{"title":"Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003eNot just any fiction. Australian fiction that captures the heart of Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"checks-and-balances-press-freedom-and-an-independent-judiciary-by-the-rule-of-law-education-centre","title":"Checks and Balances : Press Freedom and an Independent Judiciary by the Rule of Law Education Centre","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChecks and Balances: Press Freedom and an Independent Judiciary\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRule of Law Education Centre\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback, 40 pages, colour pictures throughout. $19.95\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN 9781923224179\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow the establishment of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and a free press provided essential checks on the power of the Governor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChecks and Balances: Press Freedom and an Independent Judiciary chronicles the pivotal establishment of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the birth of a free press.  During the time of Governor Darling, Justice Forbes lays the groundwork for Australia's enduring separation of powers. This illuminating narrative underscores the indispensability of an independent judiciary and a vigilant press in safeguarding individual liberties. With poignant illustrations, it celebrates the rule of law's timeless promise—a shield against tyranny, ensuring equity for all. A must-read for families cherishing the pillars of justice, press freedom, and the rule of law.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Forbes’ ability to remain judicially independent and impartial despite constant pressure from Governor Darling set the foundation for the separation of powers in Australia. These checks and balances of an independent judiciary and freedom of the press have since become an established part of Australian life. The rule of law with checks and balances on those in power, is a wonderful protection of individual rights and freedoms to this day.\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49724891398432,"sku":"","price":19.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/Check.jpg?v=1734493837"},{"product_id":"the-lost-parcel-by-rule-of-law-education-centre","title":"The Lost Parcel by Rule of Law Education Centre","description":"\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"normaltextrun\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eThe Lost Parcel\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"eop\"\u003e by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"eop\"\u003eRule of Law Education Centre\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"eop\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003ePaperback, full-colour, 32 pages, $19.95\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003eISBN 9781922815484\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003eRelease May 2023\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003eAges 12-17\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"normaltextrun\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eA captivating true story of a convict couple, Henry and Susannah Kable and the disappearance of their parcel of belongings on their journey on the First Fleet. The story culminates in the first civil case in New South Wales, where this poor convict couple sued the mighty ship’s captain for their lost parcel and won! Setting the democratic foundations of our nation today that the law must be applied equally and fairly to all, and people should have equal access to the protections provided by the law.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"eop\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-GB\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"normaltextrun\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eA beautifully illustrated and well-researched picture book that uses source documents such as letters, transcripts and newspaper articles. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"normaltextrun\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eAligned with the Australian Curriculum Civics and Citizenship strand, this storybook is for families and schools to help understand the principles of justice, fairness, equality and the rule of law.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"normaltextrun\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eWritten by the team at Rule of Law Education Centre, an independent, non-partisan and non-political not-for-profit formed to promote and protect the rule of law in Australia.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"eop\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49760220774688,"sku":"","price":19.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/parcel.jpg?v=1735861308"},{"product_id":"the-coincidence-by-gabriel-moens","title":"The Coincidence by Gabriel Moens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"r-tabs-panel r-tabs-state-active\" id=\"tab-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"item\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp _msttexthash=\"760266\" _msthash=\"158\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Coincidence by Gabriel Moens\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp _msttexthash=\"450073\" _msthash=\"159\"\u003ePaperback, 324 pages, $32.95\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan _msttexthash=\"188396\" _msthash=\"160\"\u003eISBN 9781922449887\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp _msttexthash=\"473148\" _msthash=\"162\"\u003ePublished in December 2021 \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" _msttexthash=\"360511840\" _msthash=\"164\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Coincidence\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a thriller set in the future, involving an American president and a would-be assassin. The story focuses on an extraordinary cluster of coincidences that will keep the reader guessing as to the resolution until the last page. Specifically, the novel focuses on a real issue that mesmerized the world community: the destruction of monuments and statues throughout the world, notably in the United States, the United Kingdom, but also in Australia and other countries. This issue provides the background for this tale of conspiracy, attempted murder, revenge, and redemption. The novel describes and illuminates human nature exposing the misguided and the flawed. It highlights social conditions dominated by violence and lawlessness and explores social issues such as racial discrimination, inequality, and possession of guns.