January 2010

The Mother of Mohammed B - Sally Neighbour

‘Extraordinary seems too mild an adjective for what Sally Neighbour has achieved.’ (- SUSAN HEWITT, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN, 16/01/2010). Read full review (0MB, )

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November 2009

The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective Parents - Jonathan Biggins

‘It is a genuine, laugh-out-loud trot through the joys, failings, problems and, most importantly, the statistics and hard facts attached to creating and raising a child up to the age of nine.’ (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 21/11/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

The Ashes 2009 - Gideon Haigh

‘It should serve as the last word on a fascinating struggle between the old adversaries.’ (PAUL AMY, STONNINGTON LEADER, 10/11/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

‘These articles stand on their own as incisive and seriously entertaining pieces, which taken together, make this one of the best cricket books we've seen this year.’ (INSIDE SPORT, 01/01/2010). Read full review (0.2MB, pdf)

So This Is Life - Anne Manne

‘This small book reaches into the heart of the Australian rural experience and sees it with subtlety and touching intelligence. It is a rarity – a book that is true, honest and resonates with the complexities of growing up and living in a small country t’ (BRUCE ELDER, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 16/12/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

Oceans - Andrew Dwyer

‘Dwyer takes the seafood lover on a voyage from making a proper fish stock to exploring everything from prawns to stingray to abalone and octopus with influences from a plethora of fish-eating countries.’ (NATASCHA MIROSCH, THE COURIER MAIL, 12/01/2010). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

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October 2009

The Great Crash of 2008 - Ross Garnaut with David Llewellyn-Smith

‘If you don't have a lot of time but want to get the crux of the great crash of 2008 you won't find a better short account than in this wide-ranging book.’ (PAUL MALONE, THE CANBERRA TIMES, 17/10/2009). Read full review (0.13MB, PDF)

Eating With Emperors - Jake Smith

‘This book is a highly entertaining and informative tour of many royal houses of Europe, and particularly of the unstinted opulence of their kitchens.’ (NOEL SHAW, LAUNCESTON EXAMINER, 10/10/2009). Read full review (0.09MB, PDF)

Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things - Juliet O'Conor

‘It's a stunning, heavily illustrated book which, collectively, reveals its own story.’ (SUNDAY AGE, 04/10/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

‘No book demonstrates the visual riches over time of Australian children's literature as well … Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things offers a treat worth savouring.’ (BELLE ALDERMAN, THE AGE, 16/01/2010). Read full review (0.1MB, pdf)

On The Run - Colin McLaren

‘McLaren cleverly uses his real-life experience to inform a thrilling piece of fiction.’ (GRAEME BLUNDELL, THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 07/11/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

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September 2009

March of the Patriots - Paul Kelly

‘This is one of the most revealing books so far written on contemporary history in Australia.’ (GEOFFREY BLAINEY, WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 28/09/2009). Read full review (0.14MB, pdf)

‘[Kelly] has woven this material into an excellent book which is surgical in the analysis of the tumultuous politics of the period. He combines a fascinating narrative and an analysis of contemporary politics.’ (DEAN JAENSCH, ADELAIDE ADVERTISER, 17/10/2009). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

‘This project is marked by the sheer scale of its research, the sustained momentum of the narrative, the clarity of the analysis and the confident authority of the insider.’ (PAUL SHEEHAN, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 27/10/2009). Read full review (0.1MB, pdf)

Living Large - Harold Mitchell

‘[Mitchell's] book is a solid brick in the wall of what will eventually be the definitive history of television in Australia.’ (VALERIE LAWSON, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 31/10/2009). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

Dangerous to Know - James Morton and Susanna Lobez

‘… all the usual, and unusual, suspects feature—and the book is bang up-to-date with the latest bad boys.’ (WINSOR DOBBIN, SUN HERALD, 16/11/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

Australia's Remarkable Trees - Richard Allen

‘People who choose this book for themselves will hardly need to be reminded of either the value or vulnerability of trees. But they will enjoy the striking photographs of Australia's tallest, oldest, most historically significant and oddest trees.’ (THE AGE, 12/09/2009). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

Apply Within - Michaela McGuire

‘As well as being as funny as a crutch, McGuire's book, which was lifted from her blog, will reassure readers that they're not going mad. Yes, there are some really weird things that happen out there in the workforce, you just have to try to laugh.’ (DIANNE DEMPSEY, THE AGE, 19/09/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

