Cirrus@Austlit

'A creative and cultural history of Brisbane bookshops by Brisbane writers.

'An anthology of creative non-fiction, essays, and memoirs by authors, editors, journalists, poets, historians, librarians, and bookshop owners (past and present).

'What readers have found on the shelves of Brisbane bookshops has educated and entertained, informed and inspired them to seek further, to think more deeply, to travel across the world and its past. Since the 1840s – despite fire and floods, bombings and police raids – Brisbane bookshops had fed the imaginations and nourished the learning of many generations of readers and scholars who’ve helped to make the city, the nation, and the future a better place.

'The final section of the book contains profiles of the current generation of independent bookshops in Brisbane – new and second-hand/antiquarian; general and specialist.

'Edited by Anne Richards and Matthew Wengert, with Bianca Millroy.

'Cover illustration by Delilah Willsteed.

'Contains writing by: Venero Armanno - Steve Capelin - Matthew Condon - Gareth Dickson - Joanne Dolley - Nick Earls - Phillip Edmonds - Raymond Evans - Simon Farley - Jane Frank - Caroline Gardam - Helen Gregory - Mick Healy - Bruce Heiser - Cheryl Kensett - Jean Kent - Bronwen Levy - David Malouf - Louise Martin-Chew - Bianca Millroy - Sean Phillips - Anne Richards - Julianne Schultz - Nathan Shepherdson - Bill Sutton - Chrissi Theodosiou - Meg Vann - Hugh Watson - Matthew Wengert - John Willsteed.' (Publication summary)

'More than 300 people died in Brisbane from the Flu, making it the city’s worst natural disaster. The population in 1919 was around 190 000, so scaling that mortality to Brisbane in 2019 would mean more than 2000 fatalities in a period of six or eight weeks.

'The story of the impact of the Spanish Flu in Brisbane has been documented in City in Masks: How Brisbane fought the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1919, written by Brisbane author Matthew Wengert. City in Masks is a narrative history of Brisbane’s experience during the Pneumonic Influenza epidemic in 1919. It is the story of one small city’s fight against the biggest outbreak of infectious disease in history. 

'The Research for this book was funded by Brisbane City Council’s Lord Mayor’s Helen Taylor History Research Award, which Matthew received in 2018. The book will launch on 9 February at the Museum of Brisbane bookshop.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Doctor Junk stops his car facing the heavy white gate, from where he can see a few outlying buildings of the Barambah Aboriginal Settlement. He gives a double-blast from his car horn, leaving the engine idling while filling his pipe. After a few puffs he sees a man riding down the hill towards him. The rider has a felt hat, but no shoes, and his horse has a bridle, but no saddle. The man’s buttonless shirt, tucked into his trousers, is open wide enough to see the patterned scars across his chest. The doctor taps out his pipe and pulls a white cloth from his coat pocket.' (Introduction)