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan _msttexthash=\"503244677\" _msthash=\"165\"\u003eThe story is mainly set in Kansas City and Washington DC in the United States, and in Sydney, Australia. Some developments in the story occur in Italy, mainly in Florence and Macerata. The tales of the four main protagonists of this story are intertwined, and they will eventually result in the demise of three characters. The story also offers a short revelatory account of Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the Americas in the 15th century, the emerging and developing hologram technology, and American election campaigns. Additionally, there are sections dealing with contemporary university governance and politics. They provide a humorous distraction, while still relevant to the development of the story, from the novel’s central themes. The interrelationships between education, political intrigue, technology, and human relationships have been interwoven to produce an entertaining and thought-provoking crime novel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49820585328928,"sku":"","price":32.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/coindidence.jpg?v=1737339091"},{"product_id":"the-super-spreader-by-maria-giordano","title":"The Super Spreader by Maria Giordano","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Super Spreader by Maria Giordano\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ci\u003eA kid's book that I wouldn't read to my kid!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eWritten by Maria Giordano\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eIllustrated by Marc Hendrickx\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003ePaperback, 32 pages, $19.95\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eISBN 9781922449290\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003ePublished in 2020 \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eAustralia, we have a new hero, The Super Spreader.  Born and bred in Victoria. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eHe can be anywhere and yet no one can find him.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eMeatworks, Churches, hotels \u0026amp; even golf courses, the Super Spreader is found, and he is not even wearing a mask! Inspired by health bureaucrats, the Super Spreader is someone, other than Trump, we can all dislike. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eMarc Hendrickx did not survive the “Great” Pandemic of 2020 with his sanity intact. With over 20 years in risk management, providing advice with careful consideration of cost and benefit, the absence of any perspective, proportion, common sense or evidence of rationality in Government’s responding to the China virus drove him around the bend. He is currently recuperating as a guest on Wonder Woman’s island. Marc’s other works include: “A Guide to Climbing Ayers Rock”, “Prince of Precaution” and “We’re not scared anymore Mr Gore”. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eMaria Giordano is a middle-class, Range Rover driving introvert who celebrated the Victorian lockdowns and is wondering why we need more than an hour for exercise? She is currently reading and practicing Quakerism. And has committed her life to serving Dan Andrews. \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49854731059488,"sku":"","price":19.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/SSS.jpg?v=1738301761"},{"product_id":"the-bandar-log-a-labor-story-of-the-1950s-alan-reids-previously-unpublished-novel-about-the-labor-split-by-dr-alan-reid-and-edited-by-ross-fitzgerald","title":"The Bandar-Log: A Labor Story of the 1950s Alan Reid's Previously Unpublished Novel about the Labor Split by Dr Alan Reid and edited by Ross Fitzgerald","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Bandar-Log: A Labor Story of the 1950s Alan Reid's Previously Unpublished Novel about the Labor Split by Dr Alan Reid and edited by Ross Fitzgerald\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003ePages: Illustrations, black and white\u003cbr\u003ePublication Date: 01\/05\/2015\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781925138528\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReview by Peter Coleman, 20 June 2015\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was back in the mists of time but I easily recall the day in September 1961 when I dropped in to the NSW District Court to listen to what promised to be a sensational political trial. It centred on a notorious novel – finally published this week some 54 years later – about the catastrophic Labor Split of the 1950s, written by the famous journalist Alan Reid. It was called The Bandar Log in an allusion to the vicious chattering monkeys of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. The subtitle makes its theme clearer: ‘A Labor Story of the 1950s’. Reid personalised the story as a war to the death between the attack dog of the Labor Left who was obviously meant to be Dr H.V. Evatt and the hero of the anti-communists who was obviously Bob Santamaria. Reid’s problem was to find a publisher. The book publishing division of his employer Australian Consolidated Press would not take it on. They thought it would not sell. (‘We are not in the business of losing money.’) A second publisher, Angus \u0026amp; Robertson, was keen. They even thought it might win the Miles Franklin Prize. But as Reid tells the story, one day an old Labor cobber sidled up to him in King’s Hall in the old Parliament House and whispered: ‘It’s not coming out!’ He was right. A\u0026amp;R finally turned the book down as defamatory. Then unexpectedly a third publisher turned up, P.J. Atkins of Cleveland Press, who said he thought there might be a quid in it. (Atkins was President of the Democratic Labor Party in NSW.) He wanted to publish it in time for the 1960 Christmas trade. But suddenly Atkins’ printer – Halstead Press, owned by A\u0026amp;R – followed A\u0026amp;R’s ruling that the book defamed prominent public figures. It refused to go on with the printing. The publisher thereupon sued Halstead Press for damages for breach of contract. The case came before the District Court. Despite great expectations the court-room drama was low-key, even dull. The principal witness for the printer was the literary scholar Dr Colin Roderick, a director of Angus \u0026amp; Robertson. He painstakingly showed how closely the fictional characters mirrored and defamed actual public figures such as Dr Evatt and Bob Santamaria. The cross-examining barrister for the publisher – the formidable Tom Hughes, later Attorney-General in