History

History

The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins by Peter FitzSimons

Reviewed by Ian Lipke There is a slight chance that someone has come across Peter FitzSimons’ writing for the first time with the publication of his latest book The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins. This is part of the book’s title, the remainder “Australia’s Greatest Explorer” I find an unconscionable thing to write. FitzSimons is

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History

Twelve Caesars by Mary Beard

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Everybody knows what Julius Caesar, Caligula and Nero, to name just a few Roman emperors, looked like. We’ve all seen sculptures of them, some created by well-known artists. They’ve all been on television. Of course, we know what they look like.  Mary Beard, variously a leading classicist and cultural commentator, a

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History

Vice-Regal by Philip Payton

Review by Richard Tutin The Governors of our Australian states are often regarded as mysterious beings. After all, what do they do? What is their purpose? Philip Payton has taken up the challenge of demystifying state governors through this history of the Governors of South Australia. Though he focuses on only one state he does,

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History

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea by Michael Veitch

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders A 1943 US short film entitled “Bismarck Sea Victory!” is an object lesson in not letting the facts interfere with a good story. Comparing it to Michael Veitch’s written version of the same battle is the perfect advertisement for why we still read books. The battle took place in March 1943

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History

Too Much Cabbage and Jesus Christ by Catherine Bishop

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The arresting title of this book comes from a 1928 account of an Aboriginal job applicant who had ‘escaped’ from Annie Lock’s mission because there was ‘too much Jesus Christ and cabbage.’ This is an indication of how cautious one must be in examining Annie Lock’s work in the missions. Sources

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History

Tongerlongeter by Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements

Reviewed by Ian Lipke How easy it is to remain in ignorance or completely forget important events, incidents that happened in history that should never have been allowed to recede from our memories? Who can admit to knowing the details of the Black War of the late 1820s that scourged the southeast of Tasmania? I

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History

French Connection by Alexis Bergantz

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke When I first saw the cover of this book, I had no idea as to the narrative that would be revealed. The cover depicts the painting Down on his Luck by Australian artist Fredrick McCubbin which has superimposed on it, Jean-Honore Fragonard’s The Swing, one of the best-known pieces of what

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History

I Alone Can Fix It by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker

Reviewed by Ian Lipke I Alone Can Fix It is a monumental work that heralds the final year in the presidency of Donald J. Trump. It is a descriptive, but also clinical, probe into a president that nobody can really understand even today after millions of words have been spoken or written. This is a

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History

The Address Book by Deirdre Mask

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Have you ever wondered about the origin of your address? How did your street, road, lane or crescent receive its name and designation? Though I have lived at several different addresses over the years, I hadn’t given it much thought – until now. Deirdre Mask is responsible for this interest and

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History

Past Mistakes by David Mountain

Reviewed by Richard Tutin The line “History is written by the Victors” is often attributed to Winston Churchill though its origin is unknown. Even so, the reality of its meaning can often be highlighted when events are put under the spotlight of critical evaluation and interpretation. In recent times, the way history has been taught

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History

The Story of Australia by Don Watson

Reviewed by Gerard Healy Don Watson, of Paul Keating speechwriter fame, has updated his history book for the young (and the curious). By young, we are assuming around 11 to 14 years of age and, by curious, we mean anyone interested in Australian history. Watson published the original text in 1984 and there have been

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History

Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? by Peter Sutton and Keryn Walshe

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers is a sophisticated, academic attack on, if not a complete dismantling of, the arguments expressed by Bruce Pascoe in his Dark Emu publication of 2014. Pascoe argued that classical aboriginal society was more sophisticated than present society believed because the evidence showed that they were farming at a

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History

More Than Words by Pat Manser

Reviewed by Gerard Healy This is the interesting story of Australia’s own dictionary by former researcher Patricia Manser. She covers some fascinating territory from the original push to have a publication with a decidedly Australian flavour to the team of dedicated professionals who eventually brought it to light. Along the way are the linguistic byways

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History

The Light of Days by Judy Batalion

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve In the early 1940’s, when other eighteen-year-olds were enjoying life in London and New York, with movies, clothes and music, an incredibly courageous band of Jewish girls in Poland were fighting their Nazi oppressors. This book is a testament to them, starving, tortured, brave often brazen, they planned their resistance.  Their

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History

Return to Uluru by Mark McKenna

Reviewed by Ian Lipke It is such a pleasure to read a book that is beautifully presented while, at the same time, reaches the grand heights of scholarship. Written in the tradition of the Black is Beautiful movement (though not as crass and uncouth as the coverage on television), this book supplies an accurate portrayal

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