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Uncovers the "private lives" of crocodiles. With studies on reproduction, growth, movement, behaviour, habitats and foods, this book also examines attacks on humans, the history of crocodile hunting and crocodile farming, surveying, catching and handling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Australian Crocodiles
It is a very complete book with very good information about Saltwater Crocodiles and the small and less known Freshwater Crocodiles, the only information it does not have is about the measurements of Skulls of big Saltwater Crocodiles that I was looking for in this book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Australian Baseball History
The author, Mr Clark put close to a decades hard work into this historical account of Australian Baseball. He was upfront in the preface, introduction and acknowledgement page, noting that his book is the start of recording baseball history in Australia, and he encourages others to follow his lead. Mr Clark's tone throughout the whole book is that of a wholehearted fan of the game, but still with the academic skill-set to provide an informative history. I disagree with Mr Bjarkman's comment that more focus was needed on individual players e.g. Craig Shipley. For the record Mr Bjarkman, Craig Shipley reached the US Major Leagues in 1986, NOT 1978, as you have stated above. The purpose of this book was to provide a historical account, and whilst individuals receive a mention, including Craig Shipley, the focus of this book is history and the development of the game in Australia. Also Mr Bjarkman makes the point that the author's reference to baseball first appearing in the Olympics in 1956 is incorrect. But I draw Mr Bjarkman's attention to the fact that Mr Clark does make reference to baseball first appearing in the Olympics in 1912, on page 87. The book was perhaps slim for a history, making it more like a short history, but in Mr Clark's defence there is a genuine finite supply of baseball records across Australia, and he made excellent use of the information which he obtained through solid effort and wonderful support from members of the baseball community. I would have liked a slightly more detailed timeline at the end of the book, which defined critical events, so that they could be referred to at a quick glance, i.e. for the benefit of refreshing ones memory with a condensed description of the event. Notwithstanding this, Mr Clark has set the foundation stones in documenting the history of baseball in Australia, and as he states, hopefully this will provide stimulus for more accounts.

Nicholas R.W. Henning, author of Australia's first baseball novel, 'The American Dream: From Perth to Sacramento'

Mixed Bag Down Under
This first attempt at an academic history of Australian baseball provides a very mixed bag. There is indeed a wealth of useful information here on the origins of the game "down under" as well as on the 1888 Spalding Tour and the reciprocal Aussie "Disaster Tour of 1897" on US soil. But the emphasis throughout is heavily on the political spats and personal rivalries behind the sport's twentieth-century development from "winter time training for cricket" to Austrialian semi-national pastime. There is very little "on-field" baseball pictured here and it is clearly the front office moguls and meddlers and not the ballplayers who take center stage here. Every political spat along the way is related in painstaking detail, for example, while Australia's first modern-era major leaguer (Craig Shipley in 1978) is given little more than a single paragraph treatment. We learn little about what Claxton Shield Tournaments actually looked like over the years, other than finding out that most were plagued by horrible weather conditions and shoddy playing facilities before the eventual shift from winter-season to summer-season competitions.

What is most disheartening here, however, is the cavalier and largely inaccurate treatment of Australia's role in international competitions. A few examples suffice to cast doubt on the remainder of the book's accuracy. 1) A baseball exhibition between Australia and a USA service team at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics was not the debut of baseball in Olympic venues, as claimed in Chapter 5; similar demonstrations had already taken place at Stockholm (1912), Berlin (1936), and Helsinki (1952). 2) Australia did not become IBAF world champions by winning the 1999 Intercontinental Cup matches in Sydney; this tournament is NOT the IBAF world champion tournament as claimed here. That role is played by the alternate-year IBAF Amateur World Series (called the Baseball World Cup since 1988). And 3) Australia did not defeat FOURTH-place finisher Japan at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games; Japan was the SECOND-place finisher in that event. And in that tournament, Australia was not defeated several times by a "mercy rule" because they fell 6 runs behind. The international mercy rule involves a 10-run deficit, not six. These may be small enough details, but ones hard to understand in a volume that at other points appears to be so meticulously researched.

