To commemorate the 200 years since the exploring and naming of the Brisbane River by John Oxley in 1823, David Jones has compiled 100 maritime stories of Queensland. The book is in seven sections covering the early days, colonial era, shipwrecks, wartime and others. Australia’s First Nations people lived in and around the Brisbane River for thousands of years. Though they did not have a name for the entire river, sections of the river were called ‘Meanjin’, ‘Maiwar’ and ‘Toowong’. Other names have been lost over time. Similarly, the Brisbane River was broken up into reaches by the new arrivals. They include Hamilton Reach, Bulimba Reach, Humbug Reach, Shafston Reach, Town Reach and others. The first Europeans to discover the Brisbane River was documented by Thomas Welsby in The Discoverers of the Brisbane River, published in 1913. He states that Richard Parsons, Thomas Pamphlet and John Finnegan were the original discoverers though John Oxley gave them no credit for this. In 200 years the river has been the backbone of the city of Brisbane. Today it is used for trade, tourism, transport, pleasure and Brisbane’s water supply.

Photographs from the archives of the Mariners' Museum depict shipbuilding, pleasure craft, naval confrontations, shipwrecks, and icebreakers

The Maritimes are rich in story-telling traditions, and home to many of Canada's great short story writers. Their strong Maritime voices are collected here in this splendid anthology of short stories. Best Maritime Short Stories is a collection of the work of long-established and lesser-known writers, including stories by Charles Bruce, Ernest Buckler, Lesley Choyce, Susan Kerslake, Janice Kulyk Keefer, Alistair Macleod, Alden Nowlan, J J Steinfeld, Kent Thompson, among others. Best Maritime Short Stories is a wonderful introduction to the exciting contemporary literature of Canada's Maritime Provinces.

Imagined Geographies is a pioneering work in the study of history and geography of the pre-1800 world. In this book, Gunn argues that different regions astride the maritime silk roads were not only interconnected but can also be construed as “imagined geographies.” Taking a grand civilizational perspective, five such geographic imaginaries are examined across respective chapters, namely Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and European including an imagined Great South Land. Drawing upon an array of marine and other archaeological examples, the author offers compelling evidence of the intertwining of political, cultural, and economic regions across the sea silk roads from ancient times until the seventeenth century. Through a thorough analysis of these five geographic imaginaries, the author sets aside purely national history and looks at the maritime realm from a broader spatial perspective. He challenges the Eurocentric concept of center and periphery and establishes a revisionist view on a decentered world regional history. This book will definitely interest history lovers from all around the world who wants to know more about how their forebears viewed their respective region and how their region fits into world history with local uniqueness. “Gunn takes large themes and makes them understandable. He is not afraid to make the grand statement, and to look at the sweep of history all in one arc. I admire that greatly; this is not history for the faint of heart. But it is history well-done, and history that can show the forest from the trees.” —Eric Tagliacozzo, John Stambaugh Professor of History, Cornell University “This is one of the most ambitious and insightful books that I have read on pre-Modern maritime Asia. The author offers fascinating perspectives on how this vast region was imagined, charted, and experienced over many centuries. That requires mastery of an immense range of scholarship and primary sources. His aim is to knit this watery world together into a conceptual whole. This mission is accomplished with style and discipline.” —Andrew R. Wilson, John A. van Beuren Chair of Asia-Pacific Studies, U.S. Naval War College

This comprehensive history provides a fresh interpretation of Southeast Asia from 100 to 1500, when major social and economic developments foundational to modern societies took place on the mainland (Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam) and the island world (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines). Incorporating the latest archeological evidence and international scholarship, Kenneth R. Hall enlarges upon prior histories of early Southeast Asia that did not venture beyond 1400, extending the study of the region to the Portuguese seizure of Melaka in 1511. Written for a wide audience of non-specialists, the book will be essential reading for all those interested in Asian and world history.