November new releases

Explore our latest books

November sees six important new books published — an urgent case for a new response to an old menace, a masterful biography, a colourful look at this year’s politics, a fascinating natural history, a look back at 1950s Australia, and a novel about one of England’s greatest novelists. Read about them here, and to win a copy of our two latest releases, Fascists Among Us and Maurice Blackburn, head to our Facebook page or Instagram and let us know which one you’d most like to read and why.

The massacre of more than fifty worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, shocked the world. The murders were not random. They expressed a particular ideology, one that the alleged perpetrator described as ‘fascism’.

But what does fascism mean today — and what kind of threat does it pose? In Fascists Among Us Jeff Sparrow traces the history of the far right, showing how fascists have adapted to the new politics of the twenty-first century. This book makes a compelling, urgent case for a new response to an old menace.

‘Lit with insight and urgency. Read it, just read it.’
— Chloe Hooper

David Day’s biography of Maurice Blackburn is part love story, part gripping political thriller. The poignant story of the much-lauded lawyer and politician exposes a time when influence-peddling was rife, when political possibilities seemed limitless, and when a man of principle could still make a big difference to the course of Australian politics.

‘David Day’s masterful biography evokes an era when idealism and activism fit hand in glove. Instructive, inspiring, galvanising.’
— Clare Wright

Celebrate another glorious year of achievement in Australian politics with Best Australian Political Cartoons 2019, as our humble, balanced, and always scrupulously fair cartoonists pay tribute to the selfless service of our leaders.

In 1956: the year Australia welcomed the world Nick Richardson peels back the layers to reveal Australia at a critical moment in time. He brilliantly recreates the broader events surrounding the Melbourne Olympics at the end of 1956, as well as the dramas of the Games themselves. Throughout, he also follows a range of men and women who were touched by this transformation, to illuminate the personal consequences of being part of Australia’s pivotal year.

In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O’Shaughnessy is a glorious debut novel which tells the compelling story of one of England’s greatest novelists as you’ve never read it before. Everyone who has thrilled at being shown the world anew by George Eliot will thrill again at her presence, complex and compelling, here.

Waters of the World by Sarah Dry is a tour through 150 years of the history of a significant but underappreciated idea: that the Earth has a global climate system made up of interconnected parts, constantly changing on all scales of both time and space. A prerequisite for the discovery of global warming and climate change, this idea was forged by scientists studying water in its myriad forms. This is their story.