Bøger om Australasia

Den 18. august 2000 fejrede Slædepatruljen Sirius sit 50 års jubilæum. I ”Sirius gennem 50 år” beretter tidligere Siriusmænd om deres år med patruljen i den smukke og barske grønlandske natur. Gennem beretningerne får man et sjældent indblik i de vilkår, patruljen må arbejde under. Vi hører om hverdagene med de ensformige rutiner og om de dramatiske hændelser, som koster liv og lemmer for mænd og hunde.Udover de personlige beretninger består bogen af en indledende beskrivelse af forløbet op til Sirius’ oprettelse og af de opgaver, patruljen varetager. Ordforklaringer, faktalister og adskillige henvisninger til patruljens ruter er også at finde i bogen.Bogen er redigeret af Peter Schmidt Mikkelsen, som selv gjorde tjeneste i patruljen i 1977-79.Forfatteren Peter Schmidt Mikkelsen (f. 1954) er født i Vestjylland, men har gennem livet opbygget et stærkt bånd til Grønland. Det har han både som medlem af Slædepatruljen Sirius fra 1977-1979, som medarbejder på Thule Air Base og på ekspeditioner i Grønlands Nationalpark. Han er desuden medstifter af Nordøstgrønlandsk Kompagni ’Nanok’ og har udgivet en lang række bøger om sine oplevelser i Grønland og Siriuspatruljen.

New Zealand, 1907. Gwyneira McKenzies oldebarn, Gloria Martyn, har haft en idyllisk barndom på fårefarmen Kiward Station i Canterbury Plains. Da hendes forældre sender bud fra Europa om, at hun skal rejse tilEngland for at gå på kostskole og lære at være en rigtig lady, står Gloria over for at skulle forlade alt det, hun elsker mest i verden, deriblandt sin standhaftige værge, Jack McKenzie.Flået væk fra sit elskede hjemland kæmper Gloria med at passe ind i det rigide britiske kostskoleliv, og hun har aldrig følt sig mere alene. Da hun opdager, at hendes forældre ikke har intentioner om at lade hende vende hjem igen, tager Gloria sagen i egen hånd og udtænker en plan – men den er ikke ufarlig. Således begynder en livsforandrende rejse ad Gallipolis blodige kyster, over Australiens Northern Territory og med New Zealandsfrodige sletter som glorværdigt endemål.KIWIERNES KALD – del 1 er femte bind i Sarah Larks storslåede New Zealand-saga.

New Zealand, 1907. Gwyneira McKenzies oldebarn, Gloria Martyn, har haft en idyllisk barndom på fårefarmen Kiward Station i Canterbury Plains. Da hendes forældre sender bud fra Europa om, at hun skal rejse til England for at gå på kostskole og lære at være en rigtig lady, står Gloria over for at skulle forlade alt det, hun elsker mest i verden, deriblandt sin standhaftige værge, Jack McKenzie.Flået væk fra sit elskede hjemland kæmper Gloria med at passe ind i det rigide britiske kostskoleliv, og hun har aldrig følt sig mere alene. Da hun opdager, at hendes forældre ikke har intentioner om at lade hende vendehjem igen, tager Gloria sagen i egen hånd og udtænker en plan – men den er ikke ufarlig. Således begynder en livsforandrende rejse ad Gallipolis blodige kyster, over Australiens Northern Territory og med New Zealands frodige sletter som glorværdigt endemål.KIWIERNES KALD – del 2 er sjette og sidste bind i Sarah Larks storslåede New Zealand-saga.

Foråret 1708. En invasionsflåde med franske og skotske soldater forsøger at landsætte den forviste kong Jakob Stuart i Skotland og kræve hans trone tilbage.Flere hundrede år senere rejser Carrie McClelland til Skotland i håb om, at denne historie kan danne baggrund for hendes næste roman. Hun slår sig ned i Slains-slottets skygge og opdigter en heltinde, der er opkaldt efter en af hendes egne formødre, og begynder at skrive.Da romanen begynder at føles mere som fakta end fiktion, bliver Carrie tvunget til at overveje, om hun kan have adgang til en form for genetisk hukommelse. Og om hun dermed er det eneste nulevende menneske, som kender sandheden om et forræderi, der fandt sted for mange år siden.Vinterhavet er første bind i en fængslende trilogi om kærlighed på tværs af århundreder med det smukke skotske landskab som fortryllende bagtæppe.

