Writers exploring the world

 

Mint condition. Rare book. PB. 384pp. Not available from Booktopia. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia. 

Featuring the work of more than 28 writers from upwards of 20 countries, this collection transports us to the frontiers of twenty-first century literature.

In these pages, some of the most accomplished writers in world literature&;among them Edwidge Danticat, Ha Jin, Cynthia Ozick, Javier Marias, and Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka, Günter Grass, Czeslaw Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska, and Naguib Mahfouz&;have stepped forward to introduce us to dazzling literary talents virtually unknown to readers of English. Most of their work&;short stories, poems, essays, and excerpts from novels&;appears here in English for the first time.

The Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman introduces us to a story of extraordinary poise and spiritual intelligence by the Argentinian writer Juan Forn. The Romanian writer Norman Manea shares with us the sexy, sinister, and thrillingly avant garde fiction of his homeland&;s leading female novelist. The Indian writer Amit Chaudhuri spotlights the Bengali writer Parashuram, whose hilarious comedy of manners imagines what might have happened if Britain had been colonized by Bengal. And Roberto Calasso writes admiringly of his fellow Italian Giorgio Manganelli, whose piece celebrates the Indian city of Madurai.

Every piece here&;be it from the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean&;is a discovery, a colorful thread in a global weave of literary exchange.

Edited by Samantha Schnee, Alane Salierno Mason, and Dedi Felman

Travels through Russia

 

PB. Mint condition. 352pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

The Road of Bones is the story of Russia's greatest road. For over 200 years, the route of the Vladimirka Road has been at the centre of the nation's history, having witnessed everything from the first human footsteps to the rise of Putin and his oil-rich oligarchy. Tsars, wars, famine and wealth: all have crossed and travelled this road, but no-one has ever told its story.

In pursuit of the sights, sounds and voices both past and present, Jeremy Poolman travels the Vladimirka. Both epic and intimate, The Road of Bones is a record of his travels - but much more. It looks into the hearts and reveals the histories of those whose lives have been changed by what is known by many as simply The Greatest of Roads.

This is a book about life and about death and about the strength of will it takes to celebrate the former while living in the shadow of the latter. Anecdotal and epic, The Road of Bones follows the author's journey along this road, into the past and back again. The book takes as its compass both the voices of history and those of today and draws a map of the cities and steppes of the Russian people's battered but ultimately indefatigable spirit.

Rare classic on Indian travels

 

Mint condition. Rare book. 320pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

From an award-winning author whose books have all become modern classics, "Indian Balm" is written beautifully - witty, poetic, informed, full of colour and insight. It is a fascinating journey through past and present India, explaining a region far off the beaten track. 

"Indian Balm" is the captivating account of a journey Paul Hyland made along the little-known course of the sacred Godavari river in Southern India: a pilgrimage through both his past and India's present. It is the story of the search for his ancestors, missionaries and traders, who settled in the region generations ago and of their Balm - a wonder cure for all sorts of ailments and afflictions. It is also a fascinating and enlightening journey through India today. 

Wading through the country's contradictions and irritations, its ugliness and its beauty, Hyland encounters both the exotic and the commonplace. He meets snake charmers and sadhus, bogi men and horn dancers, witnesses ancient rituals and observes the most simple aspects of daily life. Indian Balm is an extraordinary and, above all, unique journey - vivid, intimate and revealing - travel writing at its colourful best.

Achieving balance in ,life

 

Mint condition. PB. 224pp. Booktopia is selling this for $47 plus postage. Our special price $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

From Simon & Schuster, Lifebalance is Linda and Richard Eyre's guide on how to simplify and bring harmony to your everyday life.

Espousing an approach to living that emphasizes balance between personal and professional demands, a new guide shows readers how to make and stick to decisions that will help make sense of often contradictory demands on their time.

Muslim women tell stories of rights, abuse, love and loss

 

Mint condition. PB. 402pp. Booktopia are selling this for $27.50 plus postage. Our special price including postage to anywhere in Australia is $25.

SOLD Primer on Islamic faith and culture

 

SOLD to a lawyer in Tasmania.

Mint condition. PB. 403pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Islam is the way of life for million of people around the world. Its teachings guide people to live harmoniously and in balance with themselves, others and the world around them. Everyday people come into contact with Islam and those who practice this faith. The need to know about the Islamic teachings has become more important then ever.

