New South Wales Books

Ever since a magazine article I read I've always been fascinated by earth covered houses. The basic idea is that by putting at least 1yd/1m of earth on the roof and walls, you will dramatically improve insulation.

This book outlines all the major steps in designing and building an earth covered house. They go from site selection to house layout and then on to surrounding features. Every statement is backed up by large quantities of data and references. But the data is always just there to back up the text and never becomes truly overwhelming.

So if the idea of an earth covered house intrigues you this is an ideal book to start with.

I think this book is a really great account of the platypus. It really shows what the life of the platypus is like. It is a great book for anyone who wants to learn about these silent creatures. It also works great for research papers. Just one question... would it be possible to make platypus cheese.

BtSC is an epic story of three generations in Australia, beginning with a young man transported there as a felon and continuing to modern times.

The book is well written & I really enjoyed it, and I found the history of Sydney woven through the story fascinating to read.

Anyone interested in the history of Sydney should enjoy this book.

Before leaving for 3 weeks in Australia, I searched desperately for fiction that would give me a background in the history and culture of this continent. Almost none is offered in the US. So it wasn't until I browsed a bookstore in Perth that I found a section of Australian authors and a lot of books by Australian actress Judy Nunn. Beneath the Southern Cross was just what I was looking for. It is an epic that begins with a British convict escorting his grandsons around Sydney Harbor at the turn of the 19th Century through the Olympics preparations in 2000. Great choice.

Great title for a book on jazz in Australia. The first period of jazz here was 1946-55, which pretty well coincides with the emergence of abstract art too. So during that post-war decade there was a huge revolution in public tastes, even though the first players were few and far between and not terribly with-it. In the 60s a number of the best jazz players were drawn to rock and pop - The Loved Ones and Peter Head (Headband) are good examples.

Interestingly, there is no mention of Syrius's presence here ca.1970, even though Jackie Orszaczky is, in passing, as a funk player(see my review on two Syrius CDs here). In the early to mid 70s there was a huge interest in this music and it was being absorbed by players awake to its bounties. Bands like Mackenzie Theory (a heady and individual fusion of instrumental rock and jazz), the more commercial but talented Ayers Rock (Chicago meets Zappa and Weather Report on their 1st lp) and Crossfire (who later recorded with Michael Franks) showed the overseas influences surfacing here. Some of the best Oz players like Mike Nock, Roy Laird and Graham Morgan worked overseas.

I recall seeing bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Eberhard Weber & Colours,Chico Freeman, Oregon, Dave Liebman Quintet (with Terumaso Hino), Weather Report, Miroslav Vitous with Stanley Clarke, and Herbie Mann in relatively quick succession. Later we saw Miles Davis, John McLaughlin (with Paco De Lucia and later his ca.1990 trio) but the big tours dried up from the late 80s.

To me, Oz jazz started to get interesting from then, as local musos came to the fore. There was the odd great player, like Bernie McGann and Allan Browne who had stayed on, but now it began to take its place on the world stage. There are some of the most lively and interesting jazz musos in the world here: bands like Women and Children First, The Catholics, Clarion Fracture Zone, The Necks and Wanderlust have made or are making great music and plenty of recordings. I've even seen a guy I knew in Adelaide, Carl Orr, playing guitar with Billy Cobham.

But Bodgie Dada tells a much wider story than the one seen through my eyes, even if it is a little skewed towards the big cities of Sydney and Melbourne. It's a lively tale from the Australian underground as one senses that jazz never really became mainstream here until the arrival of showmen like Vince Jones, Paul Grabowsky and James Morrison, and popular vocalists like Kate Ceberano. Loads of colour and black and white photos underscore my point about its serious rise to prominence and respect.

Ken Wilder was one of the leading book publishers in Australia until his retirement in 1984. His memoir, The Company You Keep is the only published record of the book publishing industry in Australia, which in the post Second World War years grew from a small activity, dominated by British interests, to the thriving, creative source of original writing that it has now become. Ken Wilder's book is full of anecdotes of a life with books and writers and artists, many of whom have made an impact on the entire English speaking world. Essential reading for all who care about books and literature. Ken Wilder also recounts his part in the long and bitter struggle against Rupert Murdoch's takeover of William Collins, then the largest general book publisher in Britain and the British Commonwealth.

In 1994, evidence pointed towards Ron Glaze killing his wife Norma. However, Ron vanishes into the night until several years later Inspector Scobie Malone learns that Ron is hiding in the bush town of Collamundra. Scobie travels from Sydney and arrests Ron for killing his wife. At the same time, Scobie heads an investigation into the kidnap-murder of five year old Lucybelle Vanheusen, a child model. A bit shaken by the little girl's death, Scobie, also a father soon learns the Australian child celebrity did not live quite the idyllic life her fame and fortune would lead one to believe.

If that is not enough to keep Scobie busy, he receives a tip that the prosecutor in the Glazer case young hotshot Tim Pierpont may be the real murderer of Norma. As Scobie begins to investigate Tim, he wonders where that will take him, especially since the potential perpetrator is popular and wealthy.

The sixteenth Scobie Malone novel provides the audience with a deep look into modern day Australia on the verge of the Olympics. The multiple story lines blend together due to Scobie remaining a fresh character. However, the three mysteries seem to take a backseat to Mr. Cleary's nostalgic search for a simpler time in Australia. Still, the mysteries are all well written and the posturing about the path his country has recently traveled brings depth to the tale.

The author spends the first couple of chapters in the era prior to the 20th century, tracing the origins of communications and information processing technology to set the stage for the main part of this magnificent book. It is loaded with photographs and diagrams, with information ranging from minute details to the strategic impact of this evolution. I understand that the author has been involved in amateur radio (an early WWW!), electronics and computers, and with this experience manages to bring an integration of his subject matter that others would find hard to challenge.

I am a little biased as I served with the Author before he was " Dr. Tyquin " in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. I found this a great read and one that any Medic would enjoy and reflect that not a lot has changed in attitude since 1915. Mike has taken a very different approach to the reason we blew our venture into the Dardanelles. I feel he has very soundly researched this work and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, particularly as standard text to all Military Medical personnel, or interested parties. You won't be disappointed.

Why am I the first reviewer of this? It has been out for 9 years, and the author is one of Australia's best known historians.

Anyway, this book covers the immediate pre-Federation years to after the Great War. It is in these years that we see the concept jelling of an Australian nation. Fighting against the centrifugal trends from outlying colonies of Queensland and Western Australia. The Federation events themselves are shown to be fairly low key. Nothing really controversial.

It is the Great War that really cemented the national identity. The bloody episode of Gallipoli of course. But also the more costly battles on the Western Front. Unlike the US, Australia never fought a war of independence to establish its own identity. Instead, the Great War took its place.

Seal follows his opening quote "Think with the wise but talk with the vulgar". I found this book magnetic. I picked it up because it was relevant to my univesity degree, but it's content is also personally interesting and entertaining. This book is not for those who prefer their literature sanitised. Seal lists in detail Australianisms that underlie modern folklore, and swearing, profanity and a healthy disdain for authority are basic to that lore. Australian language is shown here to be so much more than English.