Book

 

Here’s the modest haul, restraint please, from the St Peter’s Bookroom Book Fair last weekend, $20 the lot. Alphabetically by author. 1. ‘The history question : who owns the past?’ by Inga Clendinnen a Quarterly Essay that addressed the history war before the last one with her fearless signature incisiveness (Black Inc., 2006) 2. ‘The golden rule’ by Irene Cooper, its reiteration in different religious traditions as told in story between a grandfather and grandchild, beautifully illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska, the book itself in excellent condition (Abrams Books, 2007) 3. ‘Wild Australia : a view of birds and men’ by Douglas Dorward, as the title suggests a ‘blokes go bush’ book but interesting today for its paintings and drawings by John Olsen, prefiguring his later big artbook nature trips to extreme parts of the continent (Collins, 1977) 4. ‘John Ford Paterson : a family tradition’ with text by Lyn Johnson, a Scottish artist I was unaware of, who came to Australia and could be called next generation Heidelberg School, Paterson created some very good things ((McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park, 2010) 5. ‘Churchill: visionary, statesman, historian’ by John Lukacs, which came after a book of his I have read ‘Five days in London: May 1940’, itself a must-read for anyone who still needs to know what Churchill did to avoid capitulation, how much of a close thing it really was (Scribe, 2002) 6. ‘Australian legends of our land’ by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, a children’s book for anyone, withdrawn from the Malvern Library Service well-worn, telling ancient stories of Stradbroke Island and other parts of the country (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990) 7. ‘There’s a wocket in my pocket!’ by Dr. Seuss, in very good condition and no texta scribbles, I further soften to Dr. Seuss and this one is great, charming, screwball, mysterious, a house full of zany creatures including the zlock behind the clock and the vug under the rug (Collins and Harvill, 1975) 8.  ‘Elinor Fettiplace’s receipt book’ is an Elizabethan cookbook revived and carefully annotated by Hilary Spurling, it follows the English seasons and brings to life the world of Elinor’s household, planning some testing (Penguin Books, 1986) 9. ‘Political amnesia : how we forgot to govern’ another one of those Quarterly Essays, this one by the reassuringly formidable Laura Tingle, she who when interviewing stares at a politician’s answer with baleful disbelief. (Black Inc., 2015) 10. ‘Dublinesque’ by Enrique Vila-Matas, a Spanish novel in which the main character “sets off for Dublin on the pretext … to hold, on Bloomsday, a funeral for the age of print,” so an add to the large literature speaking to the work of Joyce and especially that kaleidoscopic wonder, ‘Ulysses’ (Harvill Secker, 2012)