Reference

ISBN: 9781911641087
Title: 100 CHILDRENS BOOKS THAT INSPIRE OUR WORLD
Author: SALTER COLIN
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: ACTIVE TITLE

In 100 Children's Books That Inspired Our World, author Colin Salter brings together an exceptional collection of truly groundbreaking children's books - from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer to the graphic novels of Dr. Seuss. All the classic children's authors are represented with one stand-out book, plus mentions for their best-known works.

Entries include: Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Charlotte's Web, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Matilda, Watership Down, Tales of Hans Christian Anderson, Grimms Fairy Tales, Peter Pan, A Bear Called Paddington, The Snowman, The Secret Garden, How to Train Your Dragon, Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, The Gruffalo, Mr Men, Coraline, Herge's Adventures of TinTin, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Finn Family Moomintroll, Swiss Family Robinson, Heidi, The Hobbit, The Red Balloon, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, His Dark Materials, The Railway Children, Noddy, The House at Pooh Corner, The Sheep Pig, Stig of the Dump, Fungus the Bogeyman, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Black Beauty, The Diary of a Young Girl, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, Artemis Fowl and many more who lived happily ever after.

Imprint: PAVILLION
RRP: $32.99

ISBN: 9781783964383
Title: ACCIDENTAL DICTIONARY : The Remarkable Twists and Turns of English Words
Author: JONES PAUL ANTHONY
Format: PAPER COVER
Publishing status: TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

Brimming with hidden histories and tantalising twists, The Accidental Dictionary tells the extraordinary stories behind ordinary words. Our everyday language is full of surprises; its origins are stranger than you might think. Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past. Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man, nice meant ignorant, glamour was magic and a cupboard was a table...

Focusing on 100 surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.

"A real delight ... hidden gems nestle on every page" -- JaffaReadsToo

"The Accidental Dictionary is certainly worth adding [to a bookshelf]... I knew very few of these, which is a good thing, and now I know more, which is a better one" -- Marcus Berkmann, Spectator Christmas books 2016

Imprint: ELLIOTT AND THOMPSON
RRP: $19.99

ISBN: 9781486311934
Title: AUSTRALIAN BIRD GUIDE - Revised Edition
Author: MENKHORST PETER
Format: PAPER COVER
Publishing status: BACK IN STOCK SOON

Winner of the 2018 ABIA Small Publisher's Adult Book of the Year Winner of the 2017 Whitley Medal Australia’s avifauna is large, diverse and spectacular, reflecting the continent’s impressive range of habitats and evolutionary history. With specially commissioned paintings of over 900 species, The Australian Bird Guide is the most comprehensive field guide to Australian birds ever seen. This Revised Edition includes updated maps, artwork and species accounts, reflecting current knowledge of the biology and distribution of Australia’s birds. It features around 4700 specially commissioned colour illustrations of over 900 species, with particular emphasis on providing the fine detail required to identify difficult groups and distinctive plumages. Comprehensive species accounts have been written by a dedicated team of ornithologists to ensure identification details, distribution and status are current and accurate. A new easier-to-use index is also included. The Australian Bird Guide sets a new standard in field guides, providing an indispensable reference for all birders and naturalists looking to explore Australia’s magnificent and unique birdlife.

Imprint: CSIRO PUBLICATIONS
RRP: $49.99

ISBN: 9780198832270
Title: BAGELS BUMF AND BUSES : A Day in the Life of the English Language
Author: HOROBIN SIMON
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: ACTIVE TITLE

Where do our everyday words come from?

The bagel you eat for breakfast, the bumf you have to wade through at the office, and the bus that takes you home again: we use these words without thinking about their origins and how their meanings have changed over time. Simon Horobin takes the reader on a journey through a typical day, showing how the words we use to describe routine activities - getting up, going to work, eating meals - have surprisingly fascinating histories.