Brodie has three mysteries to solve--what actually happened to the mystical Adder Stone she was accused of stealing, who sent the love notes left behind in the Dead Letter Office, and how she lost her two best friends--in this layered and compelling US debut about found family, first love, and one town's tragedies, perfect for fans of Melina Marchetta, Kristin Dwyer, and Nina LaCour.Brodie McKellon didn't leave town in handcuffs, not exactly. But all the same, in only one night, she lost her best friends and her home. And that same night, the town of Warwick lost the Adder Stone, a supposedly magical ring of local legend.The events, Brodie maintains, were not related.Four years later, Brodie's returned to Warwick to identify the real thief and get back everything she lost. She can clear her name, win back her friends Elliott and Levi, and save Gran's house from the bank.But as Brodie starts investigating, she gets pulled into a different mystery, of three friends and their "dead letters"--mail that's been lost over the years. And soon she finds that there are times when the things you find aren't the things you even knew you had lost. A house becomes a home. Some friends become family. And other friends, well, they might become something more. As long as Brodie can be brave enough to find herself.

When Ciara arrives on Alcyone, the Taniwha initiate an audacious assault aimed at her capture. They have amassed a formidable invasion force but need Ciara's singular ability to navigate the wormhole. Narrowly evading capture, she returns to Earth, only to find herself the quarry of a secretive faction known as 'Ananke'. Accused of smuggling weapons of mass destruction into South Korea, she is confined within the stark walls of a police cell. While there, Ciara has a vision of Scottie on the precipice of death at Kealakekua Bay on the day of James Cook's demise. Through her visions of naval officer William Hartley, Ciara learns that Ananke agents are Taniwha with human hosts. Over the centuries, they have shifted from person to person, infiltrating governments and the world's most influential organisations. When a startling discovery forces Ciara to return to Alcyone, she faces the challenge of mastering time travel to retrieve a critical artefact. Can she elude the clutches of Ananke, save Scottie's life, and halt the Taniwha invasion?

Conrad og Dicte keder sig og savner deres venner fra skolen. Men en dag, hvor de står på hovedet i hver deres krukke, får Conrad verdens bedste ide. De skal holde klassefest for deres venner. Men vennerne er spredt for alle vinde nu, så det er noget af et job at få fat i dem. Heldigvis er deres ven teenage-albatrosen Alberte med på ideen og vil gerne flyve rundt med indbydelser til festen. Hun flyver fra nord til syd til nord igen og får alle vennerne med på ideen. De glæder sig alle sammen helt vildt til festen, men der er langt til Grønland, og hvordan skal de komme over det kæmpe hav?I Grønland er Conrad og Dicte i fuld gang med af forberede festen og tænker på, om alle mon når frem i rette tid.

"Developed by literacy experts for students in grades three through seven, this book introduces young readers to the geography and culture of Australia"--Provided by publisher.

Poet Nancy Corbett is also a published novelist and writer of memoir. Her first book of selected poems, 'The Longest Conversation', was published in 2021. 'House of Many Rooms' is Nancy's second poetry collection.Nancy shares her passion for poetry with students in her Appreciating Poetry classes at the University of the Third Age in Melbourne.At 80, she wants what she has always wanted: respect for human rights, much stronger protection for the non-human world, peaceful solutions to conflict and more kindness. And more music and dance and joy and poetry. Lots more poetry.Born in Canada, Nancy has lived in Australia since 1974. She lives in Port Melbourne with her partner, Howard.

T¿puna Rock is a tale of two teenage siblings raised in Canada by their M¿ori mother and Canadian father. While on vacation in Aotearoa New Zealand, their borrowed sloop is disabled in a storm with only the two teens aboard. Having lost their navigation gear, after six days adrift with no sense of direction, they beach their damaged boat on a desolate 'rock'. With no idea where they are and their boat damaged beyond repair, the teens recognize that they cannot save themselves unless they listen to the spirits of their Polynesian ancestors. Recalling knowledge shared by their M¿ori grandparents and basic science and mathematics, the protagonists reinvent enough traditional non-instrument navigation to determine where they are, design and build a boat and plot a course to sail one thousand kilometres back to Aotearoa after more than three months on their 'rock'.T¿puna Rock is written to appeal to a broad range of ages, including secondary-school students among whom engagement in science and mathematics is often declining, particularly among indigenous students. The reader becomes invested in the protagonists and their situation on a purely human level in the novel's first two chapters. In subsequent chapters the protagonists come to understand and value ancestral knowledge in the context of modern science and mathematics. In the process, the teens teach each other, and the reader.

