The HTAV receives books and other educational materials on a regular basis for the purpose of reviewing in Agora. We are always looking for teachers willing to offer their services as reviewers of these resources. If you are interested in reviewing on of the titles listed here please contact Ali Edmonds at a.edmonds@htav.asn.au. Of course, all our reviewers are invited to keep books reviewed with our compliments.

Writing your review
Reviews should be between 500 and 1500 words long and be submitted to Ali Edmonds in Word format within about two months of receiving the book. We invite reviews of titles in a variety of formats (e.g. textbooks, novels, journals, picture books, audio-visual materials) and on a range of historical subjects.

Reviewers should identify the book's title, author, publisher, year of publication, no. of pages and retail price. They should give a brief summary of the overall content and then focus on specific aspects, discussing the quality and usefulness of the written content and the images/illustrations; where applicable, classroom application of the material should be stated. Reviewers are expected to comment on the strengths and limitations of the title while maintaining a respectful tone at all times. They should cite specific examples from the work and comment on the merits of the work as a whole. Contributors with close links to institutions or companies should avoid reviewing titles published by these bodies.

The HTAV endeavours to publish all reviews received in their original form. However, we reserve the right to edit or reject submissions, or hold items over for later publication.

TITLES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW

On Dangerous Ground: A Gallipoli Story
Bruce Scates
UWA Publishing, 2012
In 1915 Lt Roy Irwin goes missing at Gallipoli. The young woman who loves him and the men who fought beside him begin their search. In 1919, historian CEW Bean returns to Anzac with artist George Lambert and soldier Harry Vickers to solves the greatest mystery of the campaign, to discover Gallipoli's secret. Forward to 2015, and Dr Mark Troy's quest to preserve the peninsula from roadworks is sidetracked by political intervention and diplomatic intrigue. But flirtation with a dynamic young woman from Army Intelligence uncovers long-forgotten documents protecting Gallipoli's graves. Eagerly awaited, one of Australia's leading war historians uses fact and fiction to recreate the most dramatic moments of the Gallipoli campaign.

WONDER (book and teaching support kit)
R.J. Palacio
Random House 2012
WONDER is the funny, sweet and incredibly moving story of Auggie Pullman. Born with a terrible facial deformity, this shy, bright ten-year-old has been home-schooled by his parents for his whole like, in an attempt to protect him from the stares and cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, Auggie is being send to a real school - and he's dreading it. The thing is, Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? Through the voices of Auggie, his big sister Via, and his new friends Jack and Summer, WONDER follows Auggie's journey through his first year at Beecher Prep. Frank, powerful, warm and often heart-breaking, WONDER is a book you'll read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

Humanities Alive 7 Transition Pack
Robert Darling and John Hospodaryk
John Wiley and Sons/Jacaranda, 2012
Three texts on the Australian Curriculum including History Alive 7 for the Australian Curriculum plus FREE workbook; Humanities Alive 7 Economics and Citizenship; Humanities Alive 7 Geography.

Aussie Notables: John Flynn
Allan Drummond
Green Barrow Publishing, 2011
Hello there! I'm John Flynn, one of the ten Aussie Notables on the Australian bank notes. Do you know about the other nine? Do you know much about us? Not to worry. Have a good read of this and you'll know quite a lot more about me, anyway. And then keep your eyes open for other book in the Aussie Notables series. My famous friends and I look forward to meeting you.

A History of Australia
Mark Peel and Christina Twomey
Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
A story of Australia, and its place in the world, is one shaped by the movement and mobility of people. A History of Australia brings to life the ideas, hopes and journeys of Australians both past and present: from the very first settlers thousands of years ago to the great migrations of recent centuries, and to those living within the more anxiously controlled borders of the present day. Drawing on political debate, official reports, intellectual discussion and popular culture, it weaves together a vivid, multi-dimensional history that frames key cultural, social, political and economic events and issues against the wider global content. Comprehensive in both its chronological and geographical reach, this is essential reading for all those seeking an authoritative and engaging overview of Australian history.

Digger's Code
Marion & Steve Isham
Bandicoot Books, 2011
What Ben finds in Great Grandad's diary ignites a quest for treasure with a trial of clues, hints of sinister intrigue and a race against apparent villains. Digger's Code celebrates Israel's ANZAC links and twelve places no young adventurer would want to miss.