Imprint: OXFORD
RRP: $34.99

ISBN: 9781107176683
Title: BEATS : A Literary History
Author: BELLETTO STEVEN
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

Kerouac. Ginsberg. Burroughs. These are the most famous names of the Beat Generation, but in fact they were only the front line of a much more wide-ranging literary and cultural movement. This critical history takes readers through key works by these authors, but also radiates out to discuss dozens more writers and their works, showing how they all contributed to one of the most far-reaching literary movements of the post-World War II era. Moving from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, this book explores key aesthetic and thematic innovations of the Beat writers, the pervasiveness of the Beatnik caricature, the role of the counterculture in the post-war era, the involvement of women in the Beat project, and the changing face of Beat political engagement during the Vietnam War era.

Imprint: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
RRP: $54.99

ISBN: 9781529112825
Title: BECAUSE INTERNET : Understanding how language is changing
Author: MCCULLOCH GRETCHEN
Format: PAPER COVER
Publishing status: ACTIVE TITLE

THE ACCLAIMED NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.

Because Internet is for anyone who's ever puzzled over how to punctuate a text message or wondered where memes come from. It's the perfect book for understanding how the internet is changing the English language, why that's a good thing, and what our online interactions reveal about who we are.

Language is humanity's most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed. What's more, social media is a vast laboratory of unedited, unfiltered words where we can watch language evolve in real time.

Even the most absurd-looking slang has genuine patterns behind it. Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch explores the deep forces that shape human language and influence the way we communicate with one another. She explains how your first social internet experience influences whether you prefer 'LOL' or 'lol', why -sparkly tildes- succeeded where centuries of proposals for irony punctuation had failed, what emoji have in common with physical gestures, and how the artfully disarrayed language of animal memes like lolcats and doggo made them more likely to spread.

'McCulloch is such a disarming writer - lucid, friendly, unequivocally excited about her subject - that I began to marvel at the flexibility of the online language she describes, with its numerous shades of subtlety.' New York Times

Imprint: Vintage
RRP: $19.99

ISBN: 9780525657262
Title: BRIGHT BOOK OF LIFE
Author: BLOOM HAROLD
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: November 2020 New Release

In his first book devoted exclusively to narrative fiction, America's most original and controversial literary critic and legendary Yale professor writes trenchantly about fifty-two masterworks spanning the Western tradition.

Perhaps no other literary critic but Harold Bloom could--or would--undertake a project of this immensity. And certainly no other critic could bring to it the extraordinary knowledge, understanding, and insight that are the hallmark of Bloom's every book. Ranging across centuries and continents, this final book of his career, gives us the inimitable critic on Don Quixote and Book of Numbers; Wuthering Heights and Absalom, Absalom; Les Miserables and Blood Meridian; Vanity Fair and Invisible Man; The Captain's Daughter and The Reef. He writes about works by Austen, Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, James, Conrad, Lawrence, Wolff, Le Guin, Sebald, and many more. Whether you have already read these books, or intend to, or simply care about the importance and power of fiction, Harold Bloom serves as an unparalleled guide through the pages of these 52 masterpieces of the genre.

Imprint: Doubleday Publishers
RRP: $62.99

ISBN: 9781783964390
Title: CABINET OF LINGUISTIC CURIOSITIES : A Yearbook of Forgotten Words
Author: JONES PAUL ANTHONY
Format: PAPER COVER
Publishing status: TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

Open the Cabinet to leap back in time, learn about linguistic trivia, follow a curious thread or wonder at the web of connections in the English language.

1 January quaaltagh (n.) the first person you meet on New Year's Day
1 April dorbellist (n.) a fool, a dull-witted dolt 12 May word-grubber (n.) someone who uses obscure or difficult words in everyday conversation
25 Septembertheic (adj.) an excessive drinker of tea
24 Decemberdoniferous (adj.) carrying a gift

Paul Anthony Jones has unearthed a wealth of strange and forgotten words: illuminating some aspect of the day, or simply telling a cracking good yarn, each reveals a story. Written with a light touch that belies the depth of research it contains, this is both a fascinating compendium of etymology and a captivating historical miscellany. Dip into this beautiful book to be delighted and intrigued throughout the year.