This unique book, with its hundreds of images of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and spiders, encourages readers to open their eyes to the wonders of nature and to the astounding diversity of wildlife that is never far away. If you thought you knew everything there was to know about your local wildlife and have seen everything there is to see, then think again, but be warned, you'll never look at wildlife in the same way again! Australian Wildlife On Your Doorstep is packed full of inspiring stories and provides tips on how to discover the wild creatures that might be in your neighbourhood but that you never knew were there. The engaging text provides not only information regarding the lifestyle of each featured species but also includes fascinating and little-known facts about each unique creature. It offers a delightful insight into the natural wonders that can be found close to every Australian home and is an essential addition to the library of every nature enthusiast, whether a long-standing convert or just starting out.

Drawing on a wealth of academic research, statistics and interviews with key Australian media people including present and former Australian Broadcasting Corporation staffers, this book explores the transitions of the ABC under various types of organisational re-strategising, governance and political shifts.The book provides the reader with an authoritative narrative as to how the ABC has lost its iconic status in Australian society, and unfolds how the ABC has strayed from its respected public charter which endowed the ABC with a distinctive and important role in informing, educating and entertaining the Australian public. Successive federal government funding cuts have shrunk staffing levels and services while it has pursued a corporatist model that mimics the trappings and practices of commercial media. In that process it has become politicised and trivialised, thereby threatening its demise. The book is a unique and timely contribution at a time of dwindling interest for the funding of public assets everywhere. There is no other book in the market that addresses the decline of the organisation (the ABC) and analyses the reasons for its demise within an organisational theoretical framework. The book is written for an educated general audience, with academics and media practitioners specifically in mind, and has everyday applications for business organisations operating in the public sector by bringing together important findings of public funding, budgets, management and organisational strategies and evolution.

Fans of Emily Henry and Gilmore Girls will adore this swoon-worthy enemies-to-love romance about how faith, family and small towns are never as simple as they seem.Bubbly newspaper editor Ashley Anderson is ecstatic to finally call this small town in Washington State 'home'-until she accidentally angers her newspaper's biggest advertisers, and they boycott. Her neighbor Justin has the family connections to get the town back on her side-but asking for help from the man she's nicknamed 'Dracula' is a last resort.Living next door, rebel-with-a-cause teacher Justin Hastings can't escape Amity Creek fast enough. But when a good deed goes awry, it's his fault that Ashley's car is out of action, and they're forced to carpool until he can make things right.Thrust into one another's daily lives, Ashley and Justin learn that little is black-and-white-not small town life, not family, and not each other. But there's a fork in the road, and it seems God has these two destined for separate paths. Can the road less travelled ever lead them back to love?Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in this must-read inspirational romance about the complexities-and the beauty-of true love in all its forms.

Now in her nineties, the author, in a fictional story, recounts the true events experienced by her family during decades of commercial trawler fishing on the mid north coast of NSW. Based out of Yamba, trawlers would have to negotiate the treacherous bar, the narrow channel through which the Clarence River entered the Pacific Ocean. With photos throughout, including of their trawler nearly capsizing when struck by a rogue wave in the bar, the story details many aspects of the life of a commercial fisherman. Suitable for readers from late primary upwards, it is a good introduction to the fishing industry and a fisherman's life.

In the state-run prison that was early New South Wales, pockets of capitalism sprang up like sturdy weeds. with them came wage labour and class struggle. Australian workers were organisiing well before the gold rushes, and later a mass labour movement confronted the employers across the continent, opening the way for bitter confrontations.Controversy surrounds the colonial labour movement because of its racism and sexism, but this book sheets home the main blame for both reactionary ideologies to the ruling class. And despite many criticism, the author renews pioneering labour historian Brian Fitzpatrick's argument that 'the effort of the organised working class...was an effort to achieve social justice'.

Within the verses of Growing Up, readers will embark on a journey through sorrow, love, emotions and challenges that shape our daily lives. This collection of raw and emotional poetry delves into the experiences of loss, heartache, friendship and hope, exploring the nature of human relationships with beauty, understanding and empathy. These poems about human experiences celebrate the joy, heartache and the pain of being human. Touching on issues such as suicide, mental illness, lost friendships, drug addiction, war and human endurance, these poems create a space for empathy and understanding in a world that can be dark and fragmented. Growing Up will touch your heart.

