Cirrus@Austlit

'On November 15, fans of Australian football will celebrate the 100th birthday of the most famous Tiger of all time—Jack ‘Captain Blood’ Dyer. Ten years since his death, the real story of the renowned Tiger hardman has not been told in any detail, other than in caricature and hype, much of it promoted by the man himself during his illustrious media career. We know he was a football hero during the Depression era and WWII eras, a premiership player, coach and enforcer who by the end of his 312-game career had broken 64 collarbones (well, so he said). We also know he was a master of brutalising the English language and one of football’s first TV, print and radio celebrities. (Publisher's blurb)

'David Frith’s acclaimed biography of Archie Jackson, Australian cricket’s doomed batting genius, still stands as the definitive account of a sporting life cut heartbreakingly short. Celebrating Frith’s book as one of cricket literature’s “must-read” volumes, Mike Coward wrote of Jackson: “He was a cricketer who had been kissed by the gods; a batsman who evoked in old men memories of the immortal Victor Trumper; a batsman who, dare it be said, stood comparison with Don Bradman.” When Jackson died in 1933, at the tender age of 23, Australian cricket descended into a period of grief not experienced again until the tragic death of Phillip Hughes some 81 years later. Like Hughes, Jackson was a NSW batting prodigy revered by teammates and cricket lovers alike. Crestfallen fans flocked to his funeral, where the pallbearers included Bradman, Victor Richardson, Bill Woodfull and Bill Ponsford. When Frith’s first iteration of this classic biography was published in 1974, in a limited edition, it became the rarest of publishing phenomenon: an award-winner and an immediate collector’s item. In its foreword, England’s legendary fast bowler, Harold Larwood, wrote of Archie Jackson: “You just had to find a place in your heart for a fellow like him.” In this new edition, Archie Jackson—Cricket’s Tragic Genius, Frith has revised and updated the story, adding precious new material gleaned during a lifelong of devotion to his subject.' (Publication summary)

'I'm not proud of whats happened. Y'know, its not within the spirit of the game.

'Steve Smith was not to know it at Cape Town on 24 March 2018, but he was addressing his last press conference as captain of the Australian cricket team. By the next day morning he would be swept from office by a tsunami of public indignation involving even the prime minister. In a unique admission, Smith confessed to condoning a policy of sandpapering the cricket ball in a Test against South Africa.

'He, the instigator David Warner and their agent Cameron Bancroft returned home to disgrace and to lengthy bans. The crisis plunged Australian cricket into a bout of unprecedented soul searching, with Cricket Australia yielding to demands for reviews of the cricket team and of itself to restore confidence in their culture.

'In Crossing the Line, Gideon Haigh conducts his own cultural review less official and far cheaper but genuinely independent. Studying the cricket team across a decade of radical change, he finds an accident waiting to happen, and a system struggling to cope with self-created challenges, on the field and in the boardroom. And he wonders: is there even any longer a spirit of the game to be within?'

Source: publisher's blurb

'Dr Bridie O’Donnell is the definition of a unique Australian sporting hero. A medical doctor who spent her 20s pursuing sideline sporting careers in rowing and Ironman triathlon, it wasn’t until she reached her mid-30s that O’Donnell found her true calling in the ranks of professional cyclists.

'Intensely driven and a true believer that sporting greatness was still possible—at a time of life when most of us have long given up on our dreams—O’Donnell became a world record-breaker in 2016, when she set a new mark in women’s UCI Hour Record book.

'Life and Death: a cycling memoir, is the story of that triumph. It is also the tale of the backbreaking hard work it took to get there—the audacity of O’Donnell’s late arrival in a brutally tough sport, the physical grind of training and the mind games of team selection, the rejections, the disappointments, the sorrows and the personal upheavals it took for Bridie O’Donnell to finally take her bow as a world-beater.

'Life and Death will inspire both women and men who’ve given up on their sporting ambitions. It also gives a warts-and-all account of the real lives of professional cyclists. Pedalling through the picturesque alpine regions of Italy, barked at by sadistic and uncaring team managers, and persevering when most would have thrown in the towel, O’Donnell provides an unflinching portrait of the life of an Australian woman in the professional peloton.

'A trailblazing athlete and doctor, Bridie O’Donnell is now the head of Victoria’s newly-established Office for Women in Sport, and a regular guest on the Network Ten television show The Project—a public profile that makes her a leading Australian voice on women’s sport and health issues. Upon its release, O’Donnell will be promoting Life and Death in a range of mainstream media outlets.' (Publication summary)

'Roy Cazaly’s extraordinary story is one of the great tales of Australian Football.

'Born in the depths of a depression, he overcame humble beginnings and personal setbacks to become one of our most celebrated footballers. His sublime skills and thrilling aerial feats made him a legend in his lifetime, with his name carried into the modern era via Mike Brady’s hymn to football - ‘Up There Cazaly’. In 1996 he became one of 12 inaugural Legends of Australian Football Hall of Fame. A relentless self-improver, Cazaly shaped the game’s development, applied his own theories to fitness, training and teamwork, and coached teams to premiership success. Away from the field, he enriched the lives of many more as a physiotherapist, horse trainer, philosopher and family man. Robert Allen’s meticulous research, gathered over 10 years, reveals in great detail the story of the man behind the catch cry.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Mysterious things are happening on the farms around Davinal and Diggers full-back Mo Officer and his family may have to sell up and move away unless things change, and quickly. Can Fox Swift and his mates solve the puzzle in time? There is plenty of action when Fox and Chase get too close for comfort to some local wildlife in the Tiwi Islands, and Fox and his friends have their footy skills really put to the test when the slick State Metro team challenges their combined country league. Can longtime rivals MAce and Fox put their differences aside to help the country team win? And has Miles Winter really turned over a new leaf?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Fox Swift and the Golden Boot is the third instalment in the hilarious footy series by David Lawrence with Cyril Rioli and featuring illustrations by Jo Gill. Fox and his ragtag team of Diggers are in for another action- packed year of fun, footy and friendship. This year Fox visits the Tiwi Islands with his best mate Lewis Rioli, his younger brother Chase is made captain of the Davinal Under 11’s, and midway through the season, Fox faces an unexpected test – he’s forced to team up with Mace after a slick Metro side challenges their local country league to a match. Can these longtime rivals put their differences aside long enough to triumph over the city slickers? All of your favourite characters from the first two seasons return, and the Diggers have a new recruit – a speedy half back flanker called Aslam Khan.