A Tale of Ambition and Unrealised Hope: John Montagu and Sir John Franklin
Craig R Joel
Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2011
When Sir John Franklin, polar hero and explorer, succeeded George Arthur as the governor of Van Diemen's Land in January 1837, there was an expectation among some of the colonists that the old, autocratic bureaucracy would be replaced by a more liberal regime. Franklin was, however, inexperienced in penal and colonial affairs; he could easily evade the advice of Arthur's close officials, the 'faction' to their critics. A 'change of men and measures' was not forthcoming, and Franklin relied on Arthur's favourites to administer the penal establishment. Against a 'backdrop which ranges from London to Hobart, from the imperial metropolis to the colonial frontier, from the empire's hub to its rim', Craig Joel tells how a civil servant came to usurp Franklin's authority in his desire to curry favour with British ministers, and the process profoundly affected the political development of the colony.

Me and Phar Lap (book)
As told to Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky
Slattery Media Group, 2011
Tommy Woodcock is known as the man who loved Phar Lap, but be was much more than the rock on which the champion racehorse built his incomparable legend. 'Fancy a lucky little fella like me looking after the best horse in the world', Tommy told storyteller Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky. Luck is only part of the story - without thrusting himself into the limelight, Tommy, also a storyteller, had a half-century of success as a trainer.

Me and Phar Lap: The Tommy Woodcock Tapes (audio discs)
Jan Wositzky
Story Teller's Guide to World, 2011
A set of interviews detailing Tommy Woodcock's life, from 1905, as a boy learning to ride up-country, to the flood that ended his six-decade career in racing, to his work with two legendary horses, Phar Lap and Reckless. Recorded on a farm in country Victoria in 1984, in the last year of Tommy's life, The Tommy Woodcock Tapes are heartfelt, humorous, sad and dramatic. With linking narration and music from Jan 'Yarn' Wositzky, plus a handsome package of track notes and photos, this is a treasure for Tommy fans, and those who love a good story.

Oxford Big Ideas: Australian Curriculum History 7
Maggy Saladais, Tony Taylor, Carmel Young
Oxford University Press, 2011
Oxford Big Ideas History is an innovative suite of resources completely aligned to the Australian Curriculum: History. Based on a big ideas framework, the pedagogy enables students to develop deep, transferable understandings and skills.

Men of Mont St Quentin
Peter Stanley
Scribe, 2009
At exactly 1.30pm on 1 September 1918, the dozen men of Nine Platoon, 21st Australian Infantry Battalion, rose from Elsa Trench and walked across a weedy beet-field towards the German defenders of Mont St Quentin. Within hours, three were dead and five more were wounded, one of whom died six weeks later. The survivors returned from war, more or less intact, to live through the next sixty-odd years in the shadow of that traumatic event.

Gunnedah Hero
Clancy Tucker
Clancy Tucker Publishing
Fourteen-year-old Gunnedah 'Gunnie' Danson has a 500-word assignment on drought. His late grandfather has left him a box containing a manuscript. It's been written by Cunnie's great-great-grandfather, Smokey 'Gun' Danson after his journey up the long paddock during a harsh drought as a fourteen-year-old drover in 1910. At the back of the manuscript is an envelope. It's NOT to be opened until Gunnie has read the entire story. Gunnie spends the weekend at Wiralee Station; a cattle station that's been in the family since 1848. There, he reads the awesome manuscript and learns of Smokey's adventurous journey. Gunnie overhears several secretive conversations. His snobby Aunty Kate wants to divorce his uncle and sell Wiralee Station. He finishes the manuscript and opens the mysterious envelope. Will it legally prevent his aunt from selling Wiralee Station?

Celebrating Civics and Citizenship: Making History (DVD)
Discovering Democracy Conference May 2004
Australian Government Department of Education, Science & Training
Celebrating Civics, Citizenship and Making History contains highlights of the Discovering Democracy Conference 2004. It is a professional development tool to enlighten, inspire and encourage.

