentle maturation; a slow realisation that perhaps, just maybe, there is more to life than hitting 50 not out in third grade and enjoying a few celebratory beers afterwards.'  (Publication summary)

'The French countryside has again been poetically evoked in this delightful, charming and captivating memoir. The renovee adventures continue to enchant the reader and draw them further into the unfolding account of the Cutsforths' other life. This memoir allows us to travel side by side with Susan and Stuart as they fling open the shutters each day in their petite maison in a small French village.' (Publication Summary)

'This is a rare biography of the pioneering Australian author, Mary Gaunt. Born on the Victorian Goldfields in Chiltern in 1861, Mary Gaunt was well-educated and well-connected. She was a tomboy and a rebel - her father encouraged her, her mother disapproved. One of the first female students to attend the University of Melbourne, she wrote articles and stories in order to fund her travels. She trekked through the great mahogany forests of West Africa. She went to China in the chaos that followed the downfall of the Ch'ing dynasty, and narrowly avoided the marauding White Wolf. She proved that a woman could live by her pen in that era when nice women didn't travel on their own When war came, she was trapped behind enemy lines and never made it home to Australia. She died in occupied France in 1942.' (Publication summary)