"Cracking open its beautifully crafted cover is like peeking into an old, mysterious cabinet ... The book's conceit is brilliant, the writing is crisp, and the tales are well-chosen and captivating" - Mashed Radish

Imprint: ELLIOTT AND THOMPSON
RRP: $19.99

ISBN: 9781910200964
Title: DAEMON VOICES : Essays on Storytelling
Author: PULLMAN PHILIP
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: ACTIVE TITLE

A masterful collection of essays on storytelling by Philip Pullman, one of our greatest writers.

In over 30 essays written over 20 years, one of the worlds great storytellers meditates on story-telling. Warm, funny, generous, entertaining and, above all, deeply considered, they offer thoughts on a wide variety of topics, including the origin and composition of Philips own stories, the craft of writing and the storytellers who have meant the most to Philip. The art of story-telling is everywhere present in the essays themselves, in the instantly engaging tone, the vivid imagery and striking phrases, the resonant anecdotes, the humour and learnedness. Together, they are greater than the sum of their parts: a single, sustained engagement with story and story-telling.

Imprint: DAVID FICKLING BOOKS
RRP: $34.99

ISBN: 9781472154774
Title: DICTIONARY OF THE UNDOING
Author: FREEMAN JOHN
Format: HARD COVER
Publishing status: ACTIVE TITLE

For John Freeman - literary critic, essayist, editor, poet and 'one of the preeminent book people of our time' (Dave Eggers) - it is a rare moment when words are not enough. But in the wake of the election of 2016, words felt useless, even indulgent. Action was the only reasonable response. He took to the streets in protest, and the sense of community and collective conviction felt right. But the assaults continued - on citizens' rights and long-held compacts, on the core principles of our culture and civilization, and on our language itself. Words seemed to be losing the meanings they once had and Freeman was compelled to return to their defense. The result is his DICTIONARY OF THE UNDOING.

From A to Z, 'Agitate' to 'Zygote,' Freeman assembled the words that felt most essential, most potent, and began to build a case for their renewed power and authority, each word building on the last. The message that emerged was not to retreat behind books, but to emphatically engage in the public sphere, to redefine what it means to be a literary citizen.

With an afterword by Valeria Luiselli, DICTIONARY OF THE UNDOING is a necessary, resounding cri de coeur in defense of language, meaning, and our ability to imagine, describe, and build a better world.

Imprint: CORSAIR
RRP: $32.99

ISBN: 9781925603651
Title: DRAFT NO 4 : On the Writing Process
Author: MCPHEE JOHN
Format: TRADE PAPER COVER
Publishing status: TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

The long-awaited guide to writing long-form non-fiction by the legendary author and teacher.

In Draft No. 4 John McPhee shares insights he has gathered over his long career, and has refined while teaching at Princeton University, where he has nurtured some of the most highly regarded writers of our time. He discusses structure, diction and tone, observing that ‘readers are not supposed to notice the structure. It is meant to be about as visible as someone’s bones’.

This book is a vivid depiction of the writing process, enriched by personal reflections on the life of a writer. Everything in this luminous book is enlivened by McPhee’s keen sense of writing as a way of being in the world.

Imprint: Text Publishing
RRP: $29.99

ISBN: 9781787464131
Title: DREYERS ENGLISH : An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
Author: DREYER BENJAMIN
Format: PAPER COVER
Publishing status: November 2020 New Release

'An utterly delightful book to read, Dreyer's English will stand among the classics on how to use the English language properly.' ELIZABETH STROUT

'A complete joy. For those who care about words - and for those who don't - Dreyer's English is the book we have all been waiting for. Wise, funny, no-nonsense, stylish and brilliantly practical. Ditch the beach books this year; take this instead.' RACHEL JOYCE
_______________________

An indispensable, New York Times-bestselling guide to the craft of writing from Random House's long-time copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus.