Australia's Airlines: How the skies were conquered
Samuel Brimson
Trocadero Publishing, 2011
The vast open spaces of Australia may never have been conquered without the aeroplane. This is the story of the visionaries and daredevils who put their money and their lives on the line in pursuit of the dream of air travel. They built Australian's airline industry to link the nation, to defy geography and develop communication unknown to earlier generations. We see the rise of icons such as Qantas, of monoliths such as ANA, upstarts like Ansett, Guinea, BAT and MMA, and the ground-breaking innovations of TAA. All these are driven by names such as Fysh, McGinness, Brearley, Holyman, Levien, Robinson, Ansett, Butler, Miller, and the team that created TAA. It is the story of aircraft: the wire and wood of the DH.9 and DH.86, the great flying boats, the ever-faithful DC-3, the prestigious Super Constellation, the revolutionary Viscount, the globe-spanning 707 jet, and the 747 that ushered in the era of mass travel. Australia's airlines - the force that linked the nation.

Constructing Patriotism: Teaching history and memories in global worlds
Mario Carretero
Information Age Publishing, 2011
Memory construction and national identity are key issues in our societies, as well as patriotism. How can we today believe and give sense to traditional narrations that explain the origins of nations and communities? How do these narrations function in a process of globalisation? How should we remember the recent past? In the construction of collective memory, no doubt history taught at school plays a fundamental role, as childhood and adolescence are periods in life in which the identity seeds flourish vigorously. This book analyses how history is far more than pure historical contents given in a subject matter; it studies the situation of school history in different countries such as the former USSR, United States, Germany, Japan, Spain and Mexico, making sensible comparisons and achieving global conclusions. The empirical part is based on students interviews about school patriotic rituals, very close to the teaching of history, specifically carried out in Argentina but very similar to these rituals in other countries. The authors analyse in which ways historical knowledge is understood by students and its influence on the construction of patriotism. This book - aside from making a major contribution to the cultural psychology field - should be of direct interest and relevance to all people interested in the ways education succeeds in its variable functions.

The Lure of Russia
Gail Ford
Citrus Press, 2010
Over twenty years, Gail Ford and her travel groups (including students) visited Russia during times of momentous change. With her unique experiences, Gail looks at the cultural heart that is the soul of Russia, formed through its history of conflict and hardship, and at the Russia that has emerged. Much more than a travelogue, this book examines the history, heritage and humanity of Russia. Includes maps, photographs and diagrams.

Not Dark Yet
David Walker
Giramondo Publishing, 2011
In Not Dark Yet, written after the collapse of his eyesight due to macular degeneration, the distinguished cultural historian David Walker reflects on his own relation to the past, and that of his family over five generations, from the settlement of his great-great grandparents in South Australia in the 1850s. Drawing upon photographs, family stories and historical documents, Walker recreates his forebears, resolute middle class people whose unassuming lives express the big themes of Australian culture: enterprise, self-sufficiency, tolerance, curiosity and civic duty. There are darker forces at work, especially in the chapters devoted to war, but they are balanced by Walker's humour, which delights in the eccentricities of character, and the power of ordinary things, like a large onion, the family Vanguard or a game of water polo, to define a period or the country itself.

A Penny in Time
Anna Bartlett
Interactive Publications, 2011
When Yared is left at his nanna's for a week he feels like running away. He wants to be in his own room, with his football cards and his Batman doona, not in the spare room at his nanna's with its blue flowery bedspread and the bookshelf full of old-fashioned girls' adventure stories. He wants his own parents, not his brisk, stern nanna. But then Yared stumbles upon a box of old coins in his nanna's bedroom and things begin to change. Worlds open up before him and lives are linked across the decades as Yared discovers truths he never knew about history, love and belonging.

Achieve! History - The Vikings
Blake Education, 2011
Blake Education is seeking a history teacher to review a 64-page manuscript called Achieve! History – The Vikings. The title has been written for the Australian Curriculum (Year 8). It covers a variety of topics including social hierarchy, religion, farming, raiding, significance of the sea, trade and expansion. The title forms part of the highly successful Achieve! series designed for secondary students with low-level literacy skills. It features a range of photocopiable work sheets that are used for supplementary material, revision or homework. This is a paid role. Please contact lisa@vea.com.au for more details.

Aussie Notables: Mary Reibey
By Allan Drummond and Glenn Lumsden
Green Barrow Publishing, 2011
Hello there! I'm Mary Reibey, one of the eight Aussie Notables on the Australian bank notes. Do you know the other seven? Do you know much about us? Not to worry. Have a good read of this and you'll know quite a lot more about me, anyway. And then keep your eyes open for other books in the Aussie Notables series. My famous friends and I look forward to meeting you.

