Over two years, writer Nick Gadd and his wife Lynne circled the city of Melbourne on foot, starting at Williamstown and ending in Port Melbourne. Along the way they uncovered lost buildings, secret places and mysterious signs that told of forgotten stories and curious characters from the past. Soon after they completed the circle, Lynne passed away from cancer. Melbourne Circle is the story of their journey, a memoir, and a stunning meditation on personal loss. ‘What a gem this book is! Oddity, wonderment, weirdness: these splendid essays reveal a marvellous Melbourne most of us have never encountered before. This is a psychogeography dense with vernacular history, humane detail, and from beneath the shadow of grief, love.’ –­ Gail Jones, author of Five Bells and The Death of Noah Glass ‘‘‘Psychojogging”’ and the pleasures of walking.’ – interview with Hilary Harper on Radio National, Life Matters ‘Marvellous Melbourne: the books that capture our city and its life.’ – The Age/Sydney Morning Herald ‘Melbourne Circle: Walking, Memory and Loss is a very special book. Just read it, and then take to the streets and walk with the same spirit of enquiry.’ – Sophie Cunningham, The Age ‘A beautiful meditation on the streets in which we live, ghosts, love and loss … While there is sadness in this book, Gadd writes with warmth, humour and a generosity of spirit.’ – Stephen Romei, The Weekend Australian ‘An endearing book about enduring love and serendipitous discoveries; of remnants of the past pasted onto old buildings, and the way these ghost signs are portals into another time.’ – The Saturday Paper

MARTIN KERN has a special sensitivity to fonts, a skill that he uses to solve typographical crimes. When a local printer is found dead in his workshop, his body in the shape of an X, Martin and his co-investigator, journalist Lucy Tan, are drawn into a mystery that is stranger than anything they have encountered before. Someone is leaving typographical clues at the scenes of a series of murders. All the trails lead back to Pieter van Floogstraten, a Dutch design genius who disappeared without trace in the 1970s, and who has since been engaged in a mystical scheme to create the world’s most perfect font, which is concealed in locations around the globe. But is he really the killer, and how are the crimes connected to his secret font? In solving the mystery, Martin and Lucy may have to expose Martin’s hero as a psychopath. The main plot of the novel unfolds in Melbourne, while interleaved chapters set variously in a Tibetan monastery, on the plains of Peru, in London, Naples and Amsterdam, gradually reveal the story of Floogstraten in flashback. Other characters include a noir-style private font investigator, a typographical monk from the Renaissance, a Dutch prog rock group named I Am A Dolphin, and a collective of Italian typo-terrorists. This novel takes the reader into the arcane world of typographers and their typefaces, of symbols, swashes and glyphs, where the difference between a serif and sans serif could mean life and death. ‘You might start thinking Jasper Fforde has hit a new high, but Nick Gadd’s brilliant blend of humour, mystery and, yes, typography is all his own. A compelling read, whether or not you know your Comic Sans from your ZapfDingbats.’ NICK EARLS

This book identifies and explores in depth the top 25 sights in Melbourne in a compact, pocket-sized guidebook that also covers other popular spots and major neighborhoods all over the city, including shops, entertainment options, restaurants, hotels, and useful details like helpful web sites and travel information to make your short trip to Melbourne a great trip. This guide is updated annually. This travel guide includes: - A useful, weather-resistant pullout city map and a metro map for easy navigation - Full-color photos and full-size street maps of major neighborhoods. - Neighborhood walks that show off the best of the city with self-guided tour ideas - Essential info - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, and more - Popular day-trip destinations. - A two-day itinerary to explore the top attractions and what's off the beaten path. - Many hotel, restaurant, and entertainment recommendations - Major sights covered include the Arts Centre, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Queen Victoria Market, Carlton, Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Royal Botanic Gardens, Docklands and Melbourne Star, Scienceworks, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Museum, Fitzroy, Federation Square, and Old Melbourne Gaol. With its full-color photography and top 25 to do lists, Fodor's 25 Best books are the perfect companion for any traveler. A pull out map with major sights marked, is included. About Fodor's: Written by locals, Fodor's travel guides have been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years.

The complete presentation of the system developed by Wally Jay, this book brings together elements from different arts, Jay's broad-based yet focused and effective system incorporates theories, principles, and techniques essential to the development of every martial artist, whether a novice or a seasoned veteran. In this definitive instructional text, Jay covers the history of small-circle jujitsu; techniques for warm-ups, falling and resuscitation; details on weaknesses of the human body; locking techniques for wrists, fingers, arms, and legs; throwing and choking techniques; and self-defense against strikes, chokes, body grabs, and wrist grabs.