Free/bargain Australian & New Zealand History & other Non-Fiction authors & books

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo has got Roland Perry's

Bill the Bastard - The Story of Australia's Greatest War Horse
$4.99 and discountable (bookriot50 works if you can't get a better code from the Discounts thread)

Bill was massive. He had power, intelligence and unmatched courage. In performance and character he stood above all the other 200,000 Australian horses sent to the Middle East in the Great War. But as war horses go he had one serious problem. No one could ride him but one man - Major Michael Shanahan. Some even thought Bill took a sneering pleasure in watching would-be riders hit the dust.

Bill the Bastard is the remarkable tale of a bond between a determined trooper and his stoic but cantankerous mount. They fought together. They depended on each other for their survival. And when the chips were down, Bill's heroic efforts and exceptional instincts in battle saved the lives of Shanahan and four of his men.

By September 1918, 'Bill the Bastard' was known by the entire Light Horse force, who used his name not as an insult, but as a term of endearment. Bill had become a legend, a symbol of the courage and unbreakable will of the Anzac mounted force. There was no other horse like Bill the Bastard.

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus has Ed Hawkins'

Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy
$5.99 and discountable (bookriot50 works)

A startling and powerful journey to the very core of India's illegal bookmaking industry that exposes the scale of corruption and the match-fixing that now runs rife throughout world cricket.

For several years Ed Hawkins made friends with India's illegal bookmakers - men who boast turnover of hundreds of millions of dollars per cricket match - as well as the corruption officers of the International Cricket Council who are trying to shut them down. It's a shady world and rumours abound. But then Hawkins receives a message that changes everything and he decides it is time to expose the truth behind match-fixing.

Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy is a story featuring politicians, governing bodies, illegal bookmakers and powerless players - as well as corruption, intimidation and even suicide. It is a story that touches all cricket-playing nations around the world. It is a story that every cricket fan must read. You might never again watch a cricket match without suspicion...

NB - I have included this English author and book in this thread because of the impact of the book's assertions on Australian cricket and cricketers .....

[AnotherCat]

Not wanting to set a precedent by pointing to sites where the book collections are free and out of copyright, but the following is another example in the NZ Electronic Text Collection of an electronic copy of a book that is in copyright and readily available new in paper, but which the rights holder has authorised its availability.

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz//tm/scho...Bea04Cook.html (NB. The site is currently very slow, still recovering from Christmas celebrations, perhaps?)

This is J. C. Beaglehole's Life of Captain James Cook and is the gold standard detailed Cook biography and it covers, of course, his visits to Australia and New Zealand.

As well as the online version it is available for download in epub (halfway down right hand side of page under "Other Formats") but as is typical for this site the epub is set out in a manner more appropriate to researchers and PCs or tablets.

In my own case, and even though I have the paper book too, I have spent a couple of hours rebuilding the epub to be more suitable on small reading devices (for anyone prone to such flagellation I sometimes find that recovering the NZETC web page's HTML out of ones browser and then building an ebook from that is quicker and gives a better result).

[Lynx-lynx]

Thank you AnotherCat .... no precedent set at all

(And yes, your conversion sounds painstaking but worth it for your needs)

[AnotherCat]

And from me a thanks to ClareK.

I have just finished reading The Letters of Rachel Henning that she pointed to (post #17), and for anyone interested in mid 19th Century Australian pioneer life and looking for a holiday read, I would suggest giving it a go.

Ordinarily, books of letters (especially womens' ones ) bore me to death and I am dismissive of them, but this was an impressive exception. The selected letters are written in quite an easy and informative narrative style with no "overhead" of irrelevant personal matters.

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus has Ian McPhedran's

The Amazing SAS: The Inside Story Of Australia's Special Forces
$1.99 (not discountable)

For the soldiers and officers of Australia's Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, this is not just their professional motto, but a creed that shapes their lives. The SAS is among the world's most respected special forces units, a crack team of men from the Australian Defence Force who can be relied upon to handle the most difficult, strategically sensitive and dangerous of military tasks.

Now THE AMAZING SAS provides a thrilling insight into the way this country's SAS soldiers are selected and trained, and reveals fascinating details about recent SAS deployments: East Timor, the 2000 Olympic games, the Tampa, the Afghanistan sampaign and the regiment's action-packed mission in Iraq.

THE AMAZING SAS draws on interviews with General Peter Cosgrove, Prime Minister John Howard, Chief of Army Lieutenant General Peter Leahy, former SAS commanding officers Gus Gilmore and Tim McOwan, and many SAS soldiers and officers.