A Great Risk in a Good Cause: Australians in Greece and Crete April-May 1941
Dr Richard Reid
Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2001
This book brings new light to events that took place seventy years ago but are not dimmed for those in whose country the battles were fought. The Greek and Cretan people remember with fondness those Australians who came to their aid in 1941. While the narrative and images in this book set out the historical context, it is the anecdotes and excerpts from diaries and letters that add a personal dimension and provide important insights.

Hard Jacka
Michael Lawriwsky
Mira Books, 2008
Michael Lawriwsky's insightful book breathes life into the real man behind the legend. Jacka's acts of selfless heroism at Gallipoli would win him a VC and his bravery in the battlefields of France would win him the unswerving loyalty of his mates. A rich and fascinating story about Albert Jacka and the Great War, its heroes and anti-heroes, their sacrifice, determination and larrikin humour.

Resisting the Enemy
Lorraine Campbell
Brolga Publishing, 2010
The story of Valentine de Valliant, known as Valli stretches from the beaches of Australia to the Occupation of France. From the moment Valli join a Resistance group in Lyon, she engages in a series of dangerous clandestine activities that at any moment could lead to arrest by the dreaded Gestapo. When she finds herself becoming attracted to a German officer, her world is thrown into turmoil. Resisting the Enemy is a thrilling story of conflict, danger and passion. A love between enemies that seems impossibly doomed. It is also about music and opera, the enduring bonds of friendship, and the life and death choices one makes in a time of war.

Aussie Notables: Henry Parkes
Allan Drummond and Glenn Lumsden
Green Barrow Publishing 2010
Hello there! I'm Henry Parkes. I was one of the Aussie Notables on the Australian bank notes from 2001 to 2010. Do you know the characters who are still on the notes? Not to worry. Have a good read of this and you'll know quite a lot more about me, anyway. And then keep your eyes open for other books in the Aussie Notables series. My famous friends and I look forward to meeting you.

Among Us (DVD)
Richard Frankland (Dir.)
Golden Seahorse Productions and Connecting Home, 2010
Since the colonisation of Victoria in the 1830s, many Aboriginal children have been removed from family, land, language and culture. They were placed in foster homes and institutions, and adopted into non-Indigenous families. In 2009, members of the Stolen Generations in Victoria returned to Ballarat, to visit the institutions in which they were placed. This is their story, told in their own words, captured by acclaimed filmmaker Richard Frankland.

Wrong Side of the Bus (DVD)
Rod Freedman
Ronin Films, 2010
An internationally recognised professor of psychiatry from Melbourne, Sidney Bloch returns to Cape Town for his medical school reunion. He is accompanied on his quest for reconciliation by his son, Aaron, who is also his harshest critic. Sid has suffered from a troubled conscience for forty years and wants to resolve his guilt – but what will it take to free him from his past? Though it's easy to become a bystander, it's hard to live with the consequences. Narrated by Aaron, the film explores how a good person accepts racism and injustice.

African Civilizations: Pocket Explorer
Nicholas Badcott
The British Museum, 2010
Africa is a vast continent with an amazing history. Spanning almost two million years, from prehistory to the nineteenth century, this lively guide explores Africa's rich and varied heritage and important global links. Discover its diverse cultures, unique arts, crafts and creative landmarks - from the huge pyramids of Egypt and Sudan to the rock-cut churches of Ethiopia, the mud-brick mosques of Mali and beyond.

Creforce: the Anzacs and the Battle of Crete
Stella Tzobanakis
Black Dog Books, 2010
On 20 May 1941, Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete. They expected to be welcomed by the Cretan community and to meet little resistance from the Allies. But they were mistaken. Australian, New Zealand and British troops, alongside Greek soldiers and the people of Crete, formed a crucial bond as they defended the tiny island. The battle lasted for ten days. The bonds formed between the Anzacs and Cretans have lasted for generations. Also available for review, A Great Risk in a Good Cause: Australian’s in Greece and Crete April–May 1941, published by the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs, 2001 (see above).

