Item category 1: Society & Culture

In 1959, Australians thrilled to every move made by a new criminal underdog, a Ned Kelly for the rock 'n' roll era. Kevin John Simmonds was a charismatic crook whose brazen crime spree had scored him a lengthy prison sentence. But as he was led from court, he boasted, 'They'll never hold me.' Two...

A close exploration of the vibrant world of cosplay, showing how cosplayers build a strong connection to the characters and stories they treasure, and ultimately how they are constructing their own identities.

One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the "Sweetheart Murders" cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father's da...

Who Owns This Sentence? is an often-humorous and always-enlightening cultural, legal, and global history of the idea that intangible things can be owned, and makes a persuasive case for seeing copyright as an engine of inequality in the twenty-first century.

Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons and discussed in detail their shocking crimes. The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is desc...

This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important.Simon Blackbu...

A thoroughly researched and deeply personal examination of how women unintentionally condone workplace abuse in a post-#MeToo world—and a guide to changing things for the better. When Reah Bravo began working at the Charlie Rose show, the open secret of Rose’s conduct toward women didn’t deter he...

Few things provoke controversy in the modern world like the religion brought by Muhammad. There is alarm over jihad, underage marriage and the threat of amputation or stoning under Shariah law. Sometimes rumor, sometimes based in fact and often misunderstood, the tenets of Islamic law and dogma w...

"While travel was once a marker of sophistication, tourists now face tough questions: When does economic opportunity become exploitation? How do we justify the use of climate-changing jet fuel? And can we be sure our vacations aren't propping up corrupt and brutal regimes? In Reservations, avid t...

As a spiritual icon who continually explores the intersection of cutting-edge science and personal growth, Deepak Chopra, M.D., tackles the little-discussed spiritual benefits of AI and its vast potential to solve the greatest mystery confronting us: consciousness itself. By navigating the intric...

Welcome back to Clarkson's Farm. The spring crop failed. Just like the oilseed rape. And the durum wheat. Then the oats turned the colour of a hearing aid and the mushrooms went mouldy. Farming sheep, pigs and cows was hardly more lucrative. Jeremy would be better off trying to breed ostriches. B...

"This is a comprehensive history of Jewish religion and philosophy, its traditions and practices, magnificently illustrated with over 500 photographs and paintings. It is an in-depth introduction to the religion and its rich cultural and spiritual heritage. It describes the different aspects of O...

True tales of crimes so bizarre you won't believe them. True tales of crimes so bizarre you might not believe them. The mysterious disappearance of thousands of false teeth, international travel via the postal system, doughnut delivery heists, clowns terrorising a neighbourhood, the theft of a th...

Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. They built our world, and they will transform our future. These are the six most crucial substances in human history. They took us from the Dark Ages to the present day. They power our computers and phones, build our homes and offices, and create life-sa...

When it comes to queer British history, London has stolen the limelight. But what about the millions of queer lives lived elsewhere? In Queer beyond London, two leading LGBTQ historians take you on a journey through four English cities from the sixties to the noughties, exploring the northern pos...

Beginning in 2018, a powerful app for secure communications, called Anom, began to take root among drug dealers and other criminals. It had extraordinary safeguards to keep out prying eyes -- the power to quickly wipe data, voice-masking technology, and more. It was better than other apps popular...

Inspiring, revealing and deeply personal, Tested is an exploration of the remarkable place where challenge, crisis and opportunity meet, and how it's only in the moments when we are tested that we discover what we are made of.When Pat Cummins unexpectedly became Australia's 47th Test captain at a...

Forty years after its foundation, Lebanese Hezbollah remains an organization difficult to understand. An Islamist terrorist group dedicated to destroying Israel or the first Arab national Resistance to have ever defeated Tel-Aviv's troops, a patriotic and respectable party or a fascist network ha...

Should I be upfront with someone I'm interested in that I'm ace or aro? How do I get people to respect my boundaries around intimacy? What if I don't want intimacy at all? It is selfish to pursue a relationship if I don't want romance? These questions are not only a source of deep anxiety and fru...

Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy takes the discipline of logic and the mind back to its roots. Drawing inspiration from six of the finest minds in history -- Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche -- he addresses lack of money, the pain of love, inadequa...

Discover the story of Dr. Martens, from its beginnings in 1901 as a producer of sturdy work boots to its position as a cultural icon synonymous with individuality and self-expression. Packed with photographs and information covering the company's entire history, you'll discover the cushioned desi...

An illustrated collection of folk tale monsters, ghosts, and scary stories from around the world.

Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer. Written by the same journalists who uncovered the details of Gibson's lies, this book trac...

Discover the story of Nike, from its beginnings in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports to its current position as the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel. Packed with photographs and information covering the company's entire history, you'll discover the ground-breaking designs and campa...

Why is a heart not heart-shaped? Will I ever understand cryptocurrency? What am I doing when I apricate? And is everything getting worse? Finding the time to appreciate the bounty of our world can be tricky amid the demands of work, family and scrolling our phones. Happily, E. Foley and B. Coates...

Learn how you and your partner can fight smarter, communicate like pros, and handle any challenge as a team! You know that feeling right after an argument you've had with your partner? You feel kind of sick to your stomach, your head is buzzing, and you're zoned out. You regret what you said or h...

Troy has fallen. After 10 years of war, the Greeks make their way back to their own lands -- but what homes now await them? Agamemnon must return to his wife Clytemnestra, who has been nursing her rage since he sacrificed their daughter to the gods for a favourable wind. Her revenge will know no ...

Could Australia become a full-employment, renewable-energy superpower? Ross Garnaut says yes, and it starts with taxing carbon. A levy on the big polluters will help fund Australia to become a carbon-free energy giant, lower the cost of living and assist the world to cut emissions. In this path-b...

Both a translation and critique of an early 20th century seminal French text on the physical effects of corseting, The Bad Corset explores contemporary anti-woman bias to challenge the commonly accepted assertions about corsetry's contribution to disease, disfigurement, and disorders of the femal...

"One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home… Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls--and boy--accused of a savage murder" --Back cover.