One of Australia’s leading thinkers for close to fifty years, Donald Horne was probably the best Australian non-fiction writer of his generation. This definitive collection of Horne’s writing, thoughtfully selected by his son, Nick, tells the story of his life and intellectual development. From a position of doubting whether change was possible, he eventually became a proponent of the sensible reform necessary for Australia to prosper in a changing world. Horne made the case for a more open, modern, intelligent Australia, most famously in his seminal book The Lucky Country. Selections from this work sit alongside pithy reflections on Australian history and culture, as well as vivid autobiographical writing. With an introduction by Nick Horne and a biographical essay by Glyn Davis, this important book honours and illuminates the man who helped the nation understand itself. ‘He was a great clarifier ... of many of the problems and dilemmas of society.’ —Frank Moorhouse ‘An independent, vigorous critic.’ —Malcolm Fraser Donald Horne AO was a leading public intellectual for nearly fifty years. He was the author of The Lucky Country and The Education of Young Donald, and many other books and essays. He edited The Bulletin, chaired the Australia Council, and, in a late career change, broadened the idea of what it means to be an academic. He died in 2005.

The fascinating biography of a brilliant man who captured the nation's imagination and boldly showed Australians who we were and how we could change In the 1960s, Donald Horne offered Australians a compelling reinterpretation of the Menzies years as a period of social and political inertia and mediocrity. His book The Lucky Country was profoundly influential and, without doubt, one of the most significant shots ever fired in Australia's endless culture war. Ryan Cropp's landmark biography positions Horne as an antipodean Orwell, a lively, independent and distinct literary voice 'searching for the temper of the people, accepting it, and moving on from there'. Through the eyes – and unforgettable words – of this preternaturally observant and articulate man, we see a recognisable modern Australia emerge. Shortlisted for the 2024 National Biography Award 'A compulsive read about a writer who shaped the way we Australians think about ourselves' —Judith Brett 'Unmissable for anybody interested in the intellectual life of this country' —Sean Kelly 'Ryan Cropp's thoughtful life of Donald Horne … charted the restless and provocative habits of his subject with care and elegance, and animated decades of faded news and current affairs with colour and poise.' —Patrick Mullins, Australian Book Review 'Books of the Year 2023' 'In his accomplished and insightful biography … Cropp has captured a full life, well lived, that was a tribute to the importance of paying attention and making a difference.' —Julianne Schultz, The Conversation

A bold and provocative book about Australia's national identity and a plea to keep Australia's famed open-mindedness, Cater tracks the seismic changes in Australian culture and outlook since Donald Horne published THE LUCKY COUNTRY in 1964. 'A great book.' Rupert Murdoch A bold and provocative book about Australia's national identity and how it is threatened by the rise of a ruling class. Nick Cater, senior editor at the Australian, tracks the seismic changes in Australian culture and outlook since Donald Horne wrote the Lucky Country in 1964. His belief is that countries don't get lucky; people do. the secret of Australia's good fortune is not found in its geography or history. the key to its success is the Australian character, the nation's greatest renewable resource. Liberated from the constraints of the old world, Australia's pioneers mined their reserves of enterprise, energy and ingenuity to build the great civilization of the south. their over-riding principle was fairness: everybody had a right to a fair go and was obliged to do the right thing by others. today that spirit of egalitarianism is threatened by the rise of a new breed of sophisticated Australians - the 'bunyip alumni' - who claim to better understand the demands of the age. their presumption of elitism and superior virtue tempts them to look down on others and dismiss opposing views. Half a century after Donald Horne named Australia 'the Lucky Country', Nick Cater takes stock of the new battle to define Australia and the rift that divides a presumptive ruling class from a people who refuse to be ruled. the Lucky Culture is a lively and original take on 21st century Australia and its people. Sometimes rousing, often provocative and always good-humoured, its unexpectedly moving message cannot be ignored. 'tHE LUCKY CULtURE is a great book and particularly relevant as it comes in a moment of high political excitement. I particularly loved Nick Cater's passion for the great Australian dream. It is the first step in restoring that dream.' Rupert Murdoch

Aborigines and Europeans - Convicts - Squatters and selectors - Immigration - Education - Gold discoveries - The Chinese on the goldfields - Caroline Chisolm - The Communist Party of Australia - IWW and strikes - Catholic Social Movement - Clubs, gentlemen's - Economic depression - Free Trade or protectionism - Freemasonry - Labour Party - Mechanics' Institutes - Archbishop Mannix - Roman Catholic Church, its growth, and influence on politics and education - Shearer's Strike - Trade unions - Sport for the people.

Humphrey McQueen's new edition of his irreverent classic charts the origins of the Australian Labor Party. In tracing the social forces which produced the ALP, he shows it was anti-socialist from the very start.