A Tribe of Angels: Coming of Age in Melbourne
Russel Beedles
A Tribe of Angles is an evocation of daily life in Melbourne during the 1940s and 1950s. In this autobiographical memoir, Russell Beedles shifts perspective from that of a child growing up in the suburb of Ivanhoe, to that of an adolescent in the choir of St. Paul's Cathedral while attending Trinity Grammar School in Kew, and then as a young adult at Melbourne University, involved in student theatre, undertaking National Service and experiencing the exhilaration of being a 'teenager'. The wealth of detail, together with the ability to capture a sense of place and the shifts and changes in attitudes and social conventions throughout this period, give his account an immediacy which is absorbing.

Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age
Cheryl Bardoe
Thames & Hudson, 2010
Mammoths and mastodons roamed the earth for millions of years, and then suddenly went extinct. What was everyday life like for these colossal cousins of the modern elephant? What did they eat? How did they fit into their Ice Age landscape? Why did they disappear? Mammoths and Mastodons features photographs of fossil dig sites, scientists at work in the field and in labs, and prehistoric artefacts. Specially commissioned artwork also brings the story of mammoths and mastodons to life.

Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 3
Taylor, Carrodus, Casley, Leahy, Ramsdale, Smith, Spurr, Ward
Oxford University Press, 2010
Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 3 is an innovative Humanities resource written for the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. Based on a big ideas framework, the underlying pedagogy enables students to develop deep, transferable understandings and skills.

KPA Investigations: Key to Port Arthur (DVD)
Port Arthur Historic Site, 2007
KPA Investigations is a rich multi-media education program for middle-school students. It allows students to select a key life from Port Arthur and follow that life through a series of tasks and philosophical challenges. The program is entertaining and interactive, with over an hour of video images and over 100 pages of research material.

Days of my Youth
By Charles Napier Hemy
Peleus Press, 2009
These are the personal memoirs of the artist and Royal Academian, Charles Napier Hemy, as a ten-year-old boy travelling to and from Australia, and of his adventures in the Victorian goldfields in 1851; they were recorded later in life on board his yacht in Plymouth Harbour in 1904. These writings are one of the few first accounts of life in early Melbourne and the goldfields from a child's perspective.

Roman Diary: The Journal of Iliona of Mytilini, AD 107
Richard Platt and David Parkins
Walker Books, 2009
‘The fifth day of our voyage. Pity us! My brother and I have lost everything we loved. Now we are orphans to be bought and sold like goats. The pirates took everything but my ink, pens and parchment. Now we begin another journey, to the very centre of the world ... Rome.’ Step back nearly 2000 years and join Iliona on an amazing history adventure.

Human Rights Overboard
Linda Briskman, Susie Latham and Chris Goddard
Scribe, 2009
This book draws together, for the first time, the oral testimony and written submissions from the inquiry into Australia's immigration detention centres in 2005. It draws together the accounts of immigration detainees, refugee advocates, lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, former detention centre staff. It stands as an indictment of Australia's refugee policy. With a foreword by Julian Burnside.

Defence 2020
Robert Lewis and Tim Gurry
Ryebuck Media, 2009
An interactive educational program to help students investigate the relevance of defence issues to their own lives. A middle-secondary curriculum resource for SOSE, English and Civics and Citizenship.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 2: Kingdom on the Waves
M.T. Anderson, Walker Books
Fearing a death sentence, Octavian and his tutor, Dr Trefusis, escape through rising tides and puring rain to find shelter in British-occupied Boston. Removed from all he knows - the College of Lucidity, the rebel cause - Octavian hopes to find safe harbour. Instead, he is soon to learn of Lord Dunmore's proclamation offering freedom to slaves who join the counter-revolutionary forces. In Volume 2 of his masterwork, M.T Anderson recounts Octavian's experiences as the Revolutionary War explodes around him, thrusting him into intense battles and tantalising him with elusive visions of liberty.

Gold: The Precious Metal that Brought Instant Wealth and Long-term Prosperity
Kenneth Muir, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
No other mineral can excite the world in the way gold does. In 1851 gold was discovered near Bathurst in New South Wales setting off a series of gold rushes that attracted fortune seekers from around the world. When the rush spread to the infant colony of Victoria the continent was transformed. Here we see how the power of the pastoralists and squatters was broken by a new class of people whose wealth was not based on landholdings or an accident of birth. This is the story of how gold changed the face of the Australian colonies to build a new and prosperous nation.