'Libby Sommer has a keen eye for extraordinary insights in the midst of the details of ordinary life, and for the striking verbal expression that captures the moral implications of what she has carefully observed. Hers is poetry that always rewards us with stimulated thought.' - Barry Spurr, Literary Editor, Quadrant; Australia's first Professor of Poetry

During the Battle of Fromelles on one terrible night in July 1916, the 32nd Battalion from South Australia and Western Australia lost over 85% of its fighting strength.Using the words of those from the 32nd Battalion who survived, the course of the battle in their sector during that night is reconstructed, and the tragic experiences of brave men thrust into an impossible situation is revealed.In the weeks and months following the battle, anxious families were gradually informed that a husband, son or brother was missing. For long years many were given little or no information about the fate of the missing man. The heart-breaking letters written by the families of South Australian men of the 32nd Battalion to the Military and to the Red Cross reveal their grief, anxiety, and suspense as they waited for news, and made their own desperate enquiries.The ''forgetting' of the disaster at Fromelles so that it did not become a part of the popular narrative of the war made it more difficult for survivors of the battle, and for bereaved families, to come to terms with their experiences or loss.

This research paper continues [15]. We begin with giving a profound overview of the structure of arbitrary simple groups and in particular of the simple locally finite groups and reduce their Sylow theory for the prime p to a quite famous conjecture by Prof. Otto H. Kegel (see [37], Theorem 2.4: "Let the p-subgroup P be a p-uniqueness subgroup in the finite simple group S which belongs to one of the seven rank-unbounded families. Then the rank of S is bounded in terms of P.") about the rank-unbounded ones of the 19 known families of finite simple groups. We introduce a new scheme to describe the 19 families, the family T of types, define the rank of each type, and emphasise the rôle of Kegel covers. This part presents a unified picture of known results whose proofs are by reference.Subsequently we apply new ideas to prove the conjecture for the alternating groups.Thereupon we are remembering Kegel covers and *-sequences. Next we suggest a way 1) and a way 2) how to prove and even how to optimise Kegel's conjecture step-by-step or peu à peu which leads to Conjecture 1, Conjecture 2 and Conjecture 3 thereby unifying Sylow theory in locally finite simple groups with Sylow theory in locally finite and p-soluble groups whose joint study directs Sylow theory in (locally) finite groups. For any unexplained terminology we refer to [15].We then continue the program begun above to optimise along the way 1) the theorem about the first type "An" of infinite families of finite simple groups step-by-step to further types by proving it for the second type "A = PSLn". We start with proving Conjecture 2 about the General Linear Groups over (commutative) locally finite fields, stating that their rank is bounded in terms of their p-uniqueness, and then break down this insight to the Special Linear Groups and the Projective Special Linear (PSL) Groups over locally finite fields. We close with suggestions for future research -> regarding the remaining rank-unbounded types (the "Classical Groups") and the way 2), -> regarding (locally) finite and p-soluble groups, and -> regarding Cauchy's and Galois' contributions to Sylow theory in finite groups. We much hope to enthuse group theorists with them.We include the predecessor research paper [15] as an Appendix.

Dieses Bildwörterbuch Englisch-Deutsch erleichtert den Einstieg in die Fremd- oder Zweitsprache. Es erklärt rund 900 Wörter aus der Alltagswelt der Kinder anhand von detailgetreuen Illustrationen und liebevoll gestalteten Szenen. Dazu gehören 34 Themenbereiche wie Familie, Haus, Schule, Stadt, Tiere, Zeit, Wetter, Musik und Sport.Die ansprechenden Szenen stellen das Gelesene in einen Zusammenhang und regen zur Beschäftigung mit den Wörtern an, wecken die Neugier und machen Lust auf die neue Sprache. So wird Lernen zum Kinderspiel und macht Spaß.Wie das Sehen ist auch das Hören für den Lernerfolg unerlässlich. Der auf das Buch abgestimmte Audiokurs Englisch - Deutsch als MP3 steht zum Download bereit.Das Bildwörterbuch wurde von Sprachwissenschaftlern für das gemeinsame Lernen von Kindern und Eltern entwickelt. Mit Hilfe der Wörterverzeichnisse kann der gesuchte Begriff in beiden Sprachen nachgeschlagen werden. Wir wünschen Kindern und ihren Eltern viel Spaß beim Nachschlagen, Lesen und Lernen!

