Notes from Planet America on how to become US President

 

Excellent condition. PB. 262pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Vote for Me reveals what it takes to become president of the biggest democracy of them all. Written by Australian journalist and Planet America presenter John Barron, who happens to be a US politics junkie, Vote for Me is a fascinating, funny and, at times frightening, look at the way the USA picks its President.

Memoirs of a former Prime Minister

 

Very good condition. PB. First edition. 224pp. $15 including postage anywhere in Australia.

This book is so well-written. Refreshingly honest. I wrote about it in Crikey once ...

"The manifesto Abbott set out in his book was far more progressive and mainstream than he is known for, and certainly more inclusive than many policies he pursued during his short term as PM. And far more attractively presented."

The late Bob Ellis, whom Abbott once successfully sued for defamation, writes ...

" ... Tony Abbott, can write really well, with lucidity, mischief, moral persuasiveness and a kind of jovial dignity like his fellow Oxonian blow-in Bill Clinton. A first-class boxer, he has an unbroken nose, a truly impressive achievement in one so ideologically combative.

He writes really well; yet I wish he had told us more."

Tales from the Children's Court as told by a former magistrate

 

Excellent condition. PB. 256pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

A compelling, inspiring and moving collection of Barbara Holborow's stories of hope, loss and apathy from behind the Bench as Children's Magistrate.

In this inspiring, moving and often funny collection of stories, bestselling author Barbara Holborow tells of The Good, the Bad and The Inevitable outcomes for so many of the kids she saw standing in front of her as Children's Magistrate.

There are stories of the kids who, like broken glass jars, can never be mended due to the awful beginnings they have suffered. There are stories of the kids and their parents who are willing to make changes and turn their lives around with lots of hard work. There are stories of kids and parents who just don't care and who don't change. And there are also stories of the wonderful, inspiring kids and their carers (from parents, grannies and grandpas, foster parents and adoptive parents) who will do anything within their power to keep families together, to keep families loving and safe and who instill that important sense of hope for the future.

Barbara's motto is that everyone in a community has responsibility for every child. To illustrate this, throughout the book, interspersed between the stories, are snippets of Barbara's wisdom and tips for everyone on raising kids looking out for them, and keeping them happy and safe. After all - together we are one big family of humanity, and should look out for each other.

A simple guide to understanding the complexities of current events

 

Mint condition. PB. 304pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

This is a life raft for anyone who finds themselves floundering amidst a sea of ten-second soundbites, wishing they had a better grasp of complexities of world politics and global issues. 

Clear, concise language sets the record straight on a diverse range of topics as Lawrence Potter presents answers to fifty-seven questions about the world we live in, stretching from "What is jihad?" to "is fair trade a good thing?" and "Is there still a war in Chechnya?" . 

Important information including the latest research on environmental issues and the history behind current events worldwide is presented in enough detail to be useful without overwhelming readers with too much making for a balanced, informed reference guide.

Also covering... What is the problem with plastic bags? What did Sadaam do to the Kurds? What is the difference between a sunni and a shia and is it possible that global warming is not taking place 

SOLD Travels into the heart of dangerous Borneo

 

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Very good condition. PB. 208pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

The story of a 1983 journey to the center of Borneo, which no expedition had attempted since 1926. O'Hanlon, accompanied by friend and poet James Fenton and three native guides brings wit and humor to a dangerous journey.

Ross Garnaut on Australia's economic future

 

Excellent condition. PB. 304pp. $18 including postage anywhere in Australia.

A blueprint for the nation after the boom.

Australians have just lived through a period of exceptional prosperity, but, says influential economist Ross Garnaut, the Dog Days are on their way. Are we ready for the challenges ahead?

In Dog Days, Garnaut explains how we got here, what we can expect next and the tough choices we need to make to survive the new economic conditions. Are we clever enough – and our leaders courageous enough – to change what needs to be changed and preserve a fair and prosperous Australia?

This is a book about the future by a leading adviser to government and business, someone with a proven record of seeing where the nation is going. Both forecast and analysis, it heralds a new era for Australia after the boom.

A definitive biography of Buddha

 

Ex-library. Excellent condition. PB. 240pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

With such bestsellers as A History of God and Islam, Karen Armstrong has consistently delivered penetrating, readable, and prescient (The New York Times) works that have lucidly engaged a wide range of religions and religious issues. In Buddha she turns to a figure whose thought is still reverberating throughout the world 2,500 years after his death.

Many know the Buddha only from seeing countless serene, iconic images. But what of the man himself and the world he lived in? What did he actually do in his roughly eighty years on earth that spawned one of the greatest religions in world history? 