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August 2009

Beersheba - Paul Daley

‘This is an important book, telling a complex story … Journalism can, on occasions, do a better job than history.’ (MICHAEL MCKERNAN, THE AGE, 12/09/2009). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

‘Daley's impeccable research coupled with his journalist's nose and an ability to walk the battlefields and bring to life the sights and sounds of an inhospitable quarter of the Negev Desert … make for a wonderfully compelling read.’ (IAN MCPHEDRAN - COURIER MAIL, 08/08/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

Battlelines - Tony Abbott

‘This is a genuine attempt to reassess Liberalism in contemporary Australia from the point of view of a vigorous, genuine social conservative who demonstrates an understanding of politics as a contest of ideas, not just of wills and sound bites.’ (SHAUN CARNEY -THE AGE, 28/09/2009). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

‘One of Abbott's key characteristics is an often disarming frankness … Perhaps this is why Abbott's lively political and personal manifesto compares favourably with Kevin Rudd's recent essays, which have been duller than dishwater. Dull Abbott isn't.’ (ROSS FITZGERALD - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 08/08/2009). Read full review (0.08MB, pdf)

Gough Whitlam - Jenny Hocking

‘Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History is a magnificent biography that illuminates the path that took one man to power.’ (DAILY NEWS, 26/09/2009). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

Henry Loves Jazz - Stephen Lacey

‘Lacey doesn't gloss over his sometimes fractious relationships with his parents and his wife, which adds to the reality and validity of the book. Henry Loves Jazz will appeal to men who want a heads-up on what could happen when their partners are pregnant’ (BOOKSELLER AND PUBLISHER, 01/08/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

‘As the book alternates between his experiences as father and child, Lacey confronts and ultimately reconciles the two with humour and poignancy.’ (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 16/08/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

This Restless Life - Brigid Delaney

‘Echoing an Alain de Botton investigation … Delaney's excavation into project self’ – and the churning it entails -is an entertaining and insightful read.’ (ROBYN DOREIAN - SUN HERALD, 11/10/2009). Read full review (0.13MB, pdf)

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July 2009

Kings Way - Duro Cubrilo, Martin Harvey and Karl Stamer

‘Is graffiti art? Kings Way will convince you it is. This impressive new hardback, written and documented by former graffiti ... writers examines the powerful and expressive subculture that evolved in Melbourne two decades ago.’ (CORRIE PERKIN - WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 11/07/2009). Read full review (0.34MB, pdf)

‘If you have ever been impressed by books like Subway Art, this book goes far and beyond. … this book is the biggest, brightest and best tribute to Graffiti ever published.’ (STEPHEN FORDE - BEAT MAGAZINE, 31/12/1969). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

Don't Forget Me, Cobber - Robin S Corfield

‘Although it is impossible to understand any battle without walking the ground, Corfield comes close to making it possible.’ (THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 11/07/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

The Lost Mother - Anne Summers

‘many threads to follow in this multi-faceted story, including that of Constance Stokes, once a famous Australian artist, but now largely forgotten. … Summers skilfully keeps these threads together to produce an original, moving, absorbing narrative.’ (SUE BOND - BOOKSELLER AND PUBLISHER MAGAZINE, 01/07/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

‘The book that has resulted from this journey is richly layered, excitingly paced, and so full of amazing coincidence that, if it weren't for the research that went into it, you might well wonder if it hadn't written itself.’ (SARAH DOWSE - CANBERRA TIMES, 18/07/2009). Read full review (0.11MB, pdf)

Killing - Jeff Sparrow

‘What keeps the reader on board for this confronting journey, apart from Sparrow's ability to bring these characters to life on the page, is his candour and honesty in revealing his very human and humane reactions towards and doubts about killing.’ (PETER KIRKWOOD - THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 18/07/2009). Read full review (0.1MB, pdf)

‘Dark and, at times, unsettling, Killing confidently approaches the most unapproachable of topics. Sparrow's intuitive ability as a storyteller makes it not only accessible but also deeply affecting.’ (PETER TAGGART - THE BIG ISSUE, 28/07/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

The Politics of Suffering - Peter Sutton

‘In the often-tortuous terrain of indigenous politics, Peter Sutton is a myth-buster.’ (RUSSELL SKELTON - THE AGE, 11/07/2009). Read full review (1.83MB, pdf)