Peter C. Bjarkman, author of DIAMONDS AROUND THE GLOBE: THE ENCYCLOEPDIA OF INTERNATIONAL BASEBALL (2004) ... Read more

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In Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War, Garth Pratten explores, for the first time, the background, role and conduct of the commanding officers of Australian infantry battalions in World War II. Despite their vital role as the lynchpins of the battlefield, uniting the senior officers with the soldiers who fought, the battalion commanders have previously received scant attention in contemporary military history. This book redresses the balance, providing a gripping, meticulously researched and insightful account that charts the development of Australia's infantry commanding officers from part-time, ill-prepared, amateurs to seasoned veterans who, although still not professional soldiers, deserved the title of professional men of war. Drawing on extensive and original archival material, Pratten recreates battle scenes and brings to light many diverse personalities. It is a story of men confronting the timeless challenges of military leadership - mastering their own fear and discomfort - in order to motivate and inspire their troops to endure the maelstrom of war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A very nice addition to the literature
I was pleasantly surprised by this study of Australian battalion commanders in World War II.Not knowing what to expect, and aware that so much of Australian military history with regards to World War II is of a rah rah "they were all heroes" variety, I was happy to discover that this was a serious analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Australian battalion commanders (in all theaters), as well as the personal, demographic, professional, environmental, and experiential factors that made them so.

I agree with the author's assertion that the battalon level is rather neglected in military history studies, which often tend to concentrate on either the very small (personal reminiscences or "band of brothers" type small unit studies) or the operational to strategic.So his study of the role of battalion commanders was genuinely illuminating.Comparable works for other armies that fought in the war would definitely be interesting.

I found both the level of research (using a variety of archival sources) and actual anlysis to be impressive.Some people more used to pop military history, and expecting more descriptions of battlefield exploits and small unit performances might be disappointing, but this is genuinely a welcome addition to the literature on the Australian military in the Second World War.

I recommend it.

Spoilt by trying to justify a theory through half facts
I was thoroughly enjoying this book until I arrived at one of the later chapters which denigrated a couple of battalion commanders as being old and tired or, in one case, a bundle of nerves.So I decided to investigate a little further LTCOL Guinn.Book in hand I visited the Australian War Memorial to check a couple of the references and see what other information I could find on the LTCOL.Accessing Brigadier Moten's personnel papers LTCOL Guinn rebuffed all criticisms of his command and pointed out that one of the criticisms was from the previous year and had been dealt with then.No mention was made of this in the book.No mention was made of LTCOL Guinn, being sick with pneumonia, walking two days out of the jungle by himself to receive medical treatment and nearly died.As stated in the book LTCOL Guinn was a noted walker but what was not mentioned was he used a walking stick to mark distances, an old technique picked up in support of sighting positions and defensive and offensive actions.Later in the war LTCOL Guinn was in Changi to support the repatriation of Australian POWs and was on the board of several war crimes tribunals.After the war he was the director of migrant camps in NSW and Victoria.For further information on LTCOL Guinn I would recommend contacting the 2/7th association.The author's use of half facts to justify his theory spoilt what I found to be a good book. ... Read more

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This work of cultural history is based on the authors' investigation into the reading habits of 60 elderly Australians. The first survey of its kind, it is the first literary history of Australia (from 1890 to 1930) to be based on readers' attitudes and experiences. ... Read more

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The Cambridge History of Australian Literature is the most comprehensive volume ever written on Australia's national literature. This authoritative guide spans Australian literary history from colonial origins, encompassing indigenous and migrant literatures, as well as representations of Asia and the Pacific and the role of literary culture in modern Australian society. Bringing together a distinguished line-up of contributors, this volume explores each of the literary modes in an Australian context, including short story, poetry, children's literature, autobiography and fiction. This book is an essential reference for general readers and specialists alike. ... Read more

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This book traces the history of Australia's highly secret Intelligence Security Organisation. Established in the early days of the Cold War, like most intelligence organisations working under covert conditions, it exceeded the vague powers entrusted to it. It has been the subject of two Royal Commissions in Australia and in recent times several acts of Parliament have been passed in order to make it more accountable to Australia's government and its citizens. ... Read more

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Australia's convict era is well recorded, however the justice and punishment systems that followed have scarcely been documented until now.Beginning with the punishment systems of the ancient world, Sean O'Toole investigates the birth of the modern prison, the transportation process, the convict era, and finally the creation of Australia's various State and Territory prisons and community corrections systems.