the federal Liberal government – argued that the characters were definitely not portraits of real people. They were simply political types that turn up everywhere in politics from Washington to Westminster, from Canberra to the Kremlin – the wheeler-dealer, the fanatic, the madman, the fixer, the opportunist, the ideologue, the double-crosser, the stooge, the sycophant, the jackal or whatever. But despite Hughes’ aggressive and lengthy cross-examination, Roderick stuck doggedly to his observation that the characters were thinly disguised portraits of actual politicians in Canberra. When I wrote up the case for the Bulletin of September 1961 I reported that ‘it seemed at times as if Dr Roderick was being subjected to an extremely stiff Leaving Certificate examination in textual criticism’ – and passing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut rereading my piece after 54 years, I see I did not do justice to the contest. My divided loyalties got in the way. My sympathies were with Reid. He was a colleague at the Bulletin and although I often, and increasingly, disagreed with him, I wanted to see his novel published. But I was also convinced that Colin Roderick was right that the characters in the novel were portraits of real public figures – not only Evatt and Santamaria but also Arthur Calwell, Eddie Ward, Gough Whitlam, and Dr John Burton among others. I did not put my by-line on the report. We presented it as ‘From a Sydney Correspondent’. Readers today, more than 50 years later, will probably consider The Bandar Log as hard-hitting if dated commentary. But in 1961, at the time of would-be publication, it was an inflammatory and libellous, if accurate, account by an insider. The Judge found the book was defamatory and dismissed the claim for damages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a triumph for Dr Roderick. Consider the portrait of Evatt: ‘…brilliantly mad, pursued by a sense of historic destiny. Subtle, a self-deceiver. Haunted by the lust for earthly power and a desire for immortality in the memory of man… he would not let what to him were the trifles of normal standards of morality and the little decencies of human existence stand between him and the end he was pursuing… shifty moody, sombre and morose…’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the hearing in the District Court, Reid returned his manuscript to the bottom drawer, to be forgotten and apparently lost to history. But a copy of the printer’s galley proofs survived among the Roderick papers in the Mitchell Library – ignored by historians until recently discovered by Ross Fitzgerald [who with Stephen Holt had a few years ago published the biography Alan (‘The Red Fox’) Reid.] Fitzgerald corrected the proofs and edited the novel again. Connor Court has now published it, at long last, with a Foreword by Prime Minister Abbott (who calls Reid ‘the Paul Kelly of his day’), an Introduction by Fitzgerald and Holt (who find the novel ‘surprisingly relevant today’), and a Postscript by Laurie Oakes (who notes Reid’s ‘extraordinarily bleak’ picture of Canberra politics – ‘filthy and disgusting… a sewer’.) One point is clear: the novel, wooden, creaky and didactic, has little literary merit, but it evokes the spirit of Labor politics in the 1950s. It is a document that will be of lasting interest to students of Australian politics. How many more such documents are still out there, in library archives or family garages, waiting to be discovered?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49980459090208,"sku":"","price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/Bandar.jpg?v=1741830060"},{"product_id":"this-place-is-cactus-by-patrick-liptak","title":"This Place Is Cactus by Patrick Liptak","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis Place Is Cactus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Liptak\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaperback, 220 pages, $29.95\u003cbr\u003ePublished by The Publisher's Apprentice, fiction that captures the heart of Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eISBN 9781923568853\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAugust 2026 release\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1991, young surfer James Roberts leaves Melbourne behind and heads west to the remote South Australian town of Ceduna, drawn by rumours of legendary waves breaking along the wild edge of the Great Australian Bight. What begins as a surf trip soon becomes something far more profound. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaunted by family turmoil and searching for meaning beyond the routines of ordinary life, James finds himself captivated by stories of Cactus Beach, a place where surfers, drifters, fishermen and dreamers once built a world of their own among the dunes. At the centre of the mystery stands Oakley, a near-mythical figure whose legend lingers in whispers, photographs and half-remembered tales. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs James ventures deeper into the isolated surf culture of South Australia’s far west, he encounters colourful characters, unexpected friendships, and the possibility of love. Yet beneath the beauty of the ocean and the freedom of the open road lies a deeper journey: a search for identity, belonging and peace. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichly evocative and steeped in the spirit of Australian surf culture, This Place Is Cactus is an unforgettable coming-of-age novel about adventure, self-discovery and the enduring power of the sea.  Written by Patrick Liptak, a lawyer with a lifelong passion for surfing, it captures both the thrill of chasing waves and the universal quest to find where we truly belong. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Liptak\u003c\/strong\u003e is a lawyer based in Adelaide, South Australia. He lives with his wife and their two beautiful children. His passions for art and sports, including athletics, surfboat rowing, fishing, and surfing, have led him on numerous adventures with lifelong friends to remote and wild locations where the line between what happened and what was imagined is not always easy to find. This novel is his first. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Connor Court Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51911137493280,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/files\/CactusCoverweb.jpg?v=1782350980"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0919\/0191\/9520\/collections\/ChatGPT_Image_Jun_25_2026_11_27_38_AM.png?v=1782350894","url":"https:\/\/www.connorcourtbooks.com.au\/collections\/fiction.oembed","provider":"Connor Court Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}