‘ I expect that this book will become the yardstick by which most recent critiques of indigenous affairs policy and what comes out on the subject over the next decade will be judged.’ (CHRISTOPHER PEARSON - THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 18/07/2009). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

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June 2009

Judy Watson - Judy Watson

‘Seductively beautiful art, with political punch.’ (SASHA GRISHIN - CANBERRA TIMES, 11/07/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

Possession - Bain Attwood

‘His [Atwood's] fascinating book explores one of the most persuasive and long-lasting myths in the history of Australian colonization.’ (ROBERT COX - HOBART MERCURY , 11/07/2009). Read full review (0.1MB, pdf)

‘Atwood has worked assiduously to unearth an extraordinary range of archival data, and presents it clearly.’ (PHILIP JONES - WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 27/06/2009). Read full review (0.21MB, pdf)

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May 2009

Infiltration - Colin McLaren

‘Memoir and true crime readers will applaud the amalgamation of these two genres in this interesting, detailed narrative.’ (ANASTASIA GONIS - AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/06/2009). Read full review (0.68MB, pdf)

‘chilling and fascinating...It's a riveting read’ (KEITH MOOR - HERALD SUN, 23/05/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

The Mother of Mohammed - Sally Neighbour

‘In this meticulously researched account, author Sally Neighbour makes no judgments about Rabiah's decisions. The reader is left to admire Hutchinson's combative determination, but equally be horrified at the risks she took and her naive interpretation of ’ (HERALD SUN, 06/06/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

Little Books on Big Themes - Series

‘Every member of this quintet is a fine player on the eluctable instrument of meaning, each one a stylist who evokes a distinctive emotional and intellectual response ... This latest series perpetuates a publishing phenomenon that deserves to run and run.’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

On Beauty - Susan Johnson

‘This [beauty] is a very promising subject and she [Susan Johnson] tackles it with wit and honesty.’ (RICHARD KING - AGE, 27/06/2009). Read full review (0.08MB, pdf)

‘Artfully balancing the subjective eye-of-the-beholder view with some scientific findings on the attractiveness of symmetry.’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

On Doubt - Leigh Sales

‘This is a concise, informed addition to the MUP series that casts the capacity to doubt as the basis for constructive inquiry.’ (STEVEN CARROLL - AGE, 06/06/2009). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

‘Sales writes as she appears on TV: her obvious curiosity about the world sharpened by a guilelessness that provides the perfect antidote to cynicism.’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

On Humbug - Robert Dessaix

‘Robert Dessaix...exhibit[s] a lyrical majesty’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

On Privilege - Julian Burnside

‘His [Julian Burnside's] writing is precise and fluent, and at its best making an astute, if often overlooked, point. He invites us to regard privilege 'from above and below,' stereoscopically.’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

On Resilience - Elisabeth Wynhausen

‘... she [Wynhausen] has given us a paean of love, a potted biography and a meditation on this admirable but neglected trait.’ (KEN HALLEY - CANBERRA TIMES, 13/06/2009). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

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April 2009

Gardens of Eden - Holly Kerr Forsyth

‘More than 50 gardens are presented with Kerr Forsyth's characteristic passion, meticulous research and elegant writing.’ (WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 16/05/2009). Read full review (0.04MB, PDF)

Best Political Writing 2009 - Jay Daniel Thompson

‘The Best Australian Political Writing 2009 is an engaging and comprehensive overview of the political year.’ (JAY DANIEL THOMPSON -AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW, 01/05/2009). Read full review (1.24MB, pdf)

My Kid is Back - June Alexander with Professor Daniel le Grange

‘My Kid Is Back is highly readable; a book to place in the hands of parents needing guidance and hope, and of any layperson wanting to understand anorexia.’ (NICOLA ROBINSON - AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/04/2009). Read full review (1.49MB, pdf)

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March 2009

The Sex Diaries - Bettina Arndt

‘There's much more between the covers than 'Just Do It'.’ (JACQUELINE LUNN, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 23/03/2009). Read full review (0.08MB, pdf)

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February 2009

On Our Watch - Nicola Markus

‘...thoroughly researched and passionately written book’ (CAMPUS REVIEW, 03/02/2009). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