As Muslims assimilated the English language into their rainbow of languages, the need for clear and concise literature grows. This is especially true when one considers that there are millions of Muslims whose native language is now English. In addition many seekers of truth have been yearning for a book that would present the clear and precise Islamic view of life in a format that not only invites further study and research, but that also provides the path to achieve this goal.

"What Islam is All About" is a textbook designed to meet all of these needs. In one volume is included the basic history of the Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him), the teaching of Islam, the history of the ancient Prophets, the study of the Quran, the Islamic philosophy of the world and life within it, Islamic law, Hadith, contemporary issues and much more.

Perfect for Muslim schools, Sunday schools, adult study classes, independent learners, students of religion, seekers of truth and anyone interested to know more about Islam from an insider's point of view. You will not find a more complete, compelling, and pleasant presentation of Islam and what it teaches anywhere else!

Plain language for lawyers

 

Mint condition. PB. 352pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia

Professor Kimble names Michele Asprey's book Plain Language for Lawyers as one of the top publications in the history of plain language. In Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please - The Case for Plain Language in Business, Government, and Law - Carolina Academic Press, Durham, North Carolina, Professor Kimble lists Michele Asprey's book as number 7 on his list of the top publications - quite an accolade. It appears alongside David Mellinkoff's book The Language of the Law (from 1963), Richard Wydick's book Plain English for Lawyers (from 1979), Rudloph Flesch's work, and Ernest Gowers's The Complete Plain Words, among others.

The idea that lawyers can - and should - write in plain language is not new. There have always been plain language lawyers. There just aren't enough of them. The plain language movement in Australia has been with us for decades. Plain language has been taught in law schools in Australia for almost 20 years. But still too many lawyers don't write in language that clients, and other readers, can understand. Plain Language for Lawyers can help. Over the 18 years it has been in print and it has established itself in Australia and overseas as a comprehensive, entertaining and enormously useful text. It includes international references, contains practical advice, and can be read and enjoyed by anyone who is interested in plain language in the law. The 4th edition has been completely revised and updated.

Journalistic account of regional and outback Australia

 

Mint condition. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

SOLD Travels through Vanuatu to protect marginalised women

 

SOLD to a lawyer in East Sydney, NSW

RARE BOOK. Mint condition. PB. 248pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Bridget Isichei had no idea what she was in for when she accepted a two-year volunteer post to train women to be pre-school teachers in the popular tourist destination of Vanuatu. But instead of cocktails by the sea in a luxury resort, Bridget found herself in Luganville, a town whose people were still practicing black magic and wearing the same fashions bought in by missionary women in the 1800s. When Bridget decided to enroll the women she was working with in a correspondence teaching course, she could never have predicted the fierce opposition her plan would face.

Road No Good is a ground-level account of the journey of a group of the world’s least fortunate women to become the first educated women on their island and control their own destinies. It is also Bridget’s story, as she learns from these women the art of gratitude, faith and contentment even in the face of unimaginable adversity and loss. This is a true story of hope and heart, and of the resilience and capacity of the human spirit to achieve greatness against the odds.

About the author

Bridget Isichei has worked in the early childhood education sector in New Zealand, England, Thailand, and Vanuatu. She has been recognized as an early childhood education (ECE) center manager for achieving an "excellent rating" ranking her ECE service in Australia's top 30. Bridget has been nominated for the HESTA advancing pedagogy and practice award and has written for Australia's most prominent early childhood education publication, Every Child Magazine.

A history of science and a key scientific institution

 

Mint condition. PB. 464pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia

Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, and with contributions from Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, David Attenborough, Martin Rees and Richard Fortey amongst others, this is a remarkable volume celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society.

On a damp weeknight in November, 350 years ago, a dozen or so men gathered at Gresham College in London. A twenty-eight year old — and not widely famous — Christopher Wren was giving a lecture on astronomy. As his audience listened to him speak, they decided that it would be a good idea to create a Society to promote the accumulation of useful knowledge.

With that, the Royal Society was born. Since its birth, the Royal Society has pioneered scientific exploration and discovery. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, John Locke, Alexander Fleming — all were fellows.

Bill Bryson’s favourite fellow was Reverend Thomas Bayes, a brilliant mathematician who devised Bayes’ theorem. Its complexity meant that it had little practical use in Bayes’ own lifetime, but today his theorem is used for weather forecasting, astrophysics and stock market analysis. A milestone in mathematical history, it only exists because the Royal Society decided to preserve it — just in case.

