Download or read book The Bush written by Don Watson and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2014-09-24 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most Australians live in cities and cling to the coastal fringe, yet our sense of what an Australian is – or should be – is drawn from the vast and varied inland called the bush. But what do we mean by 'the bush', and how has it shaped us? Starting with his forebears' battle to drive back nature and eke a living from the land, Don Watson explores the bush as it was and as it now is: the triumphs and the ruination, the commonplace and the bizarre, the stories we like to tell about ourselves and the national character, and those we don't. Via mountain ash and mallee, the birds and the beasts, slaughter, fire, flood and drought, swagmen, sheep and their shepherds, the strange and the familiar, the tragedies and the follies, the crimes and the myths and the hope – here is a journey that only our leading writer of non-fiction could take us on. At once magisterial in scope and alive with telling, wry detail, The Bush lets us see our landscape and its inhabitants afresh, examining what we have made, what we have destroyed, and what we have become in the process. No one who reads it will look at this country the same way again. 'Nothing he has written quite matches the wonders of The Bush . . . There is no dull page or even lifeless sentence between its covers and my urge is that if anyone wants a full blast of what Australia is, was, or might be, thrust The Bush into their hands. Watson seems to have been preparing to write it all his life, from when he was a small boy (born 1949) open to wonders on his family's Gippsland dairy farm . . . It's the unalloyed wonder of that small boy . . . that guides the reader most of all . . . a fountaining freshness of spirit that gives everything he sees and does the vivacity of being sighted for the first time.' Roger McDonald, The Age 'Flawlessly elegant writing . . . But this is excellent, hard-headed history, too . . . Utterly mesmerising and entrancing . . . A challenge to contemplate what it really is about this country that makes us who we think we are . . . A literary-historical odyssey.' Paul Daley, The Guardian (Australia) 'A loving rumination on Australia, the landmass, and those who live on it and from it . . . Watson refuses to be captured by easy categorisations or received opinion . . . The writing is crisp, witty and sardonic . . . Watson is an original, with an authentic, prophetic voice.' John Hirst, The Monthly 'An overwhelmingly affectionate portrait, one that's never sentimental or indulgently nostalgic, and one that defiantly resists lamentation . . . There is no doubt that The Bush stands with Bill Gammage's The Biggest Estate on Earth as one of the most important books published on the history of this country in recent years . . . The Bush is the crown in Watson's oeuvre, a magnificent, sprawling ode to the best in Australia, a challenge to us all to find new ways of loving the country.' The Saturday Paper 'Don Watson's magnificent, celebratory, contradictory study of the Australian bush will challenge the national imagination . . . An amiable, learned, playful and engrossing book . . . [A] great, succulent magic pudding of a book . . . Most of what we read is nothing like we would have expected . . . There is a sense that an amiable and eloquent uncle is telling us everything piquant he knows about theology and culture and land use and the beasts and flora and families of the bush.' Thomas Keneally, Weekend Australian 'The power of this book does come from the way Watson positions himself as both an insider and outsider to the Australian bush . . . A meditation on Australia itself through a reflection on the bush.' Frank Bongiorno, Australian Book Review 'A sprawling, fascinating book . . . Watson has pulled off a marvel, a book that educates and fascinates at the same time as it calls for action to preserve some things before they're lost. The best part, though, is his prose: bare and dry, with a dark sense of humour. A bit like the country he's describing.' Margot Lloyd, The Advertiser (Adelaide) 'Every now and again a book comes out that is so groundbreaking it causes you to think about a particular subject in a radically different light. Don Watson's The Bush: Travels in The Heart of Australia is one such work; a masterpiece of research, inquiry and poetry that challenges our basic assumptions of the Outback. Watson . . . has pulled off a dazzling achievement with The Bush, blending philosophy with science and storytelling . . . A beautifully written and thoughtful book.' Johanna Leggatt, Weekly Times 'Elegant, intricate, sprawling and sometimes harsh . . . [Watson] explores the bush with a mix of academic insight and campfire yarn . . . In a word: hypnotic.' Jeff Maynard, Herald Sun 'His romantic prose moves seamlessly through autobiographical tales to discuss the landscapes and histories that have shaped Australia.' National Geographic 'One of my favourite reads this year. What a writer he is . . . You find yourself sneaking off from others to be with it.' Kathleen Noonan, Courier-Mail 'Vast in scope, richly sourced, soaring and poetic, this journey to the heart of Australia has been rightly compared in significance to Bill Gammage's The Biggest Estate on Earth.' Barbara Farrelly, South Coast Register 'The Bush is his homage to Australia's mythic hinterland. Watson travels through the Mallee and the Murray-Darling, to WA's wheat belt and beyond, meeting people, talking, listening. Good writing that engages with Australia's past is a rare beast, too often bound up in the need for ''balance''. Watson has the freedom to ignore the rules; he allows himself to opine and he yarns at will. A delightful read.' Mark MacLean, Newcastle Herald
Download or read book Walkabout written by James Vance Marshall and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2009-04-02 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Walkabout is a survival story for children written by James Vance Marshall. Mary and her young brother Peter are the only survivors of an aircrash in the middle of the Australian outback. Facing death from exhaustion and starvation, they meet an aboriginal boy who helps them to survive, and guides them along their long journey. But a terrible misunderstanding results in a tragedy that neither Mary nor Peter will ever forget . . . Reissued in the 'A Puffin Book' series of Puffin modern classics for children, Walkabout has been continuously in print since its first publication over 50 years ago.