This study represents the first national summary of the history of corrections and the first historical examination of Australia's correctional systems; consolidates the individual histories and common themes of each of Australia's state and territory correctional systems; and provides valuable insights into how Australia's system of justice has developed, as well as to the social trends and issues that shaped it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The forgotten platyus
I think this book is a really great account of the platypus.It really shows what the life of the platypus is like.It is a great book for anyone who wants to learn about these silent creatures. It also works great for research papers.Just one question...would it be possible to make platypus cheese. ... Read more

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In this innovative mixture of labor history and cultural history, Diane Kirkby explores the central figure of the barmaid. Drawing on previously unexplored archives, new documentary sources and oral history, Barmaids traces the sexualization of the industry and the feminist and temperance debates about it. It covers women's demands for equal pay and drinking rights in the postwar period and concludes in the mid-1990s with changes in the labor market and drinking customs that saw the end of the old pub culture and the place of barmaids within it. ... Read more

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This work embraces the story of the koala in Australian history of science and society. It examines the animal’s long seclusion from discovery (1803); its slow penetration of the European classificatory system and the part played by British and European experts; its emergence, description and depiction in Australia, the important marriage of science and art; the role of the Aborigines; koala destruction through settlement and hunting in the 19th century and its rise as a national identity around Federation.

In the 20th century, the focus shifts to the koala in Australian literature; the advent of the nature park, zoos, transportation, resettlement, and protection by key individuals and organizations; koala as cartoon and political favorite; the surprisingly slow growth of research on the animal’s biology and the dynamic change in knowledge from the 1990s. The book is studded with key scientific figures and some excellent, widely sourced, pictorial material.

The book’s distinctive character attaches to Moyal’s reputation as a historian of science in blending scientific scholarship with an engaging and widely accessible historical narrative. ... Read more

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The warbling and carolling of the Australian magpie are familiar to many although few of us recognise that it ranks among the foremost songbirds of the world. Its impressive vocal abilities, its propensity to play and clown, and its willingness to interact with people, make the magpie one of our most well-known birds.

This insightful book presents a comprehensive account of the behaviour of one of Australia's best-loved icons. It reveals the extraordinary capabilities of the magpie, including its complex social behaviour, in a highly readable text. The author brings together much of what we know about the magpie’s biology and behaviour, including her latest research on magpie vocalisation as well as aspects of anatomy, physiology, development and health not published previously. ... Read more

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This definitive history recounts the secretive operations and strategies of one of the world's most elite fighting forces. The Special Air Service (SAS) operated deep behind enemy lines, conducting surveillance at close range, poised to spring into action at a moment's notice. This Australian military classic tells the story of the formation of the military known to the Viet Cong as "phantoms of the jungle," its secret role in Borneo during confrontation with Indonesia, and its operations in Vietnam. After its involvement in Vietnam, the SAS formed a crack counter-terrorist force that saw action in Somalia, Kuwait, and East Timor and in the security of the 2000 Olympic Games. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A proud history
I found this book very pleasing, as it provides an excellent history of Australia's elite and very secretive Special Air Service. The Vietnam aspect of the book interested me most, and it is not often that an enemy in war offers such a complimentary nickname, such as the Vietnamese referring to the SAS as "phantoms of the jungle." This book inspired me to have a character in one of my own novels to have an SAS background.

Nicholas R.W. Henning - Australian Author

A great book about the SASR
The boook I have is called SAS Phantoms of the Jungle, which I purchased in New Zealand. Phantoms of the Jungle refers to the 1989 published version of this book. Phantoms of War is an updated book that includes the 1990s until almost present day.

The Australian involvement in Vietnam is a little known fact to many Americans now a days. Which is unfortunate because they played a vital and heroic role in that war. The SAS played a vital part in that war and like American special forces it was one of the events that would define the unit and what it would become. Phantoms of the Jungle is a history of the Australian SASR from their founding in 25th July 1957 until the mid 80. Its a book full of facts, and reads as a history, not a best selling war novel. With that in mind it is a great look into a unit that until the war in Afghanistan was little known to the majority of Americans. ... Read more

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The real story behind 'The Great Aussie Game' is told in this unauthorised history - a book for all Australian football scholars and fans.

