A history of the municipality of South Sydney, from Woolloomooloo, around Garden Island, Elizabeth and Rushcutters Bays, through the Cross and Darlinghurst, and over to Waterloo, Zetland, Rosebery via Moore Park. Heading east, South Sydney stretches to Paddington, and then through Redfern and into Alexandria, Erskineville and Newtown. It also embraces Camperdown, Darlington and Chippendale. Many of the photographs in this fascinating book are from an exhibition that toured the municipality in 2000, drawn from the collections of past and present residents.

This book is a history of what it was like to grow up in Sydney during the 1950s and 1960s. This world was observed through the eyes of a child and young man. The memories travel through Bondi in the 1950s, from the Astra Hotel, boarding houses, flats, small struggling shops, going to school, playing cricket and tennis – all at a time when Australia itself was young and growing. The golden fifties launched people into expanded hope through cars, weekends, their own homes and plentiful work. There is the tranquillity of Pittwater, a glassy stretch of water and deep bush where people cherished their weekends in small fibro cottages and tiny boats. The journey goes to the old harbour of ships and wharves and nights at the speedway. Life included Anzac Day marches, sample bags at the Royal Easter Show, street football, Empire Day bonfires, and the lady who read the tea leaves and the Menzies sympathisers and Commos in the family. The world of work was also a journey through running deliveries in school holidays, small factory life in Balmain and office work in the city. The city moved quickly in terms of what jobs disappeared, the rise and fall of businesses and what they sold; and the flattening of old buildings and the rise of the glittering towers. The city was part of life; it sparkled, enticed, threatened, expanded freedom, challenged everything and never let you forget what it did and what you did.

Bondi Beach is a history of an iconic place. It is a big history of geological origins, management by Aboriginal people, environmental despoliation by white Australians, and the formation of beach cultures. It is also a local history of the name Bondi, the origins of the Big Rock at Ben Buckler, the motives of early land holders, the tragedy known as Black Sunday, the hostilities between lifesavers and surfers, and the hullabaloos around the Pavilion. Pointing to a myriad of representations, author Douglas Booth shows that there is little agreement about the meaning of Bondi. Booth resolves these representations with a fresh narrative that presents the beach’s perspective of a place under siege. Booth’s creative narrative conveys important lessons about our engagement with the physical world.

The Pictorial History Blacktown & District is the one of the latest titles in the famous series of pictorial histories covering the suburbs of Sydney and outlying cities. It is a comprehensive journey through the pictorial history of the Blacktown area, from the early settlement days through to the newest of suburbs. From Acacia Gardens, Arndell Park, Bidwill and Blacktown through to Toongabbie, Willmot and Woodcroft, the book details the history, features and highlights of all the suburbs of the area. It contains 150 black and white photographs. The book is a joint production of Kingsclear Books and Blacktown City Council, and was funded by the Federation Community Projects Programme.