Download or read book Savage Shadow written by David O'Reilly and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades farmers in the southwest of Australia have been convinced that there are cougars at large in the Australian bush, devastating wildlife and livestock. Hundreds of sightings have been documented in Western Australia, from as far north as Geraldton, south to Esperance and inland to Norseman. Australian journalist David O'Reilly became fascinated with what is known as perhaps Australia's greatest wildlife mystery during his time as the bureau chief of The Australian's Perth office. He interviewed scores of witnesses - farmers, wildlife experts, academics and bureaucrats - and wrote many stories about the hunt for the 'Cordering Cougar', as it became known, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. This book, now back in print for the first time in 30 years, is the culmination of that work. "A classic, timeless work back in print at last." - Dr Karl Shuker, zoologist and author "One of the most influential books on the subject [of Australian Big Cats] is David O Reilly s 1981 Savage Shadow: the Search for the Australian Cougar (recently republished by Strange Nation Publishing). O Reilly s book mostly centres around the experiences of those who clamed to have seen (or experienced the depredations of) the Cordering Cougar in West Australia during the 1970s." - Dr Darren Naish, author of Scientific American blog Tetrapod Zoology
Download or read book The Adventures of Kimble Bent written by James Cowan and published by . This book was released on 1911 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Australian Barkers and Biters written by Robert Kaleski and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2011-03-29 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in Sydney 1914 in a Limited Edition, this rare early dog book is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. A later, and still very scarce edition was enlarged and revised with the addition of many early dog breed photographs. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS have republished this edition using the original text and photographs, as part of their Classic Breed Books series. Although this book deals mainly with observations, history and research on the Kelpi, Heeler, and other Australian Sheep and Cattle Dogs, several other dog breeds peculiar to Australia are discussed in some detail. Two hundred and fifty six pages contain twenty two comprehensive chapters:- The Origin of the Dog. - Variations of the Dog Species. - Creation of Tame Dogs. - The Noble Dingo. - The Australian Cattle Dog. - The Kelpie. - The Barb. - Sheep-dog Trials. - Judging and Buying. - Kangaroo Dogs. - Bush Greyhounds. - True Greyhounds. - Beagles. - Cocker Spaniels. - Fox Terriers. - Alsatian Wolf Dog. - Laws on Dogs. - Dog Fighting. - Dog Fancying. - Australian Dog Workers. - A Premier Sheep-dog Trial Judge. - "God's Dogs". This is a fascinating read for any Sheep and Cattle Dog enthusiast or historian of the breeds, but also contains much information that is still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest dog breed books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Download or read book Australian Bush Ballads written by Douglas Stewart and published by . This book was released on 1955 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book People Print Paper written by Michael Richards and published by National Library Australia. This book was released on 1988 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Library's major public contribution to the Australian Bicentenary was the travelling exhibition, People, Print & Paper. Celebrating two hundred years of Australian books, this exhibition and the accompanying catalogue bring together a collection of books which gives a fascinating insight into an aspect of Australian life and character which is often overlooked.
