New Release: Valour and Violets

Valour and Violets, the latest release from Wakefield Press, is a meticulously researched catalogue of the stories of hundreds of South Australians who gave their country everything. Close to 35,000 South Australians enlisted for service overseas during the Great War. Around 5500 never came back. Countless more returned with physical and psychological injuries that would affect them for the rest of their lives. Valour and Violets brings together for the first time the stories of the campaigns…

New Release: The Day They Shot Edward

Wendy Scarfe's second novel, The Day They Shot Edward, tells a tale of a family in turmoil, set against the political mess of the First World War. Told from the perspective of a nine-year-old Matthew, the narration has an air of innocence, making the horrors of what is to come all the more confronting. About the book: It is 1916. The Australian community is riven over a referendum to conscript more troops for the killing fields of Europe.…

Mallee Boys Excerpt

Life as a fifteen-year-old boy is difficult for Sandy Douglas, who's not only facing the challenges of girls and friendship, but battling the gut-wrenching grief that came from losing his mother. With his brother Red, who is constantly filled to the brim with rage and his dad, who, despite his best efforts, struggles with their situation, Sandy endeavours to define himself in the Mallee. Below is the first chapter of Mallee Boys. To read more,…

Close to the Flame: The Life of Stuart Challender

Remembered for his contributions to music and his courage in being Australia's first celebrity to reveal his struggle with HIV-AIDS, Close to the Flame is an homage to a humble and hardworking genius: Stuart Challender had already proved himself as the most talented conductor of his generation, with invitations beginning to flow in to conduct renowned international orchestras, when he was diagnosed with AIDS . Bravely, he chose to become Australia’s first celebrity to reveal his struggle with the disease to…

Bitter Fruit

Bitter Fruit is a showcase of a collection of early photographs, many previously unpublished, focusing on Indigenous Australians. Presented in a beautiful hardcover, this is a breathtaking document of the Australian experience. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this post, and the book associated with it, may contain images of people who are deceased. Bitter Fruit: Australian Photographs to 1963 reproduces a selection of photographic materials – most previously unpublished –…

New Release: All the Kings' Men

All the Kings' Men records the story of the oldest continuously operating cricket club still in existence in South Australia – the Hindmarsh Cricket Club which now operates under the name of West Torrens - and the stories of the people who built it. This book also traces the evolution of Club cricket in the Adelaide metropolitan area from the birth of the colony until 1900. It highlights the development of cricket through significant and progressive…