AUTHOR
DETAILS
Ion
(Jack) Idriess (1889-1979) was one of Australia's best-loved
writers, with 56 books to his credit, and many millions
of copies sold. When he returned from the First World
War, he submmitted The Desert Column to
Angus & Robertson, but it wasn't until his obsession
with gold mining led to his Prospecting for Gold,
that he was published, and instantly successful. A small,
wiry, mild-mannered wanderer, Idriess spent much of
his life campaigning for Australian publishing and promoting
his own books from Melbourne to Broome. Flynn
of the Inland and Lasseter's Last Ride
are his two most lasting and consistently successful
stories.
Flynn
of the Inland - Ion L. Idriess
Imprint Lives ISBN 1 875892 11 7
256pp AU$16.45
The
extraordinary story of John Flynn - famous pioneer of
the Australian Inland Mission - and his struggle to
ease the isolation of the people of the Australian outback.
Flynn's dreams for the sparsely populated Australian
interior were first formed as he rode on a camel through
it. By the end of his life he had seen the development
of transport and communication systems, the building
of Bush Hospitals and the establishment of the Flying
Doctor Services.
When
Flynn of the Inland was first published,
the Sydney Morning Herald hailed Idriess
as the 'Boswell of the Bush' and wrote: ' In conversational
style the completed study is built up, and history is
revealed while scarce we know it. And throughout, as
is fitting, the high aim in view and the means by which
it is accomplished transcend the telling, transcend
even the man.'
The
Morning Post in London wrote: 'It is impossible
to read this book and remain untouched by the greatness
of John Flynn's inspiration.'
Nemarluk
- Ion L. Idriess
Imprint ISBN 1 875892 10 9
224pp AU$14.95
Nemarluk
was Chief of the Cahnmah Aborigines, called by Idriess
the 'last of the Stone Age men'. Nemarluk was known
as the scourge of the Northern Territory police, but
his brave and murderous attempts to thwart the invasion
of his lands was admired and respected by Idriess. In
this action-packed fictionalisation, Idriess recounts
the tracking of Nemarluk by his nemesis, Bul-Bul, and
the eventual incarceration and death of the King of
the Wilds.
Nemarluk
was one of the few books written from a sympathetic
perspective at a time when few white writers had the
experience or understanding to tackle stories about
Aborigines. It is not only a fast-moving tale about
heroism but also an important document recording the
social and ethical relationships between black and white
Australians.
Ion
(Jack) Idriess wrote 56 books and sold over 3 million
copies throughout his career. He was largely responsible
for popularising Australian writing at a time when local
publishing was still not considered viable. Born in
1891, he served in the 5th Light Horse in the First
World War and returned to write The Desert Column,
which was published following his huge success with
Prospecting for Gold. A small wiry mild-mannered
man, Idriess was a wanderer and adventurer, with a vast
pride in Australia, past, present and future.
The
Read Chief - Ion L. Idriess
richmond Imprint
266pp AU$22.95
The
Red Chief was one of the few books written from a sympathetic
perspective at a time when few white writers had the
experience or understanding to tackle stories about
Aborigines. It is not only a fast-moving tale about
heroism but also an important document recording the
social and ethical relationships between black and white
Australians.
add
Prospecting
for Gold
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