We all write, all the time- books, blogs, tweets, emails, emails, emails - and we all want to write better. Benjamin Dreyer is here to help.

As Random House's copy chief, Dreyer has upheld the standards of the legendary publisher for more than two decades. He is beloved by authors and editors alike - not to mention his followers on social media - for playfully, brilliantly deconstructing the English language. Dreyer's English is the distillation of everything he has learned from copyediting thousands of books, the perfect guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best prose foot forward.

Both authoritative and amusing, Dreyer's English offers lessons on punctuation, from the underloved semicolon to the enigmatic en-dash; the rules and non-rules of grammar, including why it's OK to begin a sentence with 'And' or 'But' and to confidently split an infinitive; and why it's best to avoid the doldrums of the Wan Intensifiers and Throat Clearers, including 'very', 'rather', 'of course', and the dreaded 'actually'.

And yes- 'Only godless savages eschew the Oxford comma.'

Stuffed with advice, insider wisdom, and fun facts, this book will prove to be invaluable to everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills, mandatory for people who spend their time editing and shaping other people's prose, and - perhaps best of all - an utter treat for anyone who simply revels in language.
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This book is written in British English.
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'A fascinating guide to grammatical "rights" and "wrongs" - practical and useful' SUNDAY TIMES

'Benjamin Dreyer's brilliant, pithy, incandescently intelligent book is to contemporary writing what Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry was to medieval English- a gift that broadens and deepens the art and the science of literature by illustrating that convention should not stand in the way of creativity, so long as that creativity is expressed with clarity and with conviction.' JON MEACHAM

'Meet the guardian of grammar who wants to help you be a better writer. Benjamin Dreyer sees language the way an epicure sees food. And he finds sloppiness everywhere he looks.' THE NEW YORK TIMES

'A fascinating guide to grammatical 'rights' and 'wrongs' - practical and useful' SEBASTIAN FAULKS, SUNDAY TIMES

'If learning about the pillars of punctuation and grammar doesn't excite you, let Benjamin Dreyer change your mind ... he analyzes the English language without dipping into the drab technicalities, crafting a pleasing read for anyone who has an appreciation for the written word.' TIME MAGAZINE, BEST 10 NON-FICTION BOOKS OF 2019

'Witty and piquant ... full of jokes - and equally full of deliciously deprecating footnotes.' JEWISH CHRONICLE

'Playful, smart, self-conscious, and personal . . . One encounters wisdom and good sense on nearly every page of Dreyer's English.' WALL STREET JOURNAL

'Destined to become a classic.' THE MILLIONS

'A mind-blower--sure to jumpstart any writing project, just by exposing you, the writer, to Dreyer's astonishing level of sentence-awareness.' GEORGE SAUNDERS, author of Lincoln in the Bardo

'Pleasurable and instructive ... You can read Dreyer's English right through with unalloyed enjoyment, and learn a lot from it- not only from its rulings but from its attitude ... Benjamin Dreyer is wise and bitterly experienced and fantastically good company. You should buy his book and read it.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

'Dreyer can help you . . . with tips on punctuation and spelling. . . . Even better- He'll entertain you while he's at it.' NEWSDAY

'Boisterously well written ... I recommend it highly.' INDEPENDENT

'It is Benjamin Dreyer's intense love for the English language and his passion for the subject that make the experience of reading Dreyer's English such a pleasure, almost regardless of the invaluable and practical purpose his book serves in such dark and confusing times for grammar and meaning.' AYELET WALDMAN & MICHAEL CHABON

'An informative and entertaining handbook on how to write clearer English. It's pithy, witty and a near perfect example of the kind of writing it advocates' STING

'Dreyer promises to reveal "some of the fancy little tricks I've come across or devised that can make even skilled writing better", and does so with accuracy, style, and humour' GUARDIAN

'This work is that rare writing handbook that writers might actually want to read straight through, rather than simply consult.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Imprint: ARROW
RRP: $19.99