Download or read book The Bush Boy s Book written by Donald MacDonald and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2013-04-20 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Uniquely Australian, and the first Australian bushcraft book to be published and gain a wide readership, The Bush Boy's Book was published in 1911 and was considered compulsory bushcraft reading until at least the 1940s for all bushmen, scouts, cadets, army recruits, farmer's sons and early outdoor enthusiasts of all types. This was the book our grandfathers and great grandfathers ravenously pored over by gas, kerosene or candle light, committing every little hint and tip to memory. Today, over 100 years after it was first published, this fine book has been all but forgotten. It's time to bring it to a new generation of bushcrafters, scouts and outdoor recreation devotees. In October 1911, the Perth Western Mail's Literary Editor had this to say about the book: "The Bush Boy's Book, by Donald MacDonald, comprises 260 pages of excellently printed matter, which should prove invaluable to anyone, boy or man, who enjoys or wishes to know anything about life in the open. For Boy Scouts it will furnish a gold mine of information. The author has the trick of making his descriptions perfectly comprehensible. He would seem to have left nothing out - beds and bivouacs, camps, codes, camp cookery, fishing, game, guns, bushcraft, shooting, swimming, bush surgery, snakes, 'things worth knowing', traps and snares, tips and instruction on all manner of things that concern bushmen; how to extricate oneself when lost, how not to get lost at all, how to be happy though bushed, to make beds, meals and shelters, etc., etc. It is written for Australians, by Australians from an Australian point of view, and the letterpress is supplemented by diagrams that leave nothing to be misunderstood. Both the author and the publisher are to be congratulated on a praiseworthy work."
Download or read book Australian Classics written by Jane Gleeson-White and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the classic works of Australian literature? And what can they tell us about ourselves and the land we live in? Providing a selected overview of Australia's greatest literature, Australian Classics is an accessible companion to our literature and a story of writing in Australia from the nineteenth century to the present. Australian Class...
Download or read book The Bookman s Journal and Print Collector written by and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Bookman s Journal with which is Incorporated The Print Collector written by and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Australian Books in Print written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 1630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bush Medicine written by Tim Low and published by Red Kite Books. This book was released on 1990 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes many references to Aboriginal plant and animal remedies, their preparation and use; native tobacco, pituri and other narcotics.
Download or read book Riders in the Chariot written by Patrick White and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2002-04-30 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Patrick White's brilliant 1961 novel, set in an Australian suburb, intertwines four deeply different lives. An Aborigine artist, a Holocaust survivor, a beatific washerwoman, and a childlike heiress are each blessed—and stricken—with visionary experiences that may or may not allow them to transcend the machinations of their fellow men. Tender and lacerating, pure and profane, subtle and sweeping, Riders in the Chariot is one of the Nobel Prize winner's boldest books.
Download or read book A Bush Calendar written by Amy E. Mack Harrison and published by . This book was released on 1911 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fortunate Life written by A.B. Facey and published by Fremantle Press. This book was released on 2018-04-21 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Albert Facey’s story is the story of Australia.Born in 1894, and first sent to work at the age of eight, Facey lived the rough frontier life of a labourer and farmer and jackaroo, becoming lost and then rescued by Indigenous trackers, then gaining a hard-won literacy, surviving Gallipoli, raising a family through the Depression, losing a son in the Second World War, and meeting his beloved Evelyn with whom he shared nearly sixty years of marriage.Despite enduring unimaginable hardships, Facey always saw his life as a fortunate one.A true classic of Australian literature, Facey’s simply penned story offers a unique window onto the history of Australian life through the greater part of the twentieth century – the extraordinary journey of an ordinary man.
Download or read book Force of Nature written by Jane Harper and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Goodreads Choice Award Finalist (Mystery & Thriller, 2018) BookBrowse Best Books of 2018 Winner of the Prix Polar Award for Best International Novel BookRiot’s 25 Best Suspense Books from 2018 Davitt Awards shortlist for Adult Crime Novel 2018 Dead Good Reads shortlist for Best Small Town Mystery 2018 Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with? When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder? “Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer.” —A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window Select praise for The Dry: "One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read. Every word is near perfect. Read it!" —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author “A breathless page-turner ... Ms. Harper has made her own major mark.” —The New York Times