In 1932, during the dark days of the Great Depression, Charlie Davis, from the inner Sydney suburb of Newtown, is laid off from work. When he can no longer pay the rent, his family establishes a dwelling in a shanty town called Happy Valley, near Le Perouse on Sydney's eastern fringe. To make ends meet, Charlie and his son, Tom, follow in the footsteps of the original 'rabbitohs' who had already earned a place in Sydney's folklore, and they traipse the streets selling rabbits. During his days as a rabbitoh, Tom befriends a young Irish girl Hazel, and to the horror of her Catholic family, she becomes pregnant. With her infant, she joins Tom and his family at Happy Valley, but struggles in the dour conditions. She flees Happy Valley, deserting her baby Bill, knowing that she is now carrying another child. She seeks refuge in a cold and cruel institution for unmarried, pregnant girls and does what she needs to do, so she can have a life with her baby daughter, Nancy. Eight years later in 1940, both Tom and his father, Charlie, take their place in the theatre of war. When the war is over, Tom is reunited with his mother and young son, Bill. Tom begins his search for Hazel. When the search proves successful, both Tom and Hazel agree to hide their history, not wanting their son, Bill, to learn of his abandonment as a baby. Tom is introduced to Nancy as an old friend that her mother knew from before the war. Thrown together as stepsiblings, Bill and Nancy see nothing shameful in the romantic chemistry that exists between them, unaware that they are full siblings. When eventually Bill finds out that Nancy is his biological sister, he does what he can to distance himself from her, though by this time she is already pregnant. He sets up Nancy in a nearby suburb and manipulates the situation so that a neighbour, Mrs Green, becomes the carer of their developmentally delayed son, Leon. She becomes the child's 'ma'.

Author and historian, Elizabeth (Bessie) Webb, traces her family roots growing up in Tallawudjah Creek near Glenreagh, on the Mid North Coast of NSW, between WWI and II. A prolific contributor to the history of the Glenreagh area, evidenced by eight other historical works she has researched and authored, Bessie shares her childhood memories. Her collection of photographs adds authenticity to her stories. Now 101 years of age, her childhood is of a bygone era, characterised by pioneering timber cutters, bullock wagons and a culture of mateship in the community. Those relationships shine through the pages and many photos, a camaraderia which tackled adversity and the hardship of life head on. But the march of progress is also evident as rough cut, bark lined shelters gave way to dressed timber and corrugated iron; horse back communication with the outside world replaced by a single phone line; and educational opportunities blossomed in the small school. Yet in all of the changes of life, Tallawudjah Creek, flowing just outside the family property, whether in flood or drought, became the constant in her life. Bessie tells her story with heart, giving the reader an insight into not only life at the time, but what it was like to be a young girl growing up in the bush. It's a real Australian story told by a real Australian hero. Bessie was honoured to receive the Centenary Medal in 2003 for "service to the community", and the Order of Australia Medal in 2013 for her "service to the community of Glenreagh".

In the last months of 1944, a group of elite Australian and British commandos was selected for the biggest Allied behind-the-scenes operation of the Pacific War. Their mission: to devastate the enemy's shipping by destroying the Japanese ships at anchor in Singapore Harbour.

Cyclone Tracy demolished Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory when it struck during the night of Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning, 1974. Over almost ten hours the small, intense, but slow-moving weather system left a swathe of destruction across the entire town. Few buildings escaped.Sixty-six people died, many of them on vessels which put to sea, while many hundreds were injured.The destruction of essential services made a reduction in the population of about 40,000 imperative and what followed was the greatest peacetime evacuation of an Australian community with nearly 10,000 leaving by road and more than 20,000 evacuated by air.But as some of these stories show, many stayed or returned quickly to help rebuild the city they loved. Every survivor has a story and just over 50 of them have responded to the invitation to tell theirs, some for the first time, in their own words.We admire them for their resilience and thank them for their contribution to this remarkable collection.