Armstrong tackles these questions and more by examining the life and times of the Buddha in this engrossing philosophical biography. 

Against the tumultuous cultural background of his world, she blends history, philosophy, mythology, and biography to create a compelling and illuminating portrait of a man whose awakening continues to inspire millions.

Essays on Islam, fundamentalism and freedom of speech in the West

 

Good condition. PB. 144pp. $15 including postage anywhere in Australia.

This collection of essays and occasional pieces have one unifying theme, the making of myth. This book looks at myths such as the Western myth of Islam and the exotic Orient, the Islamic myth of the decadent West, the myth of a plot centred around Salman Rushdie to denigrate the sacred personages of Islam, the utopian myths of fundamentalist preachers and the gurus of the new religious movements, the myth of causes in whose path death is perfect freedom.

SOLD A Dutchman travels across the Sahara in a Mercedes

 

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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 Richard Fidler writes about the rise and fall of Constantineople

 

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Mint condition. HB. 512pp. $25 including postage anywhere in Australia.

'A brilliant reconstruction of the saga of power, glory, invasion and decay that is the one-thousand year story of Constantinople. A truly marvellous book.' - Simon Winchester

In 2014, Richard Fidler and his son Joe made a journey to Istanbul. Fired by Richard's passion for the rich history of the dazzling Byzantine Empire - centred around the legendary Constantinople - we are swept into some of the most extraordinary tales in history. The clash of civilizations, the fall of empires, the rise of Christianity, revenge, lust, murder. Turbulent stories from the past are brought vividly to life at the same time as a father navigates the unfolding changes in his relationship with his son.

GHOST EMPIRE is a revelation: a beautifully written ode to a lost civilization, and a warmly observed father-son adventure far from home.

SOLD The history of how we see India

 

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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

 

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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.

SOLD The history of Bali

 

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Mint condition. PB. 280pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Under the Volcano is dramatic history written by a master storyteller. Travellers come to Bali looking for paradise. Nehru called it “the morning of the world”. Yet this small island has seen much bloodshed - from the ritual suicides of Balinese warriors fighting the Dutch, to the massacres of 1965-66 and the bombings of 2002 and 2005.

In Under the Volcano, Cameron Forbes looks at the blood and beauty of Bali through interviews, legends, reporting and history. He tells the stories of explorers, colonisers, surfers, artists, jihadists and drug-runners and above all of the Balinese themselves. In doing so he brings the island paradise into vibrant and disturbing focus.

The definitive biography of Bob Carr as NSW Premier

 

Excellent condition. PB. 304pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Based on the author's exclusive access to Bob Carr's diaries, this book will take readers on a roller-coaster ride of political intrigue of the Australian Labor leader. It is an honest, frank account of a politician's career with all its ups and downs, spiced with Carr's own humour, opinions and frank discourse with his State and Federal colleagues. Since a landslide second-term victory in 1999, Carr has become a major force in Australian politics.

A humorous Jewish memoir of life in the Soviet Sixties

 

Rare book. Mint condition. HB. 307pp. $30 including postage anywhere in Australia.

Read more about this book here.

SOLD Memoir of a young woman from Somalia

 

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Mint condition. HB. 368pp. $20 including postage anywhere in Australia.

This is the extraordinary first-person account of a young woman's coming of age in Somalia and her struggles against the obligations and strictures of family and society.  

By the time she is nine, Aman has undergone a ritual circumcision ceremony; at eleven, her innocent romance with a white boy leads to a murder; at thirteen she is given away in an arranged marriage to a stranger.  

Aman eventually runs away to Mogadishu, where her beauty and rebellious spirit leads her to the decadent demimonde of white colonialists.  

Hers is a world in which women are both chattel and freewheeling entrepreneurs, subject to the caprices of male relatives, yet keenly aware of the loopholes that lead to freedom.  

Aman is an astonishing history, opening a window onto traditional Somali life and the universal quest for female self-awareness.

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.

A journey through Australia's underclass

 

Excellent condition. PB. 246pp. $18 including postage anywhere in Australia.

For three decades award-winning journalist Elisabeth Wynhausen has written compelling accounts of the lives of the working poor and the downside of Australia's 'miracle economy'. In late 2001, she decided to join them. Over a period of ten months Elisabeth went undercover and worked as a factory hand, an office cleaner, a retail worker and a kitchen hand, moving from state to state and attempting to live on her meagre earnings. Caustic, courageous and often funny, this is a unique view of class, power and middle management seen from the other side of the serving counter, and a very personal experience of what it is like to be under-paid, under-appreciated and part of Australia's emerging underclass.

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.