The Royal Society continues to do today what it set out to do all those years ago. Its members have split the atom, discovered the double helix, the electron, the computer and the World Wide Web. Truly international in its outlook, it has created modern science.

Seeing Further celebrates its momentous history and achievements, bringing together the very best of science writing. Filled with illustrations of treasures from the Society’s archives, this is a unique, ground-breaking and beautiful volume, and a suitable reflection of the immense achievements of science.

SOLD An Indian writes about the complexities of her nation

 

SOLD to a lawyer in East Sydney

RARE BOOK. Good condition. PB. 320pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia

India is a land of contrasts. It is the world's most populous democracy, but it still upholds the caste system. It is a burgeoning economic superpower, but one of the poorest nations on earth. It is the home of the world's biggest movie industry after Hollywood, as well as to the world's oldest religions. It is an ancient civilization celebrating fifty years as a modern nation. Now, as never before, the world wants to know what contemporary India is all about.

As she has proved in three previous books--her wry take on the marketing of the mystic East in Karma Cola; the rich historical saga of Raj; and the beguiling tales of A River Sutra--there is no better guide to India's multihued mosaic than Gita Mehta. She knows India in all its rich detail--its folkways and history, its culture and politics, its ancient traditions and current concerns. In Snakes and Ladders, she gives a loving but unflinching assessment of India today, in an account that is entertaining, informative, and wholly personal.

Gita Mehta is the author of the bestselling books Karma Cola, Raj, A River Sutra, and Snakes and Ladders. She divides her time between New York, London, and India

An ex-priest writes about his civilisation

 

RARE BOOK. Excellent condition. PB. 374pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Not yet another history of the Church written from within the church, this is a deliberately provocative, no holds barred, open forum discussion of the issues of Christianity.

Find out more about this book here. 

An authoritative account of the Dismissal of the Whitlam government

 

Mint condition. HB. 448pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Drawing on a range of new sources, some of which have never before been made public - including hundreds of pages from Kerr's archives - this remarkable account is dispassionate in its analysis, vivid in its narrative and brutal in its conclusions. It exposes the true motivations, the extent of the deceit and the scale of the collusion.

Forty years on, the dismissal remains one of the most damaging and controversial events in Australian politics.

This groundbreaking book by two of our leading journalists provides a startling reinterpretation of events. It tells the story of the clash between extraordinary personalities- two political giants - Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser - and an ambitious and calculating governor-general, Sir John Kerr.

Drawing on a range of new sources, some of which have never before been made public - including hundreds of pages from Kerr's archives - this remarkable account is dispassionate in its analysis, vivid in its narrative and brutal in its conclusions. It exposes the true motivations, the extent of the deceit and the scale of the collusion.

SOLD A Dutchman travels across the Sahara in a Mercedes

 

SOLD

Rare book. Mint condition. PB. 210pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?”
—Janis Joplin

A journalist’s intrepid endeavor to sell his used car abroad results in a high-spirited and revealing look at West Africa.

“Look, there’s my car,” I say, pointing at my Mercedes in the parking lot.

“Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks.

“There, that Mercedes,” I say.

He looks at me, questioning. “You want to drive that through the Sahara?”
 
Jeroen van Bergeijk came up with what seemed like a great scheme for making a quick profit: buy a clunker of a car in his native Amsterdam and resell it in the Third World, where a market even for jalopies still thrives. His chariot of choice is a rusted-out 1988 Mercedes 190D with 220,000 kilometers on its odometer; his route will take him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into some of the least trodden parts of Africa.

My Mercedes Is Not for Sale is a rollicking tale of an innocent abroad. The author finds himself facing a driving challenge akin to the Dakar Rally but encounters obstacles never dreamed of by race-car drivers: active minefields, occasional banditry—mostly by the border guards—and a teenage, chain-smoking desert guide with a fondness for Tupac lyrics. 

Food and water are scarce, sandstorms are frequent, and all he has to patch up his many car breakdowns thousands of miles from civilization is a bar of soap, some duct tape, and a pair of women’s nylons. Then there’s the coup he survived.

My Mercedes Is Not for Sale captures more than the adventure—it vividly portrays the impact of globalization on Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car culture, while asking the question: is the white man’s burden really a used car?