'A snaphot of Australia's elite fighting force in the field' - Australian Defence Magazine

'This is a comprehensive history of three campaigns ... A well-paced and fact-packed account' - Canberra Times

'Little of value - here or in Britain - has been written about the SAS. Ian McPhedran's The Amazing SAS is a notable exception' - The Bulletin

'Gripping reading' - Sun-Herald

[ClareK]

AnotherCat, I'm very glad you enjoyed it - thank you for letting me know!

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus has Kerry-Ann Walsh's

Stalking of Julia Gillard
$4.76 and discountable (various available in the Kobo Discounts thread)

'Don't write crap. Can't be that hard. And when you have written complete crap, then I think you should correct it.' Julia Gillard

When Julia Gillard took the reins of the Australian Labor Party on 24 June 2010 she did so with the goodwill of the majority of her party and a fawning Canberra press gallery. The man she had supplanted, Kevin Rudd, led an isolated band of angry Labor voices at this surprising turn of events. The collective political and media verdict was that his time, short though it had been, was up. But when Gillard announced in February 2011 that her government would introduce a carbon pricing scheme, Rudd and his small team of malcontents were already in lock-step with key Canberra and interstate journalists in a drive to push her out of the prime ministerial chair.

Never has a prime minister been so assiduously stalked. Cast as a political liar and policy charlatan, Julia Gillard was also mercilessly and relentlessly lampooned for her hair, clothes, accent, her arse, even the way she walks and talks. Rudd, on the other hand, could barely do any wrong. His antics were afforded benign, unquestioning prime-time media coverage.

This is the story about one of the most extraordinary episodes in recent Australian political history. It focuses on Team Rudd and the media's treatment of its slow-death campaign of destabilisation, with its disastrous effect on Gillard and the government's functioning. It is about a politician who was never given a fair go; not in the media, not by Rudd, not by some in caucus.

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus and Amazon Aus (Deal of the Day) - Madonna King and Cindy Wockner's

Bali 9: The Untold Story
$1.99

On 17 April 2005, nine young Australians were arrested in Bali on charges of drug trafficking. Known as the 'Bali 9', some members received the death penalty for their crimes; others are serving lengthy jail sentences. Journalists Cindy Wockner and Madonna King, who were present at the trials and sentencing, have used their investigative skills to piece together the whole story, from arrest to jail to the harrowing final journey. With the co-operation of several family members of the Bali 9, they explore the histories of the nine to uncover why these young people would take such a perilous risk. They also look at the controversial role of the Australian Federal Police. A compelling, clear-eyed portrait of an unforgettable chapter in Australia's history, Bali 9 features details and photographs from the trials. It also serves as a chilling warning to all parents: this could be your child.

[Lynx-lynx]

Amazon Aus Deal of the Day - Robyn Davidson's:

Tracks
99cents

WITH A NEW POSTSCRIPT BY THE AUTHOR AND A STUNNING COLOUR PICTURE SECTION

'I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there's no going back.' So begins Robyn Davidson's perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company.

Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous heroine driven by a love of Australia's landscape, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to cast away the trappings of her former identity.

Tracks is the compelling, candid story of her odyssey of discovery and transformation.

[Lynx-lynx]

Amazon Aus Deal of the Day, Dennis Cometti's

The Game
$2.19

The Game collects the best AFL stories on and off the field told by the best writers around. They delve behind the statistics, examining the players, coaches and teams that make the game.

Greg Baum brings to life the epic drawn 2010 grand final and Jake Niall dissects game styles and tells how the Cats saved football in 2008. Caroline Wilson uncovers the psyche of such greats as former Western Bulldog star Scott West and Shane Crawford during his struggles as the reigning Brownlow Medallist. Jake Niall examines Nathan Buckley's search for football utopia while Samantha Lane details how Lance Franklin handles the fame game. Emma Quayle recalls the bond that ties West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui and Carlton defender Chris Yarran, and coach Ross Lyon opens up to Rohan Connolly about the most emotional year of his life.

From Carey to Cousins, Judd to Franklin, Sheedy to Malthouse, the dark days of the Blues to the dynasties of the Brisbane Lions and Geelong, The Game offers the winning combination of great stories and top-notch writers

.

