Classics Australia

It is 1914, and the storm clouds of war are building on the horizon. In Sydney, Josiah Steele is the new head of the family and grappling with his two very different sons - David, upstanding, decent and heir to the family enterprises; and Benjamin, wayward, restless and a magnet for trouble. To give Ben some responsibility, Josiah sends him on a trade mission straight into the territory of their soon-to-be enemy. As war erupts across Europe, its repercussions are felt in the Pacific.

Nothing is so easy as falling in love on a long sea voyage, except falling out of love. Especially was this the case in the days when the wooden clippers did finally land you in Sydney or in Melbourne under the four full months. Passengers and crew all saw far too much of each other, unless, indeed, they were to see still more. Their superficial attractions were mutually exhausted, they lost heart and patience in the disappointing strata which lie between the surface and the bed-rock of most natures.

Paul Kelly's songs are steeped in poetry. And now he has gathered from around the world the poems he loves - poems that have inspired and challenged him over the years, a number of which he has set to music. This wide-ranging and deeply moving anthology combines the ancient and the modern, the hallowed and the profane, the famous and the little known, to speak to two of literature's great themes that have proven so powerful in his music: love and death - plus everything in between.

This is the story of a love song...and like any good love song, it has two parts. In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she'll finally agree to marry him.

This collection of short stories by notable Australian author Mary Grant Bruce (1878-1958) reflects on Australian experiences of summertime. Infused with the smells, sounds, and textures of Australian life during the Christmas season, these stories also highlight the strengths and yearnings of their characters.

A word of warning - if you are expecting to listen to a story about model children, you'd better listen to something else. Not one of the seven children in this story is truly good - Australian children never are. The Woolcot children enjoy a life of fun and adventure in their rambling riverside home, despite frequent reprimands from their strict father, Captain Woolcot.

When a pampered cat has to share her home with a lost dog, sparks are set to fly. To her surprise, Catvinkle starts to like Ula. She even tells Ula her three secrets. But a cat and a dog can't be friends - can they? A tail-spin of a tale that will make you howl with laughter - and remind you that if you aren't open to adventure, you might never meet your best friend.

This collection follows on from Australian Christmas Yarns Volume I and consists of 10 stories by notable Australian author Mary Grant Bruce (1878-1958). These stories sketch challenges of landscape, relationship, loss and hope.

On the far northwest coast of Tasmania at Cape Grimm lies the isolated and idiosyncratic community of Skye, which practises a religion that reveres the imagination. One clear evening in 1992 all the inhabitants enter the church hall, where they are locked in and burned alive. They have been persuaded to do this by a young man called Caleb Mean - also known as El Nino, the Christ Child.

Originally written in 1940 and first published by Simon & Schuster in 1972, How to Read a Book introduces and elucidates the various levels of reading and how to achieve them in order to gain the most understanding and insight from any book. From elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading and beyond, readers will learn when and how to ‘judge a book by its cover,’ perceive structure no matter the prose, read critically, and extract an author’s message from any text.

Shyla is a researcher who resides in the underground desert city of Zirdai, which is ruled by the wealthy Water Prince and brutal Heliacal Priestess. Even though Shyla is sun-kissed—an outcast, considered cursed by the Sun Goddess—she is still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artefacts, ancient maps, and obscure historical documents. Her quiet life is about to change when Banqui, an archaeologist, enlists her services to find The Eyes of Tamburah: legendary gemstones that bestow great magic on their wielder.

Busy Betty has always been busy. Every day she wakes up with a million questions and a billion ideas! And today she has an amazing idea: she's throwing her mum a birthday party. Shhh . . . It's a surprise! Then Betty and her best friend, Mae, have the best idea of all: What if they threw Mum a circus surprise party?! It will be the greatest day in the history of the universe!

Bill, transformed from a bitter thug to a steady and peaceful family man, bickers with Doreen over household issues, like the chopping of firewood, the raising of their son, young Bill, and medical treatment. Bill finds himself consistently outsmarted by his loyal - but strong-minded - wife and yields with wry grace to her manipulations and ministrations.

Une nouvelle, extraite du recueil "Garden Party", qui décrit ou peint à petites touches la journée d'une famille en Nouvelle Zélande dans le bungalow familial, un jour d'été au début des années 1900. L'auteur récrée avec précision et amour la Nouvelle-Zélande de son enfance. Elle écrit son pays, comme si elle ne l'avait jamais quitté.

Laura, une jeune fille de bonne famille, jeune fille très sensible aide à la préparation de la fête qui va avoir lieu dans le jardin...

"Mariage à la mode" est une autre nouvelle de Katherine Mansfield (extraite du recueil "Garden party") qui aborde avec finesse la désunion, la brèche qui se creuse entre deux êtres, et ce dans un cadre idyllique par une belle journée d'été. Avec son stylo-scalpel, elle nous plonge dans les cœurs de William, époux délaissé et de sa jeune femme Isabelle, accaparée par ses nouveaux amis artistes.

Prélude est une nouvelle extraite du recueil "Félicité" de Katherine Mansfield. Une nouvelle, qui aborde à nouveau l'enfance...

In the forest, armed men from the new settlement ventured to investigate strange lights and found three fires burning, a child at their center, tethered to a stake. The boy appeared to be white, perhaps three or four years old, unable to speak. He watched the men with the darting, fearful eyes of a wild animal and at their approach he crouched, snatched a stick from a fire, and snarled. So begins Dirk Wildlight's life in the tiny Victorian settlement of Tilmore.