Reviewed by Ian Lipke Frederic Barbier’s book begins with an introduction into early media revolutions such as the Carolingian and then launches into the major foci of his text. He writes of pre-conditions for a new economy of the media which the book provided, the birth of a market for books, and then launches into

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Thomas M. Wilson has had a long-lasting affair with the south-western parts of Australia, defined loosely as those areas cut-off by a straight line from just south of Geraldton in the north to around Esperance in the south-east. Such an area is equivalent in size to a small European country. There

Reviewed by Jill Looking for intense, sustained mystery?  Here it is.  Peter May’s Coffin Road is a fitting title for a tale with twists and turns, blind corners and sometimes a dead end.  A man washes up on a beach, minus critical parts of his memory, but with enough remaining to find a ‘home’ that

Reviewed by Julie Kearney North Stradbroke Island, affectionately known to many as Straddie or Minjerribah, has been a favourite holiday destination for south-east Queenslanders since the nineteenth century, when it first began attracting boating parties to its shores. Long before that, of course, it was regularly visited by indigenous mainlanders for similar purposes as well

Reviewed by Julie Kearney The World Without Us, Mireille Juchau’s third novel, takes place in an unidentified part of northern New South Wales, in and around a country town whose residents include ex-members of The Hive, a hippy commune which was destroyed by a mysterious fire. The setting suggests a fictive Nimbin. Decades after the

Reviewed by Jill Stephanie Alexander’s passion for kitchen gardens is possibly best known through her programme in Australian primary schools.  That’s fifteen years of inspiring young gardeners to plan, cultivate, harvest, and enjoy.  Kitchen Garden Companion : Growing shows parents how they can capitalise on those school garden skills, or initiate a similar programme in

Reviewed by Jill Timothy Standring’s Wyeth : Andrew & Jamie in the studio is the superb catalogue which accompanied the Denver Art Museum’s 2015-2016 exhibition of the same name.  Through interviews with Jamie, with Wyeth models, and visits to the places significant to generations of the Wyeth family, particularly Andrews and son Jamie, we are