A team of football historians and enthusiasts has combined to provide a detailed account of the development of Australian Rules football and its subsequent national growth.Here is an absorbing narrative of the major incidents that have formed the structure and operation of Aussie Rules football.A fresh, interesting and full account, this is an original and accessible contribution to the history of Australia's only 'home-grown' sport. ... Read more

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Ted Serong was one of the most original and influential of the Australian Army's planners in the post-war period. He re-established the jungle training centre at Canungra in the 1950s and developed the Australian Army doctrine of counter-insurgency warfare. Yet the extent of his achievements is little known in the country of his birth. This major new biography by Anne Blair explores the fascinating career of the Australian Army's most mysterious commander. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bio of an influential Aussie Counter-Insurgency Expert
Ted Serong was one of the most original and influential of the Australian Army's planners in the post-war period. He re-established the jungle training centre at Canungra in the 1950s and developed the Australian Army's doctrine of counter-insurgency warfare. Yet the extent of his achievements is little known in the country of his birth. The programs he designed for Canungra ensured the success of Australian soldiers in Malaya and Vietnam. In 1957 he was invited to instruct the armed forces of Burma in jungle warfare technique and subsequently became the Burma Army's strategic adviser. From Rangoon his methods were noticed by the CIA, which arranged his recruitment to Vietnam as special adviser to the American military commander there.

In 1962 he led the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam to Saigon. On completion of that assignment, he continued with the CIA as an adviser to US Presidents Kennedy, Nixon and Ford. He remained in South Vietnam until the last desperate struggle against the communists in 1975. He was the last Australian to leave Saigon in thie helicopter evacution from the US Embassy. On his return to Australia, Serong maintained his vigilance regarding the nation's defence, and latterly became a figurehead for far right military movements. This major new biography by Anne Blair explores the fascinating career of the Australian Army's most mysterious commander.

Here's an article on the book from the Australian History Unit, written by John Donovan.

During the 1960s, with the exception of the Vietnam War Victoria Cross winners, Ted Serong was probably the best known individual Australian soldier. It is therefore entirely appropriate that the Army History Series should devote a volume to him. Anne Blair ranges widely across the events of Serong's long life. She produces a convincing case that Serong was an excellent tactician and trainer, and shows also that many of his interventions at the military operational level were productive. However, the repetitive use of the word "strategy" and its variations in an apparent attempt to give greater significance to Serong's achievements, when "operational" might be a more appropriate word, becomes a distraction. Also, Blair's descriptions of some of his actions at the real strategic (government interface) level suggest that Serong did not always understand the processes and priorities of governments, particularly in democracies.

Perhaps it would have been better to leave Serong as he is best pictured - the exemplar of the tactical proficiency of the Australian Army in jungle warfare from the mid-1950s until the withdrawal from Vietnam in 1972. After all, as this book records, he was a pivotal influence in achieving that level of tactical excellence. That, in itself, is surely a worthwhile achievement (and monument) for one man. Anne Blair portrays the respect with which the Serong family held the pre-World War II Staff Corps. Given the later events in Serong's life, one wonders if he still had that respect in the final decade of the Twentieth Century, when he saw and regretted the loss of the traditions of the Citizen Forces. Other writers, such as Albert Palazzo, have demonstrated that this loss was at least partially the result of the actions (or inactions) of the Regular officer corps. Like David Horner (writing in "Crisis of Command" in 1978), Serong came to the conclusion that officers with flexibility and imagination could best be developed by service with the citizen forces - not a popular concept these days!

The influence of his religion on Serong's life is well recounted in the book. In today's multicultural society, few might now recall the sectarianism that gave a subordinate position to Catholics in Australian society in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The attempt of the Catholic Church to break out of that subordinate position by educating selected children was an influence in Serong's schooling (where he met and formed associations with other Catholics who became well known in future years, like B.A. Santamaria). Also, his early contacts in Burma were Catholics, as were many of the Vietnamese with whom he worked from 1962 to 1975.

