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.…
Continue readingLife 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,…
Continue readingAll 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…
Continue readingWakefield Press is thrilled to announce that Carol Lefevre's Quiet City: Walking through West Terrace Cemetery has been shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category of the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for literature. Winners in each category will be announced on Saturday 3 March in 2018 during Writers' Week. Visit the Arts SA website to see the other shortlisted titles, and for more information on SA Writers' Week. About Quiet City: I do not think that I believe…
Continue readingOpen State festival has a packed program which kicks off on Thursday 28 September and runs through to Sunday 8 October. Publisher Michael Bollen brings you the Wakefield Press Reader's Guide to Open State. My, my. It's an eye-opener and source of pride, browsing the Open State program, reminding us how books and reading interweave past, present and future. Picking through the goodies on offer, the mind thinks inevitably, Hmm, could be a book in that. And thinks too: Now, which…
Continue readingLast Thursday marked the celebration and re-launch of City Streets, a chronicled answer to the past 75 years of Adelaide’s architecture. As author Lance Campbell says, it's a great big book about a great small city. We were hosted at the beautiful Living Choice Fullarton and joined by many of our Wakefield Press authors and friends, including the event's emcee, Keith Conlon. And to top it all off, we had some fantastic Coriole sparkling! The…
Continue reading'What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore, it knows it’s not foolin’ a soul.' ― Neil Gaiman In an age of Internet sales a humble bookshop could seem archaic. In a march to digitise and automate, something so small as a bookshop could be considered an afterthought. Yet, those of us who frequent shelves and bookstalls, who know…
Continue readingRhondda Harris came across something fascinating when researching in the State Records of South Australia at Gepps Cross for an archaeological dig at the old Adelaide Gaol: a long-lost journal written by the gaol's first governor, William Baker Ashton. But we'll let Rhondda introduce the journal herself through this short preamble from her book, Ashton's Hotel. This includes an excerpt from the journal itself which, yes, may contain some 'mistakes'. As Rhondda says in the book, 'I have turned off the autocorrect and…
Continue readingChristine V. Courtney's Venetian Voices takes you on a stroll over bridges and under cloisters, following Venetian locals and visitors as they pass through centuries. On Saturday 24 June, Wakefield Press is joining with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to launch Venetian Voices with a unique afternoon of music and poetry. Graham Abbott (ABC Classic FM) will be conducting members of the orchestra in a Venetian-inspired program, interspersed with readings from Christine. Tickets are $50 and include Coriole wine, Venetian antipasti…
Continue readingMay 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…
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