Japan: The Story of the Nation
Elizabeth Onslow, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
From isolationist kingdom to colonialist military power, to devastating defeat, then rebirth as one of the world's premier industrial economies. This nation of modestly sized islands off the coast of Asia evolved from a virtual clone of China into a land with a very distinct character. Here we have a society in which the Imperial family was believed to have been put in place by God. It is a society that gave birth to a succession of powerful leaders who used the Emperor's stature to further their own ambitions. This book shows how Japan was able to fend off the European colonial powers, then manipulate them to suit its needs. This is the story of a militaristic culture determined to realise Japan's destiny no matter what the cost. We see how blind ambition led to a disastrous war that ended in holocaust, humiliation, and occupation by foreign powers. Then, with the help of generous former enemies, Japan rebuilt itself and took on the world by seeing what other countries did and doing it better. Included are details of Australia's relationship with Japan, Japan's government, transport, communications, religion, arts, craft, food and the environment. This is Japan: The Story of the Nation

1788-1809: From First Fleet to Rum Rebellion
Victoria Macleay, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
The first 22 years of the colonisation of Australia were tumultuous ones. They began with the arrival of the First Fleet and ended with the aftermath of the only military insurrection Australia has ever experienced. This book covers all the major events - the arrival at Botany Bay, the settlement at Sydney Cove, the battle to survive, heroic explorations, and tensions between the new arrivals and indigenous peoples. It also shows how the military officers charged with guarding the colony turned to corruption and greed and became a law unto themselves, destroying the careers of successive governors. This period saw the birth of the fine wool industry, which would grow to become the primary source for British mills. Alongside the convicts came the first brave free settlers determined to carve out a life in a new land. During these years the future path of Australia was shaped.

The Commonwealth of Australia: Evolving into a Nation
Scott Brodie, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
It took Australia almost 100 years to evolve into the sovereign nation of today. This book tells how the Commonwealth progressed from an umbrella government designed to further the interests of the six British colonies into a fully fledged independent national government. It takes us through the stages of evolution from British Dominion to semi-independence; from a federation still controlled by the British parliament to a sovereign nation making its own way in the world; from British cultural dominance to embracing global cultures. Here we look at the key events that made the Commonwealth: the early moves for federation, the great constitutional referendums, the creation of the parliament and the High Court, the adoption of the Statute of Westminster, and the final moves to full independence with the Australia Act. These are the most important events that moulded the Commonwealth, giving us the institutions, laws and traditions that are the backbone of our nation.

The 1950s: Building a new Australia from the aftermath of war
Jordan Thomas, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
For some it was a time of certainty, prosperity, rising income, improved lifestyle. For others it was a decade of oppression, censorship, prejudice, discrimination, hatred. For most, whether an immigrant or someone who had lived in Australia through Depression or war, it was a new era. This is about the time when new arrivals felt the sting of prejudice, and when bureaucrats could remove children from indigenous families or make narrow-minded decisions about what books we read and films we saw or whether we could have two telephones in our homes. Read how full employment was achieved in factories protected by import tariffs; how a powerful union movement won major improvements for workers; how rationing and forced saving ended, ushering in an era of 21 per cent inflation; how Communist spies were thought to be everywhere and nuclear war was imminent; how the Labor Party tore itself apart; how the nation went crazy over a young Queen; and how Robert Menzies presided over all of it. This was The 1950s, the decade in which the horrors of war were forgotten and Australia launched itself into a whole new era.

World War II: The Australian Experience
Michael Andrews, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
World War II — the greatest conflict Australia has ever experienced, and the only war that united almost all the population in the effort to win. This is the story of how, for Australia, World War II began as a battle far away and turned into one that brought war to the shores of the nation. Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen fought for the defence of Britain in Europe, the Middle East and north Africa from the moment war was declared in 1939. Then, in late 1941, the focus of our conflict moved close to home as the Japanese juggernaut rolled across Asia and the Pacific. They were seemingly unstoppable, until a tenacious group of Australian soldiers finally brought the Japanese to a halt at Milne Bay and Kokoda while the Allied navies inflicted their first defeat in the Coral Sea. This book tells the story of how a nation was mobilised to defend the homeland, and how industrial production grew to supply the needs of war and support more than 600?000 personnel in the Army, RAN and RAAF. World War II was a time when bravery and determination were the norm, when new alliances were formed, and when Australia discovered again just what it was capable of.

