Cirrus@Austlit

'Opinion is still sharply divided on whether Breaker Morant and his Australian co-defendants were criminals who got what they deserved, or scapegoats used by the British Empire. Major Thomas, the bush lawyer drafted in at the last minute to defend them, is invariably depicted as either a hero or an incompetent fool. Now, for the first time, Greg Growden attempts to unravel the truth about the lawyer and soldier who returned from South Africa a broken man.

'Before the Boer War, Major Thomas had been a pillar of his community. He was a published poet, newspaper proprietor, lawyer and decorated soldier, but defending Breaker Morant became the defining episode of his life. The former ‘King of Tenterfield’ endured a stunning fall from grace, slipping into bankruptcy and imprisonment. Thomas ended his days as an eccentric recluse, his life ruined by the ignominy and frustration of finding himself on the wrong side of history.

'For more than a century he has been a footnote in diverging historical arguments. A proper hearing for Major Thomas is long overdue.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Numerous heroes of Australian cricket have also proved themselves on the battlefield, from Gallipoli to Vietnam and beyond. Among them are some of Australia's most illustrious cricketing names: Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Keith Carmody, Jack Fingleton and, in more recent years, Doug Walters. In this sport/history page-turner, veteran sports journalist Greg Growden tells their extraordinary stories of bravery, hardship, courage and human endeavour.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Cult hero of the Big Bash League, prime drawcard of the Perth Scorchers, IPL champion, 45-year-old Brad Hogg is still in his prime – almost three decades after he first played cricket at a major level.'

'His trajectory has been completely unlike that of other cricketing champions. As well as playing for his country, Brad has worked in shearing sheds and on the Fremantle wharf, been a postman, football umpire, treelopper and roustabout, as well as completing a finance degree. He has overcome countless setbacks – including a seven-year gap between his first and second Test appearances – to become one of Australia’s most successful limited-over players.'

'Memorable, sad, rousing, unpredictable and often hilarious, The Wrong ’Un is the inspirational story of one of the game’s most popular players. ...'

'Tom Richards is the only Australian-born Test rugby player to have played for both Australia and the British Lions. When the Australian team won the Gold Medal for rugby at the 1908 Olympic Games, the London Times pronounced: 'If ever the Earth had to select a Rugby Football team to play against Mars, Tom Richards would be the first player chosen.'

With an introduction by leading Australian rugby writer Greg Growden, Richards's diaries offer wonderful insights into his extraordinary sporting life, but more importantly provide perceptive and acute observations of the brutality and the humanity he observed on the front lines of World War I. His diaries are a revealing and very personal account of what occurred throughout the Gallipoli campaign and then the Western Front, where he received a Military Cross for his courage under German fire. As a great observer of human tragedy and frailties, Richards is acerbic in his opinions and often critical of his superiors and fellow soldiers, repeatedly finding fault with the British in charge. But it is his vivid descriptions of the many other characters who crossed his path that confirm this to be a significant contribution to our understanding of the Great War.

Wallaby Warrior is a rich and intimate observation of life from a very different time by one of Australia's greatest rugby players, and the man after whom the trophy for rugby union tests between Australia and the British Lions is named.' (Publisher's blurb)

'Jack Fingleton is one of Australian cricket's most important and intriguing characters. In John Arlott's words: "He is himself, and a diverse himself it is."

'Fingleton was an outstanding opening batsman with a reputation for fearlessness against the most hostile and dangerous opening attacks. He faced up to England's feared Bodyline bowlers, and became the first batsman in history to score four successive Test centuries.

'Later he gained a reputation as possibly Australia's greatest cricket writer, with his work syndicated throughout Australia and overseas. He also moved in the corridors of power as a political journalist, and was on intimate terms with several prime ministers. He was the author of a number of authoritative books, including Cricket Crisis and Brightly Fades the Don.

'Fingleton led a varied and at times turbulent life. Married to the daughter of noted feminist Jessie Street, over several decades he was involved in an on-again, off-again feud with one-time teammate Sir Donald Bradman. Greg Growden's access to previously unpublished correspondence has helped him shed new light on their relationship, and on the rich life of a witty, evocative, complex and altogether unforgettable Australian.' (Publisher's blurb)