In his introduction to this new edition of Herbert ('Doc') Evatt's brilliant account of the six rural labourers transported in 1834 for swearing an oath of solidarity, Geoffrey Robertson argues that the case should inspire the Rudd Labor government to legislate for a bill of rights in Australia today.

Charles Darwin did not deliberately set out to be the 'destroyer of mythical beliefs', some of which, in his early days as a young Christian, he had previously espoused. He was a modest man who liked to avoid controversy, yet he was to be the cause of one of the greatest controversies in the history of science and religion. When he embarked on HMS Beagle, he could not have imagined the experience would lead him to formulate a theory that would revolutionize the way in which man viewed the natural world.??How did this thoughtful, methodical scientist come to have such an impact on his time – and on ours? That is the question Andrew Norman seeks to answer in this lucid and concise biography of the author of Origin of Species.??The narrative looks perceptively at Darwin's early life, at the influences that shaped him during his university years, and at the formative effect of the famous voyage to Galapagos in the Beagle which led him to question orthodox views on how the world was created and how humans evolved. In particular, it concentrates on the progress, over twenty years, of his thinking on natural selection which grew into a great work that disturbed and enlightened his contemporaries.??Andrew Norman has produced a fascinating account of the development of Darwin's research and theorizing. But he looks, too, at Darwin the man. The result is a rounded portrait of a pioneering thinker whose revolutionary theories profoundly influence our understanding of the world today.

Even before she emerged from the cot in her nursery, Beatrix Potter was up against it. With her prodigious memory she recalled being placed 'under the tyranny of a cross old nurse' who introduced her to 'witches, fairies and the creed of the terrible John Calvin'. More sadness followed. She had no siblings of her own age and was brought up, virtually, in isolation. She also had a love affair that ended tragically. She was afflicted by two most unpleasant illnesses – one of which affected her for the remainder of her life – and she found herself often at odds with her mother. Yet, she grew up to become one of the most original of children's authors and illustrators whose books are as popular today as they were when they were first published, almost a century ago.??How did her sheltered upbringing, her tense relationship with her parents and, critically, her chronic and debilitating illnesses, determine the development of her personality and her evolution as a writer? Andrew Norman, in this concise and insightful biography, seeks to answer these questions and to uncover the source of the inspiration that gave birth to a series of remarkable children's books, including the most famous of all The Tale of Peter Rabbit.??Andrew Norman quotes extensively from Beatrix Potter's fluent and revealing letters, and traces the strong influences exerted by?her family and by her love of animals and the countryside. As he describes her reaction to her childhood illness, he shows how she escaped from the pain and sorrow of the world by creating for herself another world – one to which only she had access.??As featured in the Western Daily Press, Cumberland News, Workington Times & Star, News & Star (Carlisle) and Farnham Herald.