Exploration and Settlement in Colonial Australia
Joel Weston, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
The Europeans who stepped ashore on 26 January 1788 knew next to nothing about the land that was to be their home. Almost immediately they began to explore the region around Sydney Cove, pushing further and further out, uncovering the rich agricultural lands and the hostile, barren landscapes. They found their way across the Great Dividing Range to the vast plains where their sheep would flourish and their crops would grow in abundance. Following closely behind the explorers were the settlers. These were hardy pioneers, each desperate to carve out their own slice of the new colonies. Some prospered, creating a particular type of person who knew the land and its possibilities well, but many failed. This book shows how brave, sometimes foolhardy, explorers opened up the continent to the rest of the world. Names such as Evans, Hume, Hovell, Sturt, Mitchell, Cunningham, Oxley, Leichhardt, Gregory, Burke, Wills, Eyre, Stuart, Forrest and many others resound through this story. The explorers who opened up the land and the settlers who followed them — visionaries and egotists, brave and cautious men — made the story of Exploration and Settlement in Colonial Australia.

Faiths, Religions, Beliefs in Modern Australia
Simone Bradfield, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
Faith, religion, belief — whatever you prefer to call it — has been a part of the Australian landscape since ancient times. Today it continues as a core part of Australian society. Although Christanity is the largest faith, there are many, many more making up our national character. As well as other major religions, including Islam and Judaism, there are the smaller groups such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’i, down to the tiny groups like Rastafari, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. Some are centred on an all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing God; others are based on lifestyle philosophies that lead to a state of ‘holiness’. This book encompasses all the faiths, religions and beliefs present in modern Australia, telling the story of their development and detailing the belief systems. All Christian denominations are included, as are the various segments of the other major religions. Whether we believe or not, faiths, religions and beliefs help bring a cohesiveness to societies and provide a sense of belonging to many. They play a vital role in the ever-changing structure of Australia.

The Constitution: The Document That Created the Nation
Scott Brodie, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
The Australian Constitution created the nation that is Australia today. More than a century ago a group of influential people sought to give the six colonies of Australia a united voice in their dealings with Great Britain. They also wanted freedom of trade and movement among them. For almost a decade this group of prominent nationalists and leading politicians worked to create what became the Constitution. This is their story: a story of how Australia’s supporters at home and in Britain worked to create the framework for the Commonwealth. In this book you will find the full text of the Constitution, along with explanations of the most important and influential sections, how changes were made, and how Australia ultimately achieved full independence. Without the legal framework of the Constitution, the Commonwealth of Australia as we know it would not exist.

Australia's Railways: How the Land Was Conquered
Stephen Brooke, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
From their very earliest days in the 1850s railways provided a much safer, more comfortable,efficient form of transport. They swiftly captured the imagination of the public, the planners and the politicans who would expand them across the six colonies bringing a speed of communication unheard of in Australia previously. This is the story of how railway tracks rapidly expanded to all but the most remote parts of the continent. It shows how railway lines linked many places where they made no economic sense, but also forged connections that improved life for everyone in city or town. The story ranges from the very first lines through the massive expansion until the 1890s, then the golden days of rail travel until? World War II, through to the rationalisation, standardisation and redevelopments of the modern era. Railways were a key aspect of the development of Australia. This is their story.

Prime Ministers and their Governments
Scott Brodie, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
No Australian has a higher profile than the Prime Minister. Since 1901 twenty-seven people have held the post of head of government. Their terms of office range from Frank Forde's six days to Robert Menzies' sixteen years. Three were caretakers. Here we see the full range of characters from the laid-back to the irrational, the determined to the hapless, the idealist to the opportunist. This is the story of how driven individuals shaped Australian society for better or worse over more than a century. Australia's prime ministers and their governments are the backbone of our democracy. Follow the path of change and development from the simple days of Edmund Barton in 1901 to the complexity and pressure of today's government. These are the PMs, leading the nation.

