Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve This impressive and very readable version of the life of Henry V, one of England’s most celebrated monarchs, portrays a young man far from the rollicking, pleasure seeking Prince of Shakespeare’s plays. Dan Jones’s king is a fine leader, cool in his victories, and deeply religious. Upon his triumphant parade through
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Many of the names given to Australian places and topography after colonisation were those of English people. Today many of these are being replaced by their Aboriginal name. So, what is the story behind the non-English name Kosciuszko given to Australia’s highest peak? Anthony Sharwood, a Walkley award-winning journalist, has now
Reviewed by Richard Tutin The word “myth” has two meanings. One is that it is a sacred story that tells the origin of something while the other is a story that isn’t quite true even though it may have been based on fact. In exploring Australian war myths, Mark Dapin seems to hover between both
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Cleopatra has evoked many images and thoughts through the centuries. While it is the name of ancient Egypt’s greatest queen we forget, as Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones points out, that it is also the name of seven of her ancestors whose presence and actions form a large part the history of the Ptolemaic
Reviewed by Richard Tutin When we think of the wars of the twentieth century, some stand out such as the two World Wars and the war in Vietnam. There are though wars that are often left on the shelf as it were gathering dust and lost in the mists of time. The Korean War (1950-53)
Reviewed by Richard Tutin The mention of Italy conjures up many thoughts in our minds. It might be the food, the wine or the coffee. It could also be the days of the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. In amongst the reminiscences, there is often the question about the way in which this
Reviewed by Richard Tutin In a park in the City of Bendigo Victoria sits a small building that represents an enduring link within the annals of Australian history. I refer to the Joss House Temple that was opened in 1871 as a place of worship for the Chinese community who came to Bendigo in search
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Sister Viv is the latest novel written by Grantlee Kieza OAM. He held senior editorial positions at The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Courier-Mail for many years and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. He once said that Australian children were not being
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Many of us are familiar with the ‘Opium Wars’ that were waged in China by western Powers such as Britain and France between 1839 and 1860. What may be unfamiliar is the background to these skirmishes that ended with China having to allow the continued importation of opium and other goods
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke In December 2012 Bruce Munday first published the book Those Dry Stone Walls. It sold out four times and was reprinted with revisions. Those Dry Stone Walls is now out of print again. Wakefield Press and the author decided that rather than go to a fourth reprint a second edition should
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Readers of Karl Schlögel’s books could be forgiven for measuring them on an avoirdupois scale. The latest The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World is over 900 pages in length and deliberately draws the readers’ attention to spatial concepts with its strange title. Its saving grace rests with the author’s
Reviewed by Richard Tutin There is the thought that not much more can be said about the history of the Roman Empire. Mary Beard though breaks through this thought and has dug a little deeper to reveal more about the Emperors between Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) and Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Beard though
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The second volume of Zachary Gorman’s work is called The Menzies Watershed, a singularly appropriate title for the second of a research study which will eventually cover four volumes. Volume No. 1 focussed on Menzies’ career in 1884 – 1942 and covered the journey of a politician in his earliest years.
Reviewed by Richard Tutin History can be interesting when the right book comes along. All too often we are offered books that contain good facts but whose prose can be very dry and droll. We feel the need for a good story or two to liven things up. This is where Jim Haynes’ latest book
Reviewed by Richard Tutin History is fickle. Not only is it fickle, it is notoriously selective. It has been said that only the victors get to write it and that is largely true. Otto English has given us a provocative book. The stories he tells about ten characters from the pages of history may or