Must-Read Histories

What are the indispensable works of Australian history? 

Which titles do our leading historians and writers nominate as the history books we should all read and know? Manning Clark’s A history of Australia or Robert Hughes’ The Fatal Shore? Anne Summers' Damned whores and God’s police or Henry Reynolds’ Why weren’t we told? Donald Horne’s The Lucky Country or Tim Flannery’s The Future eaters?

Which works of art most acutely reveal the Australian experience? Does Peter Carey’s novel The true history of the Kelly Gang evoke the Kelly story better than any history? Is Kate Grenville’s The Secret River a better evocation of first contact in Australia than Inga Clendinnen’s Dancing with strangers? 

Books, monographs, plays, novels, even films and poetry, are all up for discussion as the nation’s leading historians outline and debate their choices for the must-read texts on Australian history.

6:15pm - 7:15pm, Tuesday 29 November 2011 at The Wheeler Centre

This is a free event. Bookings recommended: http://wheelercentre.com/

Why history is important

Making Public Histories Seminar: Why is history important?

In celebration of 20 years of the Professional Historians Assoc (Vic) this year, PHA (Vic) is hosting a Making Public Histories seminar on ‘Why is history important? And what do professional  historians have to give?’ The session will be a series of short presentations from PHA (Vic) members discussing their work and how it reflects the continuing importance of history in our community. 

This will be followed by a panel discussion addressing a number of questions facing the profession: How does technology impact on the historian’s role? What sort of histories will we be writing? Will we still be writing? What is the future of history? So get in early and book your place for what will no doubt be a thought provoking way of celebrating 20 years of professional historians.

 

Date: 5:30pm - 7:00pm on Thursday 10 November 2011 

@ State Library of Victoria’s Village Roadshow Theatrette, Entry 3 on La Trobe Street

Cost: Free

Bookings: with the State Library

ebook history

Digital Book Index provides links to more than 165,000 full-text digital books from more than 1800 commercial and non-commercial publishers, universities, and various private sites. More than 140,000 of these books, texts, and documents are available for free.

About one tenth of the Index are History volumes, with an emphasis on North American history, but including English & Irish history, European, (ancient, medieval, & Renaissance texts through World War I & II), Latin American, Middle-Eastern, Asian, & African history, as well as military history and the history of science, medicine, & technology. Local & regional history are organised by states & regions. There are more than 1000 historical documents arranged in chronological order.

For Australia, search History & Area Studies - Australia where you'll find a mix of early explorers journals (Cook, Banks, Eyre, Kennedy, Sturt etc), a number on politics (Constitution, Federation etc), and some historic gems such as CEW Bean's "On the wool track", Rolf Bolderwood's "Shearing in the Riverina, and "Handbook to Victoria (Australia), a short description of the colony, its productions, manufactures, & capabilities, especially with regard to its new agricultural industries and settlement on the land" from the Paris Exhibition in 1877. What is also interesting about this item is its provenance, coming from the collection of the University of California.

With History Week next week, it may be just the time to use modern resources like ebook readers to check out some ancient history.

Stick Shed was Big

The Stick Shed opening during Murtoa's Big Weekend was a huge success with more than 1,250 people taking the opportunity to go inside. Unfortunately if you couldn't visit on the 2nd October, you need to wait till next year, as the site is again closed to the public - mark it in your diaries! 

The Stick Shed exterior

The roof and walls of the Stick Shed are made of corrugated iron painted ferric red, the floor is a concrete slab, and a three metre wooden bulkhead runs along either side. The roof angle reflects ‘the natural angle of repose’ of stacked bulk grain.