European Colonialism in the Asia-Pacific: Its Rise and Fall
Sarah Kemp, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
From the 1500s to the 1900s the peoples, nations, kingdoms, sultanates and tribes of the Asia-Pacific were seen as fair game for colonialisation by European empires. From tiny Pacific islands like Niue to the vastness of Australia and India, almost nowhere was immune from the attention of European explorers, traders and missionaries. This book shows how colonialism began in the pursuit of trade by the Portuguese, and expanded into a rush for territory that peaked in the 19th century with Britain ruling over a vast territory, taking what was seen as 'civilisation' to these ancient lands. It demonstrates how peoples were subjugated, oppressed and manipulated to the needs of European trade and commerce; how a tiny minority of Europeans could control hundreds of millions until the oppressors themselves were humiliated by World War II. This is the story of the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French and British empires - their rise to grandeur and their almost complete demise.

Australia's Airlines: How The Skies Were Conquered
Samuel Brimson, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
The vast open spaces of Australia may never have been conquered without the aeroplane. This is the story of the visionaries and daredevils who put their money and their lives on the line in pursuit of the dream of air travel. They built Australia's airline industry to link the nation, to defy geography and develop communication unknown to earlier generations. We see the rise of icons such as Qantas, of monoliths such as ANA, upstarts like Ansett, Guinea, BAT and MMA, and the groundbreaking innovations of TAA. All these are driven by names such as Fysh, McGinness, Brearley, Holyman, Levien, Robinson, Ansett, Butler, Miller, and the team that created TAA. It is the story of aircraft: the wire and wood of the DH.9 and DH.86, the great flying boats, the ever-faithful DC-3, the prestigious Super Constellation, the revolutionary Viscount, the globe-spanning 707 jet, and the 747 that ushered in the era of mass travel. Australia's airlines - the force that linked the nation.

China: The Story of The Nation and Its Relationship With Australia
Elizabeth Onslow, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
In the 21st century China will become one of the most powerful nations on the planet. Far-reaching economic reforms put in place by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s turned China from a struggling Communist bureaucracy into the economic powerhouse of today. This is China, from its earliest history - the Imperial dynasties, constant wars to gain and hold power, the rise of philosophers Confucius and Tao, the arrival of the Europeans, tea and opium and isolationism. In the 20th century we see how the Nationalists were destroyed by the Communists in 1949, launching 30 years of crazy schemes: the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards and the Gang of Four. And then to China today - massive economic strides, industrial expansion, empowering the people, the Tiananmen Square disaster, censorship, human rights abuses, and the Communist leadership's hatred of opposition. Included are details of Australia's relationship with China, China's government, transport, communications, religion, arts and crafts, food, and the environment. This is China: The Story of the Nation.

The Governors 1788-1855: and How They Influenced Modern Australia
Kenneth Muir, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
For 67 years, from 1788 to 1855, ten men held the fate of modern Australia in their hands. They were the governors, the supreme leaders of the Australian colonies. These ten made decisions every day that could spell the difference between life and death for thousands. They were sailors, soldiers, builders, explorers, administrators, humanitarians, disciplinarians, scientists, visionaries, aristocrats. Some had massive egos, some generated enthusiastic support, some were loathed and hated. Above all, they were leaders. This is the story of how these ten leaders used their power and authority to carve out a home for many unwilling settlers on the edge of a hostile continent far from the place they called home. It is a showcase of how power was used to create a new society from nothing, and how poorly such men were rewarded for their deeds. From the very first days they shaped a social and legal system that forms the basis of modern Australia. They ushered in democratic systems that ultimately robbed them of their supreme power. From Phillip to FitzRoy, these are The Governors.

Immigration Since 1788: The Making of Modern Australia
Victoria Macleay, Trocadero Publishing, 2012
Australia today is a nation created by immigrants. Other than the indigenous peoples, every Australian is an immigrant or is descended from an immigrant. From the moment the first English, Irish, Scots and Welsh stepped ashore at Sydney Cove in January 1788, Australia's history, its institutions, its wealth and its achievements have been made by immigrants. This is the story of the people who made the perilous journey to a new land and a new life. At first the immigrants had little choice in the matter - they were sent by a court. Later, the brave free settlers plunged into life in a harsh new environment unlike anything they knew. In this book we see how every wave of new immigrants had to battle to establish themselves against prejudice, ignorance, official indifference and the hazards of nature. From the original Anglos, through the people of Europe, the refugees and the assisted settlers, the Asians, the Africans and the Americans, here is the story of how modern Australia was made.