On the Hoof: The Untold Story of Drovers in New Zealand
On the Hoof: The Untold Story of Drovers in New Zealand

Author: Ruth Entwistle Low

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2014-07-23

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 1743486812

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Since the European settlement of New Zealand, drovers have moved stock 'on the hoof' from ships and stations to new homes scattered throughout the country. In this book – the first of its kind – Ruth Entwistle Low interviews almost 60 old-time drovers, revealing and reliving the practice of droving and the people who have underpinned it. Through original research, colourful storytelling and the voices of the drovers themselves, Ruth describes what the job entailed – where and how they travelled, the problems they faced, the ups and downs of the lifestyle. Ranging all over rural New Zealand, from our colonial past to the droving industry's 'twilight' years, Ruth documents both the day-to-day and the dramatic in a gripping narrative that will appeal to a wide body of readers. On the Hoof is a truly special book – a heartland history of New Zealand that seeks not simply to explain the drover and the droving way of life, but to honour them also.

The Shearers
The Shearers

Author: Ruth Entwistle Low

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2019-08-06

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 0143771175

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Shearers is a colourful account of the men and women, past and present, who have committed their lives to shearing in New Zealand. Their voices – in their own words, often brutally honest reflections on what it is to be a shearer – are at the heart of this book: their training, their tools, their camaraderie, and the gruelling, itinerant nature of the job. Old hands like Brian ‘Snow’ Quinn, Tony Dobbs and Peter Casserly, and Peter and Elsie Lyon, as well as those newer to the scene, offer personal insights, often for the first time. The Shearers invites readers to the world of the New Zealand shearer – ‘the only job where you take a sweat towel to work’.

My Brilliant Career
My Brilliant Career

Author: Miles Franklin

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2025-01-30

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1802065962

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Miles Franklin’s debut novel follows the vivacious and rebellious sixteen-year-old Sybylla Melvyn – closely modelled on Franklin herself – as she fights to break free of restrictive bush life. Growing up on her parents’ outback farm, Sybylla is desperate to read, write, sing and achieve great things. Yet her aspirations for a ‘brilliant career’ are persistently thwarted, first by the arduous demands of rural family life, and later by the shackles of a proposed conventional marriage to the wealthy Harold Beecham. With only her brilliant, conflicted mind to guide her, Sybylla is forced to define a life on her own terms. My Brilliant Career is acclaimed for capturing the spirit of Australia at the turn of the twentieth century. The struggles of its fiery, precocious protagonist shine a light on the emergent women’s rights and suffrage movement during this period, and memorably evoke the intensity of youth.

Creatures of Empire
Creatures of Empire

Author: Virginia DeJohn Anderson

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9780195304466

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Book Review

Customs in Common
Customs in Common

Author: E. P. Thompson

Publisher: New Press/ORIM

Published: 2015-09-22

Total Pages: 558

ISBN-13: 1620972166

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The “meticulously researched, elegantly argued and deeply humane” sequel to the landmark volume of social history, The Making of the English Working Class (The New York Times Book Review). This remarkable study investigates the gradual disappearance of a range of cultural customs against the backdrop of the great upheavals of the eighteenth century. As villagers were subjected to a legal system increasingly hostile to custom, they tried both to resist and to preserve tradition, becoming, as E. P. Thompson explains, “rebellious, but rebellious in defense of custom.” Although some historians have written of riotous peasants of England and Wales as if they were mainly a problem for magistrates and governments, for Thompson it is the rulers, landowners, and governments who were a problem for the people, whose exuberant culture preceded the formation of working-class institutions and consciousness. Essential reading for all those intrigued by English history, Customs in Common has a special relevance today, as traditional economies are being replaced by market economies throughout the world. The rich scholarship and depth of insight in Thompson’s work offer many clues to understanding contemporary changes around the globe. “[This] long-awaited collection . . . is a signal contribution . . . [from] the person most responsible for inspiring the revival of American labor history during the past thirty years.” —The Nation “This book signals the return to historical writing of one of the most eloquent, powerful and independent voices of our time. At his best he is capable of a passionate, sardonic eloquence which is unequalled.” —The Observer

Green Versus Gold
Green Versus Gold

Author: Carolyn Merchant

Publisher:

Published: 1998-06

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

While the state of California remains one of the most striking and varied landscapes in the world, it has experienced monumental changes since European settlers first set foot there. The past two centuries have witnessed an ongoing struggle between environment and economy, nature and humanity that has left an indelible mark on the region. Green Versus Gold provides a compelling look at California's environmental history from its Native American past to conflicts and movements of recent decades. Acclaimed environmental historian Carolyn Merchant has brought together a vast storehouse of primary sources and interpretive essays to create a comprehensive picture of the history of ecological and human interactions in one of the nation's most diverse and resource-rich states. For each chapter, Merchant has selected original documents that give readers an eyewitness account of specific environments and periods, along with essays from leading historians, geographers, scientists, and other experts that provide context and analysis for the documents. In addition, she presents a list of further readings of both primary and secondary sources. Among other topics, chapters examine: California's natural environment and Native American lands the Spanish and Russian frontiers environmental impacts of the gold rush the transformation of forests and rangelands agriculture and irrigation cities and urban issues the rise of environmental science and contemporary environmental movement. Merchant's informed and well-chosen selections present a unique view of decades of environmental change and controversy. Historians, educators, environmentalists, writers, students, scientists, policy makers, and others will find the book an enlightening and important contribution to the debate over our nation's environmental history.