Mantel Pieces by Hilary Mantel

$39.99 AUD

Category: Writing

In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, ‘I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.’ This collection of twenty reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the ne xt three decades, tells the story of what happened next. Her subjects range far and wide: Robespierre and Danton, the Hite report, Saudi Arabia where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, John Osborne, the Virgin Mary as well as the pop icon Madonna, a brilliant examination of Helen Duncan, Britain’s last witch. There are essays about Jane Boleyn, Charles Brandon, Christopher Marlowe and Margaret Pole, which display the astonishing insight into the Tudor mind we are familiar with from the bestselling Wolf Hall Trilogy. Her famous lecture, ‘Royal Bodies’, which caused a media frenzy, explores the place of royal women in society and our imagination. Here too are some of her LRB diaries, including her first meeting with her stepfather and a confrontation with a circus strongman. Constantly illuminating, always penetrating and often very funny, interleaved with letters and other ephemera gathered from the archive, Mantel Pieces is an irresistible selection from one of our greatest living writers. ...Show more

How Should One Read a Book? by Virginia Woolf

$16.99 AUD

Category: Writing

"Where are we to begin? How are we to bring order into this multitudinous chaos and so get the deepest and widest pleasure from what we read?" Published for the first time as a standalone volume, Virginia Woolf's short, impassioned essay, How Should One Read a Book? celebrates the enduring importance of great literature. In this timeless manifesto on the written word, rediscover the joy of reading and the power of a good book to change the world. One of the most significant writers of the 20th Century, Woolf is as relevant today as she was a hundred years ago. ...Show more

Meanjin Vol 79 No 2 by Jonathan Green

$24.99 AUD

Category: Writing

Intimacy Author and essayist Lucia Osborne-Crowley examines the cost of intimacy for women in a world where men demand exclusive access to the closeness of their female partners, often without returning the emotional labour involved. Other essays include- Academic and author Toby Miller looks at the st ate of the world, from climate change and species extinctions, to the culture of social media and misinformation, the growing gulfs of economic and social inequality, and concludes that the problem is universal and can be summed up in one word- capitalism. Critic and academic Emmett Stinson writes on the sad gap between the content provided by the news sources that inform us and, well, reality. Noongar author Claire G. Coleman writes on the long shadow of the Stolen Generations- 'Dad discovered he was Noongar when he was 63, when I was 30, when his Uncle Bob died...' Author Eleanor Gordon-Smith considers the irresistible rise of populism ... and how giving people what (they think) they want is reshaping the world. Poet Toby Fitch details Australian animal and bird extinction from 1788 to the present. And author Ellena Savage on the strange and deeply personal world of acknowledgement pages. Plus- New memoir, new fiction, and the best in new Australian poetry. ...Show more

Meanjin Vol 79 No 3 by Jonathan Green

$24.99 AUD

Category: Writing

New Australian Fiction 2020 : new collection of short fiction from Kill Your Darlings by Rebecca Starford (Editor); Laura McPhee-Browne; Sophie Overett; K. A. Rees; Mirandi Riwoe; Mykaela Saunders; Laura Stortenbeker; Jessie Tu; Jack Vening; Madeleine Watts; Maame Blue; Claire G. Coleman; Elizabeth Flux; Katerina Gibson; Jack Kirne; Daria Lebedyeva; Donna Mazza

$24.95 AUD

Category: Writing

New Australian Fiction features brilliant writers with distinct experiences, voices and styles from all corners of Australia. Together they showcase the strength and diversity of Australian short fiction at its best.

100 Children's Books That Inspire Our World by Colin Salter

$32.99 AUD

Category: Writing

An amazing collection of the most beloved, original, inspiring, hysterical, heart-warming, compelling, rude and downright scary books that have enchanted children the world over. In 100 Children's Books That Inspired Our World, author Colin Salter brings together an exceptional collection of truly groundbreaking children's books - from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer to the graphic novels of Dr. Seuss. All the classic children's authors are represented with one stand-out book, plus mentions for their best-known works. Ordered chronologically, the book features favourite children's books ranging from Victorian classics to modern day bestsellers. Entries include: Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Charlotte's Web, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Matilda, Watership Down, Tales of Hans Christian Anderson, Grimms Fairy Tales, Peter Pan, A Bear Called Paddington, The Snowman, The Secret Garden, How to Train Your Dragon, Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, The Gruffalo, Mr Men, Coraline, Herge's Adventures of TinTin, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Finn Family Moomintroll, Swiss Family Robinson, Heidi, The Hobbit, The Red Balloon, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, His Dark Materials, The Railway Children, Noddy, The House at Pooh Corner, The Sheep Pig, Stig of the Dump, Fungus the Bogeyman, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Black Beauty, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, Artemis Fowl and many more who lived happily ever after. ...Show more

A Writer's Year - 365 Creative Writing Prompts by Emma Bastow

$27.99 AUD

Category: Writing

Develop regular creative writing practice with this interactive journal, full of simple, witty and playful ideas every writer will enjoy. They say that everyone has a book in them, but who has the time to sit down and find it? This journal, filled with creative writing prompts for every day of the year , is a great way to get started. * Create a superhero's 'to-do' list. * Write an ode to a chair. * What would you most like to find in an attic? * If dogs could talk, what would they say? * What secrets have you never told? ...Show more