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January 2009

After the Celebration - Ken Gelder and Paul Salzman

‘This book is an academic text which remains pleasantly accessible. An enjoyable and informative read...’ (BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/12/2008). Read full review (0.19MB, pdf)

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December 2008

Murdoch's Flagship - Denis Cryle

‘Cryle, a respected media historian, provides a necessary corrective to the self-mythologising within Murdoch's publications about his seemingly inevitable rise.’ (MATTHEW RICKETSON - THE AGE ONLINE, 28/01/2009). Read full review (0.01MB, pdf)

Education, Science and Public Policy - Simon Marginson and Richard James

‘We can be very glad we have Education, Science and Public Policy in any form. It is a collection of papers previously delivered as a series of public seminars at Melbourne University. Each is, in its own way and right, a valuable contribution to the...’ (AUSTRALIAN EDUCATOR, 01/03/2009). Read full review (0.69MB, pdf)

The Best Australian Humorous Writing - Andrew O’Keefe and Steve Vizard

‘If you spot someone on the tram howling with outrage or delight, they're probably reading this anthology’ (THE AGE, 06/12/2008). Read full review (0.05MB, pdf)

‘There's rib-tickling stuff here for everyone in this brilliant and wonderfully thought- provoking volume’ (BENDIGO ADVERTISER, 21/02/2009). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

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November 2008

Gough Whitlam - Jenny Hocking

‘This is the first installment in what shapes up to be the best Australian political biography in decades’ (ADELAIDE ADVERTISER , 17/11/2008). Read full review (0.1MB, pdf)

‘This authoritative, illuminating biography takes an original approach to the life of one of our best-remembered prime ministers ...and a resounding Australian icon. There have been many books about the Whitlam legacy over the years… but few have pla’ (WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 08/12/2008). Read full review (0.11MB, pdf)

First Australians - Rachel Perkins and Marcia Langton

‘...a dazzling, absorbing piece of work’ (COURIER MAIL, 11/10/2008). Read full review (0.11MB, pdf)

‘A great perspective into a rich and colourful history Australians today are widely unfamiliar with’ (INSIDE FILM, 23/02/2009). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

Inside Out - Gideon Haigh

‘Haigh's passion and humour rubs off on every page of Inside Out, a collection that goes beyond the game and its players to cricketing culture at large - from the mythology of the baggy green cap to the future of club cricket’ (THE AGE, 02/03/2009). Read full review (0.05MB, pdf)

‘This collection skilfully blends his sense of the straightforward with his customary and razor-sharp wit and nsight. Inside Out is the must-have cricket book’ (AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/09/2008). Read full review (0.08MB, pdf)

Graham Kennedy Treasures - Mike McColl Jones

‘For nearly 20 years he worked as Kennedy's writer, churning out gags, scripts and ideas, and as such he brings to the Kennedy story an insight into the art of comedy’ (BENDIGO ADVERTISER, 10/01/2009). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

‘The book features at least 300 photographs, scripts, letters, reviews and everyday clutter from a life lived in full.’ (SUNDAY EXAMINER, 21/12/2008). Read full review (0.13MB, pdf)

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October 2008

The Many Lives of Kenneth Myer - Sue Ebury

‘If Shane Warne is worth a musical, then Ken Myer is definitely worth 600 pages on the library shelf’ (CANBERRA TIMES, 20/12/2008). Read full review (0.12MB, pdf)

‘With unprecedented access to family documents Sue Ebury paints a vivid portrait of the many aspects of Ken Myer's life and the man himself’ (MIRROR , 29/12/2008). Read full review (0.05MB, pdf)

Great Australian Sporting Moments - Michael Roberts

‘...In a word: Gold...’ (GOLD COAST BULLETIN, 01/11/2008). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

‘This book gives all of us the chance to relive the very best that Australian sport has offered - and remind ourselves that we have good reasons for being a nation of sportslovers’ (THE LAKES POST, 22/10/2008). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

The Costello Memoirs - Peter Costello and Peter Coleman

‘The Costello Memoirs is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in contemporary politics in Australia...the themes explored give the reader a good insight into the thinking of the nation's longest serving treasurer on a wide variety of topics.’ (THE AUSTRALIAN LITERARY REVIEW, 01/10/2008). Read full review (0.18MB, pdf)

‘...Costello tells a good story. Don't pass up the chance because you think you know it already...’ (CANBERRA TIMES, 18/10/2008). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