A partire dagli anni '40, il giornalismo sportivo iniziò a prendere forma nei giornali stampati del Piauí. Con la professionalizzazione del giornalismo, gli editorialisti sportivi, anche senza aver frequentato corsi, sono riusciti a rendere il periodo dal 1963 al 1983 il più prospero per la professione. Con il calcio che ottiene l'appoggio degli agenti politici, i giornalisti trasformano lo sport in un argomento di dibattito sociale. Attraverso i reportage, possiamo costruire un panorama dell'attività nel Piauí basandoci sui comuni di Teresina e Parnaíba, dove il calcio locale ha avuto inizio. Riportando gli eventi sociali, è possibile vedere come il calcio, la stampa e la politica abbiano stabilito un rapporto di complicità. Il "pane e il circo" della società brasiliana durante la dittatura militare, dove il calcio era lo strumento più importante ed efficace nella strategia di controllo sociale, e quanto la stampa vi abbia contribuito.

Seit den 1940er Jahren nahm der Sportjournalismus in den gedruckten Zeitungen von Piauí allmählich Gestalt an. Mit der Professionalisierung des Journalismus gelang es den Sportkolumnisten, auch ohne Ausbildung, die Zeit von 1963 bis 1983 zur blühendsten für diesen Beruf zu machen. Mit der Unterstützung der politischen Akteure verwandelten die Journalisten den Sport in ein Thema für die gesellschaftliche Debatte. Anhand der Berichte können wir ein Panorama der Aktivitäten in Piauí erstellen, das sich auf die Gemeinden Teresina und Parnaíba stützt, wo der lokale Fußball seinen Anfang nahm. Anhand der sozialen Ereignisse lässt sich erkennen, wie Fußball, Presse und Politik eine Beziehung der Komplizenschaft eingegangen sind. Die "Brot und Spiele" der brasilianischen Gesellschaft während der Militärdiktatur, in der der Fußball das wichtigste und wirksamste Instrument in der Strategie der sozialen Kontrolle war, und wie sehr die Presse dazu beitrug.

S 1940-h godow sportiwnaq zhurnalistika nachala formirowat'sq w pechatnyh gazetah Piaui. S professionalizaciej zhurnalistiki sportiwnye obozrewateli, dazhe ne poseschaq kursow, sumeli sdelat' period s 1963 po 1983 god samym procwetaüschim dlq ätoj professii. Posle togo kak futbol poluchil podderzhku politicheskih deqtelej, zhurnalisty prewratili ätot wid sporta w predmet social'nyh debatow. Blagodarq reportazham my mozhem sostawit' panoramu deqtel'nosti w Piaui na osnowe municipalitetow Teresina i Parnaiba, gde zarodilsq mestnyj futbol. Priwlekaq wnimanie k social'nym sobytiqm, mozhno uwidet', kak futbol, pressa i politika ustanowili otnosheniq souchastiq. Hleb i cirk" brazil'skogo obschestwa w period woennoj diktatury, gde futbol byl samym wazhnym i äffektiwnym instrumentom w strategii social'nogo kontrolq, i naskol'ko ätomu sposobstwowala pressa.

Depuis les années 1940, le journalisme sportif a commencé à prendre forme dans les journaux imprimés du Piauí. Avec la professionnalisation du journalisme, les chroniqueurs sportifs, même sans avoir suivi de cours, ont réussi à faire de la période de 1963 à 1983 la plus prospère pour la profession. Le football ayant gagné le soutien des agents politiques, les journalistes ont ensuite transformé le sport en un sujet de débat social. Les reportages permettent de dresser un panorama de l'activité au Piauí à partir des municipalités de Teresina et de Parnaíba, où le football local a vu le jour. En évoquant les événements sociaux, il est possible de voir comment le football, la presse et la politique ont établi une relation de complicité. Le "pain et le cirque" de la société brésilienne pendant la dictature militaire, où le football était l'instrument le plus important et le plus efficace dans la stratégie de contrôle social, et comment la presse y a contribué.

Excerpt from Introduction by Iain Sharp: "Irishness, Maoritanga, proudly held working-class values, rock 'n' roll, buses, trains, ferries, Baudelaire - you'll find them all in this book. Moods vary from poem to poem, as you would expect from a lifetime's work. Inevitably, there are moments of sadness and a deep anger at social inequities underlies some of the satire. Yet what strikes me most when I leaf through Michael's collected poems is how often the tone is celebratory. What prompts Michael to write? I think he's driven by a need to pay homage to the people (whether pop stars, pals or partners), places and times he's loved. There's an inextinguishable joyousness at the heart of Michael's work that makes reading him an upbeat and uplifting experience."