Complete Your Book Proposal in 5 Days - Your Path to Successful Book Publishing Starts Here by Paul Mikos

$19.99 AUD

Category: Writing

A successful book starts with a great book proposal. Tired of being rejected by publishers and agents? The problem probably isn't your book--it's your book proposal. Give your book proposal a professional makeover in just five days with insider 's advice from the publishers themselves Based on a templat e developed by editors at one of the world's largest publishers, Complete Your Book Proposal in 5 Days is your step-by-step guide to writing and submitting a book proposal that grabs attention by shining the best possible light on your manuscript. Get started today and get your book out of the slush pile and into bookstores ...Show more

Cult Writers by Ian Haydn Smith; Kristelle Rodeia (Illustrator)

$24.99 AUD

Category: Writing | Series: Cult Figures Ser.

In Cult Writers Ian Haydn Smith introduces 50 novelists deserving of a cult status. The literary genres and subjects explored within these writers’ pages are rich and diverse – acting as mirrors of their genius minds: from Irvine Welsh’s gritty Edinburgh streets, to Ken Kesey&rsqu o;s drug-fuelled madness; from feminist trailblazer Sylvia Plath to the magical realism of Angela Carter. Discover little knowns with small, devout followings and superstars gracing the covers of magazines: each writer is special in their individuality and their ability to inspire, antagonise and delight.  Following Cult Artists, Cult Filmmakers and Cult Musicians, Cult Writers is an essential addition to any book lover's library, as well as an entertaining introduction to our weird and wonderful world of literature.The writers:  Kathy Acker, James Baldwin, J.G. Ballard, Mikhail Bulgakov, Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Octavia E. Butler, Italo Calvino, Albert Camus, Angela Carter, Colette, Maryse Conde, Julio Cortazar, Philip K. Dick, Douglas Coupland, Marguerite Duras, Ralph Ellison, Elena Ferrante, Janet Frame, Jean Genet, Joseph Heller, Michel Houellebecq, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Ken Kesey, Chris Kraus, Milan Kundera, Ursula K. Le Guin, Doris Lessing, Cormac McCarthy, Carson McCullers, Yukio Mishima, Haruki Murakami, Anais Nin, Sylvia Plath, Thomas Pynchon, Raymond Queneau, Ayn Rand, Pauline Reage, Jean Rhys, Juan Rulfo, Francoise Sagan, J.D. Salinger, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Donna Tartt, Jim Thompson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Kurt Vonnegut, Virginia Woolf, Irvine Welsh. ...Show more

Fierce Bad Rabbits by Clare Pollard

$22.99 AUD

Category: Writing

What is The Tiger Who Came to Tea really about? How is Meg and Mog related to Polish embroidery? And why does death in picture books involve being eaten? Fierce Bad Rabbits explores the stories behind our favourite picture books, weaving in tales of Clare Pollard's childhood reading and her re-discovery of the classic tales as a parent. Because the best picture books are far more complex than they seem - and darker too. Monsters can gobble up children and go unnoticed, power is not always used wisely, and the wild things are closer than you think. ...Show more

First You Write a Sentence:The Elements of Reading, Writing ... and Life by Joe Moran

$22.99 AUD

Category: Writing

The sentence is the common ground where every writer walks. A poet writes in sentences, but so does the unsung author who came up with Items trapped in doors cause delays. A good sentence can be written (and read) by anyone if we simply give it the gift of our time. Enter widely-acclaimed author Profes sor Joe Moran. Using minimal technical terms, First You Write a Sentence is his unpedantic but authoritative explanation of how the most ordinary words can be turned into verbal constellations of extraordinary grace. Using sources ranging from the Bible and Shakespeare to George Orwell and Maggie Nelson, and scientific studies of what can best fire the reader's mind, he shows how we can all write in a way that is clear, compelling and alive. Along the way he reveals how good writing can help us notice the world, make ourselves known to others and live more meaningful lives. It's an elegant gem in praise of the English sentence. ...Show more

Genius and Ink: Virginia Woolf on How to Read by Virginia Woolf

$24.99 AUD

Category: Writing

FOREWORD BY ALI SMITH WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY FRANCESCA WADE Who better to serve as a guide to great books and their authors than Virginia Woolf? In the early years of its existence, the Times Literary Supplement published some of the finest writers in English: T. S. Eliot, Henry James and E. M. Forster among them. But one of the paper's defining voices was Virginia Woolf, who produced a string of superb essays between the two World Wars. The weirdness of Elizabethan plays, the pleasure of revisiting favourite novels, the supreme examples of Charlotte Bront , George Eliot and Henry James, Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad: all are here, in anonymously published pieces, in which may be glimpsed the thinking behind Woolf's works of fiction and the enquiring, feminist spirit of A Room of One's Own. Here is Woolf the critical essayist, offering, at one moment, a playful hypothesis and, at another, a judgement laid down with the authority of a twentieth-century Dr Johnson. Here is Woolf working out precisely what's great about Hardy, and how Elizabeth Barrett Browning made books a "substitute for living" because she was "forbidden to scamper on the grass". Above all, here is Virginia Woolf the reader, whose enthusiasm for great literature remains palpable and inspirational today. ...Show more