Mark Dodd arrived in Broome in 1978 as a 20-year-old looking for adventure, after working his way across northern Australia. There he fell in with the crew of the fabled DMcD, one of the last of the old wooden pearling luggers that still worked the Kimberley coast diving for pearl shell. He came aboard as a deckhand before graduating to become one of the pearl shell divers. He dived for four seasons, living a life on the luggers and in the pubs and exotic alleys of Broome that would have been recognisable to pearl divers for 100 years before, but has now sadly disappeared forever. This story encompasses it all: the cramped camaraderie of life on a small wooden lugger, what it is like to be 40 metres down to the sea floor at the end of precarious length of air hose, as you search for shell whilst keeping one eye out for tiger sharks. His book is both an adventure and a wonderfully nostalgic account of an industry and a way of life that has gone forever.

Mark Dodd arrived in Broome in 1978 as a 20-year-old looking for adventure, after working his way across northern Australia. There he fell in with the crew of the fabled DMcD, one of the last of the old wooden pearling luggers that still worked the Kimberley coast diving for pearl shell. He came aboard as a deckhand before graduating to become one of the pearl shell divers. He dived for four seasons, living a life on the luggers and in the pubs and exotic alleys of Broome that would have been recognisable to pearl divers for 100 years before, but has now sadly disappeared forever.This story encompasses it all: the cramped camaraderie of life on a small wooden lugger, what it is like to be 40 metres down to the sea floor at the end of precarious length of air hose, as you search for shell whilst keeping one eye out for tiger sharks.His book is both an adventure and a wonderfully nostalgic account of an industry and a way of life that has gone forever.

Examines the rise and fall of English as the most widely spoken language in human history and discusses what language will overtake its dominance as English-speaking nations are challenged by the rising wealth of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Ion “Jack” Idriess (1889 – 1979) is recognised as one of Australia’s great storytellers, having published over 50 books including the Outback tales of Lasseter’s Last Ride, Flynn of the Inland, and The Cattle King alongside major histories of Broken Hill, Broome and Cooktown. This book is his last interview in 1975, prompted by the then-young Tim Bowden, for a possible ABC Radio program that did not eventuate due to Idriess's fading voice. Within this book Idriess talks of his early years in Broken Hill, he tells of his earliest writing for the Bulletin, on living and photographing Aboriginal tribes in the Kimberlys and Cape York; on the writing of his books like Madman’s Island and My Mate Dick; his life with the pearlers of Broome and Thursday Island; on the joys of prospecting, living in the Wild, and on Lasseter and his diary. Full of colourful characters and true stories, Ion Idriess allows us into his unbridled enthusiasm for Australian and Aboriginal history.

With fresh journalistic writing and reams of information on what to see and do, this guide takes readers from the big cities to the countryside. Includes candid reviews on restaurants and accommodations for all budgets. 83 maps. Full-color insert. Two-color throughout.