On Digestion - Gay Bilson

‘...an enjoyably rambling read...’ (THE AUSTRALIAN, 27/09/2008). Read full review (0.05MB, pdf)

‘...[an] elegant and subtle essay...’ (THE AGE, 08/11/2008). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

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September 2008

Private Lives - Peter Timms

‘...finely written and beautifully illustrated...’ (THE AGE, 27/09/2008). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

Outback Cooking - Andrew Dwyers

‘Camping just became so much more appealing...’ (THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, 23/08/2008). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

The Blogging Revolution - Antony Loewenstein

‘This is a well-researched and engaging examination of private revolt by those unable to express themselves in public...’ (THE AGE, 20/09/2008). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

‘****’ (AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/08/2008). Read full review (0.13MB, pdf)

Distraction - Damon Young

‘This author makes 'dancing' with the philosophic and artistic masters possible and enjoyable even though one may be tone-deaf to the music and not know the steps.’ (AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/08/2008). Read full review (0.11MB, pdf)

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August 2008

Blood & Tinsel - Jim Sharman

‘Poetic and personal...endearing...absorbing entertainment.’ (AUSTRALIAN BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER, 01/06/2008). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

‘a frank, engaging history’ (AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW, 01/10/2008). Read full review (0.17MB, pdf)

‘...this memoir - several cuts above the usual - presents his bold take on the world in lively, colourful prose...’ (THE AGE, 30/08/2008). Read full review (0.21MB, pdf)

‘...a richly nuanced selfportrait that celebrates success. confronts demons and probes the wellsprings of creativity.’ (THE HERALD SUN, 02/08/2008). Read full review (0.09MB, pdf)

Howard’s End - Peter van Onselen and Philip Senior

‘...best post election analysis of its kind in many years...’ (THE COURIER MAIL, 09/08/2008). Read full review (0.18MB, pdf)

Inside Kevin07 - Christine Jackman

‘...[a] fascinating insight into the modus operandi of political operators...’ (THE CANBERRA TIMES, 26/07/2008). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

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July 2008

Measured Success - Paul Komesaroff

‘The book is providing a fascinating read and I recommend it to anyone who is engaged in the innovation debate that is the focus of national attention and where IP fits into the equation.’ (BEN ROXBOROUGH - IPROO, 17/07/2008). Read full review (0.02MB, pdf)

‘Cebon's book is an interesting and insightful view into an area that has been much more talked about than studied; the cases and frameworks are likely to find their way into many future analyses of the state of innovation in Australia.’ (MICHAEL VITALE - AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, 01/12/2008). Read full review (0.02MB, pdf)

Experiments in Love and Death - Paul Komesaroff

‘In this book, we are offered careful, detailed, sensitive accounts of a series of particular clinical encounters. The cases make interesting reading. And they have more potential to deepen our ethical understanding than does any amount of talk of maximizi’ (B. TOBIN - INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, 01/02/2009). Read full review (0.06MB, pdf)

The Anthology of Colonial Australian Crime Fiction - Ken Gelder and Rachael Weaver

‘...strange, unsettled, disquietening...’ (THE CANBERRA TIMES, 02/08/2008). Read full review (0.15MB, pdf)

Running the Show - Patrick Morgan

‘...Victorian academic Patrick Morgan has added much to what is known about this tumultuous era...’ (THE COURIER MAIL, 16/08/2008). Read full review (0.07MB, pdf)

Jon Cattapan: Possible Histories - Chris McCauliffe

‘...[a] cogent and accessible analysis...’ (THE AGE, 16/08/2008). Read full review (0.13MB, pdf)

‘This book should be purchased and read because it is about a major artist, is penned by an important writer, and is an exciting artefact in its own right.’ (ARTLINK VOL. 28, 01/09/2008). Read full review (0.7MB, pdf)

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May 2008

Political Tourist - Sheila Fitzpatrick and Carolyn Rasmussen

‘Political Tourists is a welcome addition to the literature and will prove engaging for other historians entering the historiographical debates over the Soviet Union and its relationship with domestic Communist Parties.’ (FJHP, 31/01/2009). Read full review (0.03MB, pdf)

‘its contributors approach old controversies in a fresh, nuanced fashion.’ (ROBERT MCARTHUR - JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN STUDIES, 31/12/2008). Read full review (0.04MB, pdf)

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