Following the development of the most pervasive medium in Australia, this is the first full-scale, national history of the country's commercial radio. From the experiments and schemes of the 1920s through the introduction of digital radio in 2009, this sweeping study moves from Sydney to Adelaide, Launceston to Cairns, Broken Hill to Albany. Exploring the varied programming genres of drama, music, quiz shows, sports, and politics, the in-depth research traces the engagement of commercial radio with various communities of Australian listeners. In addition, many of the iconic names of Australian radio are featured, including George Edwards, Grace Gibson, Jack Davey, Bob Dyer, Bob Rogers, Norman Banks, Andrea, Brian White, John Laws, and Alan Jones.

Changing Stations: The Story of Australian Commercial Radio

Humor & Entertainment

Griffen-Foley, Bridget

Radio

NewSouth

Australia is dotted with memorials to soldiers who fought in wars overseas. Why are there no official memorials or commemorations of the wars that were fought on Australian soil between Aborigines and white colonists? Why is it more controversial to talk about the frontier war now than it was one hundred years ago? Forgotten War continues the story told in Henry Reynolds' seminal book The Other Side of the Frontier, which argued that the settlement of Australia had a high level of violence and conflict that we chose to ignore. That book prompted a flowering of research and fieldwork that Reynolds draws on here to give a thorough and systematic account of what caused the frontier wars between white colonists and Aborigines, how many people died and whether the colonists themselves saw frontier conflict as a form of warfare. It is particularly timely as we approach the centenary of WWI. This powerful book makes it clear that there can be no reconciliation without acknowledging the wars fought on our own soil.

Forgotten War

Henry Reynolds

This Day in Civil Rights History

Horace Randall Williams

Ben Beard

Teddy's Child: Growing Up in the Anxious Southern Gentry Between the Great Wars: A Family Memoir

Hamilton, Virginia Van Der Veer

Part art history, part detective story, this gripping insider’s account of the Papunya art movement—which was centered around the 1,000 small, painted panels created at the remote northern territory Aboriginal settlement of Papunya during 1971 and 1972—goes beyond a mere discussion of the astronomical auction prices in the late 1990s that first drew many people’s attention to these pieces. Celebrating Australian art history, this study explores the background of the artists themselves as well as restoring the boards’ historical and cultural significance as the first inscriptions of the religious beliefs and sacred visual language of the Western Desert peoples. It additionally looks at the controversies that surrounded the paintings at the time of their creation, the role of teacher Geoffrey Bardon, the depiction of sacred imagery, what they mean to the artists’ descendants, and the distant worlds of art auctions and international exhibitions—telling the larger story of Aboriginal art in Australia and beyond.

Once Upon a Time in Papunya

Arts & Photography

Johnson, Vivien

History & Criticism

Exploring how the people in a constitutional monarchy may choose to institute a republic, this chronicle delves into republican philosophy, the history and practicalities of constitutional change, and the politics of popular debate. Featuring excerpts from interviews with key Australian leaders, the text examines the republican question from the perspectives of history, law, politics, and social science. Offering a new way of thinking about the process of constitutional change, this study puts popular choicethe hallmark of democracyback at center stage. This is a thoughtful, insightful, and practical account of Australia’s political past and what alterations will be necessary if Australia is to become a republic.

Choosing the Republic

History

Patmore, Glenn

Australia & Oceania

Smart, funny, and often controversial, this entertaining look at Australia’s top bands confronts such topics as What went wrong with Silverchair? Why is Missy Higgins so well-loved? and Are Delta Goodrem concerts safe? Written by one of Australia's leading music critics, the book is aimed at older music fans who want a hipness infusion as well as younger fans who think they know everything. Neither encyclopedic nor heavy-handed, the discussion mixes together everyone from rock stars and pop princesses to artists and frauds, and there is no boring summing up. Instead there is a discussion of which artists matter right now and which ones are the victims of their own conventionality, followed by musings on the past, present, and possible future of the Australia music scene.

Playlisted: Everything You Need to Know About Australian Music Right Now

Mathieson, Craig

Music

Brisbane (The City Series)

Part of a series in which leading Australian authors write about their hometowns, this unique and evocative exploration is part memoir and part guide to Australia’s Brisbane. Intertwining personal stories with the city’s historical past, this account paints a portrait of the contemporary transformation of the city.

Travel

Condon, Matthew

Australia & South Pacific

In this fascinating account, leading Australian military historians tackle 10 of the most enduring historical zombies, or national myths, that have staggered their way through the halls of military history for more than 200 years. From Aboriginal resistance and invasion to Australia’s recent involvement in East Timor, this record disproves the incorrectly memorialized and so-called gallant deeds of past Australian servicemen. Provocative and opinionated, this record attempts to correct the historical record.  

Zombie Myths of Australian Military History

The horse has been an integral part of Australian history since the First Fleet brought the first horse to the country’s shores. From the resilient workhorses of colonial Australia and the determined stockhorses rounding up livestock, to the champion racehorses that capture the country’s imagination at every Melbourne Cup, horses have contributed to many of the great human feats in our history. Here, alongside 150 stunning images, Nicolas Brasch explores why horses have long been appreciated by Australians from all walks of life—and how they have been captured so strikingly by our photographers and artists.

Horses in Australia: An Illustrated History

Brasch, Nicolas

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the NewSouth publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by NewSouth