Anne Blair shows how Serong, with great prescience, recognised during World War II that Australia's future lay in the Pacific, not in the Middle East. Others more senior and experienced would take many years to accept this reality! She also shows that a lesson Serong absorbed early in his time in Asia in the 1960s was the need for military forces to match their ambitions and tactics with the available level of resources. In Burma, he was advised that the Burmese navy found that "When our young officers go to Britain, they see lots of big ships, and they come back and want them here. That sort of thing is not for us." In Vietnam, Serong commented on the American tendency to place "too much reliance on forthcoming mechanical marvels." He considered that the Vietnamese Armed Forces improved as the level of American support declined.

Throughout his active life, Serong was driven by a sense of purpose based on a feeling that he had somehow been "chosen". In some people, this form of self-belief could have led to delusions of grandeur, but he seemed successfully to avoid these. It is unfortunate that his marriage seems to have essentially ended in a "parting of the ways" during his long service in Vietnam in pursuit of his life's goals, and not to have recovered after he returned to Australia, yet this did not seem to make him bitter. While Serong remained active after the Vietnam War ended (when he was almost 60), he seems to have kept a sense of proportion often lacking in driven people. In his later years, he pushed ideas for Australian defence, and became involved with the unofficial militia movement and the One Nation Party. Again, however, he seemed to avoid any drift into extremism, and, as Anne Blair recounts, may have exerted some moderating influence, specifically warning against "New Guardism" on one occasion.

In his later years, when defence became less fashionable in the community, and the concept of citizen service became less fashionable in the Army, he supported both an active defence effort and expansion of the citizen forces. Yet he also displayed the abiding weakness of many in the Australian forces - an inability to understand the strategic/government level of defence planning. The tactical excellence of the Australian Army in jungle warfare during the Malaya/Vietnam period and the training system established at Canungra by Serong are his legacy, but his actual influence at the strategic level was limited.

The picture that emerges of Ted Serong is in some ways the idealised picture of the ANZAC legend. He was the boy from the (religious) wrong side of the tracks who joined the citizen forces, overcame apparent social prejudice to gain entry to Duntroon and become a Regular officer, then went on to become an exemplar of the Australian tradition of tactical excellence. As a senior officer, he retained his empathy with the junior soldiers (witness his joining a nervous soldier in jumping off the tower at Canungra) and both his respect for and the respect of the senior non-commissioned officers. Whatever his weaknesses, this is surely a worthwhile legacy.

John Donovan worked in the Department of Defence for over 32 years, principally in the fields of intelligence, force development and resource management. He also served for several years in the Australian Army Reserve.
... Read more

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This collection of engaging and vigorous essays examine what makes the 'history business' tick. Davison demonstrates that Australia's history can be relevant to the issues we confront everyday at the governmental level, at work, and in our communities. ... Read more

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Presents a wide-ranging and perceptive survey
Graeme Davison draws upon his experience and expertise as an historian and commentator on national celebrations, heritage, museums, and other forms of public history in The Use And Abuse Of Australian History. He presents a wide-ranging and perceptive survey of the many ways in which history enters into and becomes a part of contemporary everyday life in Australia. The past inspires, consoles, and condemns (sometimes all at once), and here highlighted is how Australians use (and sometimes misuse) the past in attending to such present concerns, issues and national discussions on everything from gun ownership to aboriginal rights. The Use And Abuse Of Australian History is highly recommended reading to students of Australian history, culture, politics, and international relations. ... Read more

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The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Original Publisher: Angus and Robertson Publication date: 1903Subjects: Bushrangers; Australia; History / General; History / Australia ... Read more

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Following on from his acclaimed book, The Battle for Wau, Phillip Bradley turns his attention to the Salamaua campaign - the first of the New Guinea offensives by the Australian Army in the Second World War. Opening with the pivotal air-sea battle of the Bismarck Sea, this important title recounts the fierce land campaign that was fought for the ridges that guarded the Japanese base at Salamaua. From Mount Tambu to Old Vickers and across the Francisco River, the Australians and their American allies fought a desperate struggle to keep the Imperial Japanese Army diverted from the strategic prize of Lae. To Salamaua covers the entire campaign in one volume for the first time. From the strategic background of the campaign and the heated conflicts, to the mud and blood of the front lines, this is the extraordinary story. ... Read more