'Combining the sporting prowess of Cyril Rioli with the wonderfully wacky words of David Lawrence, witty illustrations by Jo Gill and a quirky footy dictionary, Fox Swift and The Golden Boot is the perfect book for any child with a passion for Aussie Rules, or just a passion for a good read. ' (Publication summary)

'Fox Swift is over the moon about captaining the Davinal Diggers for another season. Who wouldn't be? The Diggers have Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli giving them tips, some quirky star players, and a kangaroo with attitude as their mascot. But Mace Winter and his father Miles have hatched an evil plan to stop Fox and the Diggers winning this year's flag. They have sneakily recruited the best footballers from all the other sides in the competition to make up a formidable Dragons team they call 'The Unbeatables'.This will make it tough for the Diggers to defend their premiership, even though they have picked up two sensational new players–an incredibly smart Asian boy who is almost impossible to tackle and loves performing magic, and a champion middle-distance runner called Rosie McHusky. Fortunately, Fox still has his great friends Lewis, Hugo and Paige on his side, as well his brother Chase and a pet rabbit called Gary, and they are all determined to make sure the Diggers prevail.Fox needs to be on his guard, as Mace and his sidekick Vince will try to bring him down at every turn. Can he overcome detentions and dirty tricks to lead the Diggers to an unlikely premiership? Find out in Fox Swift takes on The Unbeatables.' (Publication summary)

'Fox Smith is an 11-year-old football star. When his family moves from the city to the small country town of Davinal, Fox has to choose which of the town's two teams to join: the rich Dragons, which attracts all the best young footballers, or the Diggers, a struggling club, battling to field a side each week. After a run-in with the school bully, who turns out to be the captain of the Dragons, Fox decides to join the Diggers - can he turn the club around?' (Publication summary)

'Some people have the power to inspire through their actions, words and experience. The Australians in Heroes come from diverse backgrounds - some have encountered hardships, others lead by example and a firm belief in what is right - but each and every one is an inspiration to us all. Heroes contains 15 essays on the people who have helped shape Australia into the diverse country it is. It includes Fred Hollows, Weary Dunlop, Cathy Freeman, Len Hall and Alec Campbell (two of our last Gallipoli veterans), former governor general Bill Deane, the Black referendum leader Faith Bandler, Tom Uren who established the heritage and conservation movement in Australia, Marie Bashir, tennis hero Lew Hoad, Doris Pilkington (of the Rabbit Proof Fence runaway family), Margaret Whitlam (with Gough), cricketers Ray Lindwall and Harold Larwood (gentlemen fast bowlers), Mum Shirl (black campaigner), Michael Ward (Republic campaigner who taught about living and dying) and Bun and Phiny Ung (Cambodian refugees).' (Publisher's blurb)

'In Australia, nothing excites such passion as the tribal loyalties generated by Australian Rules football. This is a collection of essays and writings capturing the agony and the ecstasy of our great game from some of Australia's best storytellers. Contributors share their oval dreams in reflections ranging from witty and affectionate reminiscences and expressions of hope for the future, to statements of deep alienation and betrayal. Featured writers include Don Watson, Paul Kelly, Geoffrey Blainey, Gerald Murnane, Paul Daffey, John Harms, Emma Quayle, Barry Oakley, Peter Corris, Manfred Jurgensen, Kate Eltham, Vin Maskell, Peter Schwab and many more. A revised and updated edition of The Greatest Game – first published in 1988 – the book retains a selection of the most poignant writings from the original version, including those by historian Manning Clark, playwright David Williamson and broadcaster Andrea Stretton. Each year millions of Australians attend or watch the footy – they argue about it, revel in it, despair of it, or even make vain attempts to ignore it. While newspapers keep us informed of the scores or who has been dropped or traded, this book explores the deeper contribution that football has on our culture and society. From the dramatic moments on footy's centre stage, to the battles played out on dusty outback ovals, this book contains something for everyone. ' (Publisher's blurb)

'Stephen Mayne is a journalist, local government councillor and self-described shareholder activist. Best known as the founder of independent news source Crikey, Mayne reflects on his career and shares plenty of anecdotes on his battles with the rich and powerful in The Crikey Man: One Man's Search for Truth, Justice and the Australian Way (The Slattery Media Group, October). He also riffs on power management and institutional accountability in Australia, good governance, a free media and Australia's place in a global world.'

Source: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine, Jun/July 2012, p. 4
Sighted: 24/07/2012

'Brendan Fevola is a football enigma. Revered for his goalkicking feats at Carlton, he had the talent to be one of the club's all-time greats. However, as Carlton discovered over an 11-year journey, Fevola was also every club's nightmare. Whether it was being sent home from Ireland in disgrace during Australia's 2006 International Rules Series or his antics at the 2009 Brownlow Medal, there was usually a common denominator: alcohol.

'This fascinating biography charts Fevola's rise to AFL greatness and his very public descent into disgrace.' (From the publisher's website.)