Australian History Books - who's read what ?

**Disco44** · 16th April 2011, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by zulu Delta 534

Way back when I was driving tourist coaches around the country the most commonly referred to books and easiest I found for gleaning information from was any of Glenville Pikes work.
He published quite a few:
"The Men who blazed the track".
"Darwin, Australia's gateway".
"Pioneer Country".
"Veins of Carbine Hill".
"Queen of the North".
"Campfire Tales".
"The Last Frontier". to name a few.
All good reads that offer a pretty good insight into our history albeit mainly the Territory and North Queensland.
Hector Holthouse wrote some good stuff too on the Queensland side of things. Try "Cannibal Cargoes", a bit of an eye opener covering our sordid history in the Kannaka trade days.
So far I havent seen a listing of what I consider to be the Australian classic adventure. "A Fortunate Life" by A.B. Facey. Perhaps not a history book in the true sense of the word but that book opened up so many exploratory avenues in my own family history that I consider it to be a prime requisite read.
Mandaley Perkins "Tropic Tide" is another good read, the story of a larger than life adventurer, VB Perkins, who worked alongside 'Weary' Dunlop on the Thai-Burma railway, worked in the Malayan jungles during the post war emergency, then set up the Territory's first major shipping line, and more.

An interesting thread. I have added a few books to my must read list from it. Thanks.
Regards
Glen

Try the "Croc Shop" in Cooktown that is where I got some of Grenville Pike's books. They do( or did ) mail orders.

**bob10** · 17th April 2011, 08:18 PM

This is indeed a good thread, I have found more books to read!, I have a request, some time ago I had a book called Too Many Spears, a story of the Jardine brothers settlement of the Cape, and the building of Somerset. Any ideas where I can get a replacement? A couple of more interesting books-
The Path of Infinite Sorrow- The Japanese on the Kokoda Track- Craig Collie/ Hajime Marutani. the only book ever written from the Japanese point of view.

Allen Stretton -soldier in a storm- an autobiography passes thru WW2, Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam, ending in Darwin after Tracy

For the term of His Natural Life- Marcus Clark- who visited Tasmania in 1869 to write an account of convict times, based on actual records

**Bigbjorn** · 17th April 2011, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by bob10

This is indeed a good thread, I have found more books to read!, I have a request, some time ago I had a book called Too Many Spears, a story of the Jardine brothers settlement of the Cape, and the building of Somerset. Any ideas where I can get a replacement?

There is a good book on the Jardines and Somerset titled "The Great Trek" which I thought was by Ion Idriess but is not listed among his works in this thread.

**digger** · 17th April 2011, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by bob10

This is indeed a good thread, I have found more books to read!, I have a request, some time ago I had a book called Too Many Spears, a story of the Jardine brothers settlement of the Cape, and the building of Somerset. Any ideas where I can get a replacement? A couple of more interesting books-
The Path of Infinite Sorrow- The Japanese on the Kokoda Track- Craig Collie/ Hajime Marutani. the only book ever written from the Japanese point of view.
Allen Stretton -soldier in a storm- an autobiography passes thru WW2, Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam, ending in Darwin after Tracy

For the term of His Natural Life- Marcus Clark- who visited Tasmania in 1869 to write an account of convict times, based on actual records

http://www.paperbackswap.com/Spears-...ok/0207135878/

$19.99 second hand for too many spears.

The bone man of Kokoda (pan macmillan) story of Kokichi Nishimura as told to charles happell - some about the war (jap view) and lots about his efforts to return the Japanese fallen to Japan after the war...after returning to Kokoda in 1979 and staying doing it for 25 years!!

**Don 130** · 29th July 2011, 08:02 AM

in case anyone collects such things. and no, I dont have any connection to the business. I just bought abook there and noticed this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15131 Beadell, Len
A Lifetime in the Bush 6 volumes in slipcase containing Too Long in the Bush Beating About the Bush Still in the Bush Bush Bashers Blast the Bush End of an Era
Sydney Weldon 1989 Signed limited edition paperback b&w illustrations 6 volumes 8vo slipcase 1124pp All volumes Very Good tight and clean (lightly sunned to spine) in Very Good clean slipcase
Very rare 6 volume set in slipcase, being a numbered signed edition - No. 956 of 1000 copies - of Len Beadell's classic accounts of his pioneering road-building endeavours; the titles are Too Long in...
Gotcha By The Books (Australia) $220.00 AUD

Gotcha By The Books

Email: Sean@GotchaBy.com.au

Don.

**digger** · 29th July 2011, 09:03 AM

Changi Brownlow -roland perry. (medal donated recently to AWM)
not afl specific, great insight into changi and the railway and a great man

**Distortion** · 29th July 2011, 10:03 AM

Personal Favorite I've read people might like if you can find a copy. It has alot of amazing stories in it.

Maritime Albany Remembered
By Gordon de L. Marshall, Les Douglas

**KarlB** · 29th July 2011, 12:19 PM

I have followed this thread with interest. The diversity and the directions it has travelled were surprising. I mentally ticked of what I had and hadn't read as suggestions appeared, as many would have done.

That said, the most important Australian history book I have read (indeed read it twice, and about to read it for a third time) is The Future Eaters by Tim Flannery. Not so much a book on moments of European history in Australia (or near parts such as PNG) but rather an overview of the continent. How and why we are both different from, and familiar to, our neighbours. It is about the history of the landscape which most of us identify with. Why it is, what it is, and how both we as contemporary inhabitants, and our indigenous people over tens of thousands of years, have interacted with our environment. The book is very readable. It is not a diatribe on climate change. I believe I am a more informed and better person for having read it.

Cheers
KarlB

**ScrubPleb** · 29th July 2011, 05:41 PM

I have just taken delivery of a little booklet that sparked a lifelong interest in Australian exploration and history. My original copy is long since lost. It’s called, “Sixteen Explorers of Australia”, published by the Bank of New South Wales. As a ten year old, it seemed amazing to me that my great grandparents lived in a country that was not fully mapped and where an adventurous person could still make new discoveries.
My new copy cost $18.00.The original came in a sample bag at the Ecca in 1967 and was free.
Regards
Peter.

**JDNSW** · 29th July 2011, 08:15 PM

A few more to think about:

By P.G.Taylor:
"Call to the Winds"
Most of us know about the incident - during a trans-Tasman flight by Kingsford Smith in the Southern Cross, the centre engine shed a rocker cover, which broke the starboard propeller, so they had to shut down the starboard engine. With the remaining two engines having to operate at above maximum continuous power settings to maintain altitude, the port engine started to use a lot of oil. To keep it going it was necessary for someone to climb out on the undercarriage and drain oil from the shut down engine into a thermos, then repeat the effort to top up the port engine. The man who did this was P.G.Taylor, and the account is included in this book. For this he was awarded the George Cross, the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

"Pacific Flight"
In 1934 Kingsford Smith, with Taylor as copilot and navigator, flew across the Pacific Australia to USA in "Lady Southern Cross", a Lockheed Altair. This is the account of the trip

"Bird of the Islands"

After WW2, Taylor for several years ran "cruises out of Sydney to the Pacific islands, using a Sandringham flying boat. This is the account of that venture. I seem to have mislaid another book by him, "Frigate Bird", and account of his pioneering flight across the South Pacific from Australia to Chile. Taylor went to school with my father, so I heard all about his exploits when I was small!

By A.Grenfell Price

"The Skies Remember"

The story of Ross and Keith Smith.

John

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