Discovering Dobell: Helena Rubenstein

Opening this coming weekend, the Discovering Dobell exhibition at Tarrawarra – and its accompanying book – features the artist’s controversial and recognisable portraits of Joshua Smith, Dame Mary Gilmore and, as we see here, Helena Rubinstein, alongside other vital strands of his output, introducing the creative achievements of this great Australian painter for a new generation of art lovers. The cosmetics manufacturer Helena Rubinstein became an obsession for William Dobell. He fretted over her portrait for six years, producing many versions in an effort to…

On a Clare Day – Beef cheeks in red wine

On a Clare Day might be one of our favourite pun titles, but it's also a wonderful book, and is launching today as part of the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend. Jeni and Burt Surmon's tale of leaving their city life to start a winery includes a number of delicious recipes, a few which of course incorporate some of their Mt Surmon wines! These beef cheeks sound like exactly the thing for an Autumn Sunday lunch. Beef…

Fun with books on Friyay!

Guys guys guys, the book world is out of control at the moment. Everyone's having way too much fun and just needs to calm down a little. For example? Well, the New Yorker has picked up on the fact that every single book seems to be called The Girl on the Something at the moment, and they've run this glorious spoof. Funny book-related content + an astute observation of the issues of depicting sexual assault +…

Fifty – Australian Dance Theatre

It’s difficult to know how to begin talking about a book as beautiful as this. Tracing Australian Dance Theatre’s often tumultuous and always interesting fifty-year history, Fifty contains interviews, archival research, and stunning photography. Did you think I was exaggerating? Read an excerpt below, or find out more about the book here. The beginnings of Australian Dance Theatre were radical, daring and new. The company was created in Adelaide, South Australia in 1965 with a vision to…

The mysterious sands of Qatar

Sally van Gent has lived adventurously. She's dined with the Bedouin, dived deep into the Arabian Sea, and climbed aboard a tanker for a midnight rendezvous. Her latest memoir, The Navy-blue Suitcase, is a collection of stories from her travelling life told with 'optimism, humour, an indefatigable faith in a better future, and a powerful sense that life is what you make of it, no matter what cards you’ve been dealt' (ANZ LitLovers LitBlog). Today we're…

South Australia on the Eve of War

May marks the annual South Australia's History Festival. South Australia on the Eve of War was launched on Tuesday as part of the festival. Here we have an excerpt from book's introduction, written by Melanie Oppenheimer and Margrette Kleinig. Three individuals – David Unaipon, Catherine Helen Spence and Douglas Mawson – encapsulate the spirit of South Australia in the years between Federation in 1901 and the eve of war. All, too, have graced our paper currency at one point…

Robe Chinese Festival

This weekend is the Robe Chinese Festival, and launching at the festival is a new book by Liz Harful, author of Almost an Island. Guichen Bay and the Chinese Landings incorporates material from Almost an Island with new research. Both books will be available from the foreshore pavilion on Saturday 6 May, and Liz will be signing books from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. After Victoria introduced a tax on Chinese passengers during the gold rush, some 15,000 migrants landed at the…