Classics Australia

“A rare kind of writer and a formidable one.” —The New York Times “Wood inserts the reader straight into the jaws of her story, never relenting until the devastating end. If you raced through I Who Have Never Known Men or The Handmaid’s Tale and are looking for something with the same...

'Charming, very funny indeed. Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself' Alexander McCall Smith It is wartime in Barsetshire, and so much has changed. Belier's Priory is now a hospital for wounded soldiers, and Sir Harry and Lady Waring have...

In the summer of 1944 returning soldiers Canning Christie and his father Michael arrive in South Australia from the desert sands of North Africa. Canning carries the trauma of war and a fractured memory of a terrible event, while charismatic Michael resumes his womanising ways, intent on...

With more than half a million copies in print worldwide and now in this stunning hardback edition, How to Read a Book is the classic and definitive guide to reading comprehension for students of literature, scholars across disciplines, and anyone who just loves to read. Originally written in...

'An Australian classic in the making.' Australian Women's Weekly 'A rich Australian epic.' New York Times 'A masterful examination of loss . . . A remarkable, poignant tale.' Guardian 'A satisfying and superior work of commercial fiction.' The Australian 'A masterful saga well worth the wait...

Jack Middleton likes to imagine himself a country squire. At weekends he retires to Laverings Estate with his wife, Catherine. He may be pompous, and they may seem ill-matched, but the couple are devoted to each other. When Jack's widowed sister, Lilian, and her two stepchildren arrive to spend...

In 1902, newly-married Jeannie Gunn (Mrs Aeneas Gunn) left the security and comfort of her Melbourne home to travel to the depths of the Northern Territory, Australia, where her husband had been appointed manager of 'The Elsey', a large cattle station. One of the very few white women in the area, she was at first resented by people on and around the station, till her warmth and spirit won their affection and respect. This is her moving and simple account of her life amidst the beauty and cruelty of the land.

One sacred book. Two ruthless hunters. No place to hide. At the heart of Australia’s red-desert sprawl sits Uluru, the country’s most iconic landmark. But what lies beneath its ancient rock face is a secret guarded for millennia — a book of unimaginable power known as the Seventh List. Two well-funded international groups are closing in, determined to claim the list and wield its knowledge of birth, death and fate. Facing them: the guardians of Uluru and a small band of locals who know the truth about the rock and the cost of its protection. As the battle moves from sacred chambers to...

Fifteen years after blood and conquest won him Penraven, Loethar is no longer merely the barbarian tyrant who seized a crown. His rule has brought uneasy peace to the Denova kingdoms. But the past refuses to stay buried. Prince Leonel, the Valisar heir long presumed dead, lives in exile with...

Deep in the heart of Australia's high country, along an ancient, hidden track, live Molly Johnson and her children. Husband Joe is away droving, leaving his family in the bush to fend for itself. Molly's children are her world, and life is hard with only their dog, Alligator, and a shotgun for...

WINNER OF THE 2026 INDIE BOOK AWARD - CHILDREN'S Discover the Wundrous world of Nevermoor in the highly anticipated fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series. Morrigan Crow is ready for a new adventure. In Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, we will travel to places in Nevermoor...

What makes for a surfing life? With a blaze of groundbreaking performances and a swag of titles claimed from all over the world to his name, Australian world champion surfer Nat Young might know. His seventieth birthday inspired some reflection on exactly that, and on the waves and characters...

A first-rate thriller about an American millionaire who owns the House of Cain, a haven for murderers wanted by the law. Austilene Thorpe is accused of murder but then disappears from gaol. Her fiance, Martin Sherwood, goes blind from shock. His famous adventuring brother Monty learns that Austilene is in a refuge for murderers in the far north-east corner of South Australia, and together the Sherwoods set out to find her and bring her back to Melbourne....

Seven Little Australians is the story of the mischievous seven children of the Woolcot family - Meg, Pip, Judy, Bunty, Nell, Baby, and the General, whose father little understands them and whose young stepmother is hardly an adult herself. The Australian bush sets an iconic backdrop for the misadventures of this energetic mob.

Colditz Castle was Nazi Germany’s infamous ‘escape-proof’ wartime prison, where hundreds of the most determined and resourceful Allied prisoners were sent. Despite having more guards than inmates, Australian Lieutenant Jack Champ and other prisoners tirelessly carried out their campaign to...

A storm stole Midnight from everything he had ever known. Lost among the rugged mountains of the Australian high country, the young black brumby expects only loneliness. Instead, he discovers Fernhill Valley—a peaceful place where kindness is measured not by words, but by deeds. There he meets an unforgettable group of friends: wise old stock horse Old Blue, practical Matilda the wombat, ever-laughing Banjo the kookaburra, adventurous Piper the sugar glider, resourceful Cedric the echidna, mischievous Dusty the young dingo, and the quietly watchful Myrtle. Together they face hidden ...

Paul is about to graduate near the top of his class as a motorcycle mechanic. He was once a gang member but, having served his time, is about to be released from prison. All he needs is a job and a safe place to live. Paul is also an Aboriginal of the Kamilaroi mob, trying to live between two cultures, yet he faces misunderstanding, racism and intolerance nearly every day. In this book, Peter J. Uren explores the impact Paul's experiences have on the lives of the old mechanic and those who work in his workshop.

Sybylla Melvin is a misfit. She barely endures the dreary life of dairy farming in a family that can hardly make ends meet. Out of the blue, she is invited to move back to the family property, Caddagat, to live with Grannie, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Jay Jay. With a cast of interesting neighbors and friends, Sybylla finally seems to discover hope in the world. She is nourished by thoughtful conversation, books, and music. Harold Beecham's love, however, throws her into indecision and painful tension.

For years Pia Miranda has been stopped in the street by calls of, 'Found you!', forever linked to that character we all loved: Josie from Looking for Alibrandi. But playing Josie is only one small part of everything that has shaped the woman Pia has become. As a child, her Nonna would tell her...

From the eastern steppes rides Loethar, a ruthless warlord who has united the barbarian tribes into an unstoppable tide. Kingdom after kingdom has fallen before him. Now only one realm stands unconquered: Penraven, the greatest kingdom of the Denova Set. Loethar seeks more than wealth or...