SOLD The history of how we see India

 

SOLD

Mint condition. HB. 432pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

From Thomas the Apostle to Slumdog Millionaire: how we imagine India, from the author of Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity.

A Strange Kind of Paradise is an exploration of India's past and present, from the perspective of a foreigner who has lived in India for many years. Sam Miller investigates how the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Chinese, Arabs, Africans, Europeans and Americans -- everyone really, except for Indians themselves -- came to imagine India.

His account of the engagement between foreigners and India spans the centuries from Alexander the Great toSlumdog Millionaire. It features, among many others, Thomas the Apostle, the Chinese monk Xuanzang, Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Vasco de Gama, Babur, Clive of India, several Victorian pornographers, Mark Twain, E.M. Forster, Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles and Steve Jobs. Interspersed between these tales is the story of Sam Miller's own 25-year-long love affair with India.

The resulting is a spellbinding, 2,500-year-long journey through Indian history, culture and society, in the company of an author who informs, educates and entertains in equal measure, as he travels in the footsteps of foreign chroniclers, exposes some of their fabulous fantasies and overturns long-held stereotypes about race, identity and migration. At once scholarly and thought-provoking, delightfully eccentric and laugh-out-loud funny, this book is destined to become a much-loved classic.

Paul Keating on the Asia-Pacific

 

Mint condition. HB. 310pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

During the period of Paul Keating's Prime Ministership of Australia, relations with the countries of Asia were deepened. This insightful and controversial book examines the development of APEC, relationships with Indonesia, and with countries of the South Pacific. It also examines questions of Australia's national identity.

The inside story of one of Australia's most contentious Prime Ministers

 

PB. Excellent condition. 594pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Although he was at the forefront of Australian political life for some 13 years, Paul Keating has remained mysterious. This biography looks at the Prime Minister who did things his way, and who was not afraid to tackle the big issues, such as the economy, Aboriginal relations and the republic. Using confidential documents, policy files, and interviews with Keating, the author examines the world of Treasury and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and explores one man's controversial methods of running the country.

SOLD Travels through Myanmar

 

SOLD

Very rare book. Mint condition. PB. 265pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

This expression of the pain of Burma uses novelistic techniques to weave together the patient endurance of its stricken inhabitants, together with their fragility and immense charm. 

Through his studies of the lives of the individual Burmese whom he encounters, the author makes us feel the weight of the regime under which they labour, from the girls who work on the building-sites under appallingly exploitative conditions to the drunken pirates who profit from the chaos.

About the author

Canadian Rory MacLean is one of Britain's most expressive and adventurous travel writers. His twelve books include the UK top tens Stalin's Nose and Under the Dragon as well as Berlin: Imagine a City, a book of the year and 'the most extraordinary work of history I've ever read' according to the Washington Post. He has won awards from the Canada Council and Arts Council of England and was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary prize. His works – according to the late John Fowles – are among those that 'marvellously explain why literature still lives'. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he divides his time between the UK, Berlin and Toronto.

A century of advertising in Australia

 

Mint condition. PB. 312pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

But Wait,There's More ... provides a unique insight into the place of advertising in Australian society.

Catchy phrases, chants at cricket matches and jingles which consumers just can't get out of their heads-the best advertising stands out because it is creative, clever and, most importantly, funny.

Advertising in Australia can be traced back to the early 1900s, when spruikers wooed the public with appeals to vanity, health and patriotism. By the time Australia had endured two World Wars, the Depression, economic downturns, political upheavals and direct confrontations, the advertising industry had not only survived, but had become a multi-billion dollar industry, with an enormous influence over people's everyday lives and their spending habits.

But Wait, There's More. is the first detailed history of the Australian advertising industry, exploring its development over the course of the twentieth century from a disorganised group of individuals selling newspaper space to a multi-billion dollar enterprise run by giant transnationals. It follows the admen and adwomen who worked to convert their audiences into consumers and examines their ongoing quest for legitimacy in the face of new technologies and an increasingly sophisticated and media-savvy audience.

Personal stories behind China's economic miracle

 

Rare book. Mint condition. PB. 384pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

When Jane Hutcheon's became the ABC's China correspondent in 1995, she began a journey through an ancient and intriguing culture that is undergoing rapid change. Though China has transformed itself into a heady capitalistic republic, the country's new facade covers up a multitude of the same old problems.