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus and Amazon Aus Deal of the Day - Rob Mundle's

Cook
$1.99

Captain James Cook is one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time. Over three remarkable voyages of discovery into the Pacific in the latter part of the 18th century, Cook unravelled the centuries-old mystery surrounding the existence of Terra Australis Incognita - the great south land; became the first explorer to circumnavigate New Zealand and establish that it was two main islands; discovered the Hawaiian Islands for the British Empire; and left an enduring legacy. Rob Mundle, bestselling maritime biographer of Fatal Storm, Bligh and Flinders, introduces us to an unlikely sailor in a teenage Cook who through the combination of hard-won skills as a seafarer, the talents of a self-taught navigator and surveyor, and an exceptional ability to lead and care for his men, climbed the ranks of the Royal Navy to achieve legendary status among all who sailed and mapped the world. Written with colour, sweep and the authority of Rob's five decades as a competitive sailor, maritime journalist and broadcaster, this extensively researched new biography of Cook will put you on the quarterdeck with the great navigator as he painstakingly guides his ship through dangerous, reef-strewn waters. You will also be alongside the captain when his ship is a wave-width away from annihilation; and at the helm at the start of an exciting new voyage.

[Lynx-lynx]

Kobo Aus has some books on commemorating Anzac Day for sale (well, I think they're on sale), and some of them are discountable:

ANZACs In Arkhangel: The Untold Story Of Australia And The Invasion Of Russia 1918-19
Michael Challinger
$6.59 and discountable (arl50 is the current 50% off Kobo discount)

In November 1918, as World War One was coming to a close and soldiers were returning home, a small group of Australian men signed up for more fighting. Yet this time, the enemy was Russian Bolsheviks instead of Germans, and the frontline was the wild and frozen wastelands of far north Russia.

With humor and an eye for irony, Michael Challinger tells the story of how this group of 150 Aussies was seconded to help protect the British from a rear guard attack from northern Russia.

Stationed in the small town of Arkhangel, the soldiers became embroiled in what was to become the Russian revolution, as they battled not only the Bolsheviks but also extreme cold, hostility from locals, and a 25-kilometer front line. Two of these Australians soldiers went on to win Victoria Crosses and are perhaps our most neglected war heroes.

Anzacs in Arkhangel brings Russian history into focus and reveals how easily the First World War could have been lost. It is a fascinating account of part of the Anzac legend that is not so much forgotten as never known.

[Lynx-lynx]

Another one of the Commemoration books, Peter Grose's:

An Awkward Truth: The bombing of Darwin, February 1942
$4.39 and discountable

The compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement - the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942. Darwin was a battle Australia would rather forget.

Yet the Japanese attack on 19 February 1942 was the first wartime assault on Australian soil. The Japanese struck with the same carrier-borne force that devastated Pearl Harbor only ten weeks earlier. There was a difference. More bombs fell on Darwin, more civilians were killed, and more ships were sunk. The raid led to the worst death toll from any event in Australia.

The attackers bombed and strafed three hospitals, flattened shops, offices and the police barracks, shattered the Post Office and communications centre, wrecked Government House, and left the harbour and airfields burning and ruined. The people of Darwin abandoned their town, leaving it to looters, a few anti-aircraft batteries and a handful of dogged defenders with single-shot .303 rifles.

Yet the story has remained in the shadows. Drawing on long-hidden documents and first-person accounts, Peter Grose tells what really happened and takes us into the lives of the people who were there. There was much to be proud of in Darwin that day: courage, mateship, determination and improvisation.

But the dark side of the story involves looting, desertion and a calamitous failure of leadership. Australians ran away because they did not know what else to do.

Absorbing, spirited and fast-paced, An Awkward Truth is a compelling and revealing story of the day war really came to Australia, and the motley bunch of soldiers and civilians who were left to defend the nation.

[Lynx-lynx]

Amazon Aus Deal of the Day is Chris Masters'

Uncommon Soldier
$2.19

The result of a six year immersive investigation, this is a penetrating and significant exploration of the nature of the modern Australian soldier - fighter, peacekeeper, street-level diplomat, aid worker.

Chris Masters, the country's foremost investigative journalist, turns his penetrating gaze on the modern Australian soldier. Moving away from our ongoing fascination with Anzac story, he looks at the rich and illuminating present to write a character study of the modern Australian soldier - war fighter, peacekeeper, street-level diplomat and aid worker.

Having been taken into their ranks in a way rarely before afforded an outsider, Masters gives heart and shape to the contemporary digger: how they are selected, how they are led, and how they are transformed from civilians to disciplined professional soldiers. And in asking if they are unique, he examines what it is that allows these young Australians to lend moral authority to communities teetering on the precipice of violence in places such as Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

By sharing the experiences of the young men and women who make up the Australian army, Masters puts under severe challenge the notion that soldiering is the province of dumb grunts. In doing so, he argues that the best measure of this country's military legend is found in the present. Uncommon Soldier is a rare and powerful work.