Gaolbird

This is the story of George Hunter, the author's grandfather, who became unemployed after the battle of Trafalgar and the Napoleonic wars.He and a friend conspired to commit a felony for which they would be transported to a far off land where the streets were said to be paved with gold.They arrived in leg irons to find that not only the streets not paved with gold, but mostly were not paved at all.George served the balance of his sentence and became a free man.Thereafter, his fortunes changed and after a series of misadventures he prospered in this emerging country.

Of these twelve studies three are purely literary, two dealing with the ballads of Lord Bateman and of the Queen's Marie, and the third being an essay on the Bacon-Shakespeare imbroglio. This last is a delightful bit of acute, lucid, and witty criticism ; and if the Baconians were but blessed with a shred of humor, Mr. Lang would certainly bring them to reason. Of the remaining essays those which deal with the ghosts of Fisher and Lord Lyttelton possess no historical interest. The "Mystery of James de la Cloche" is of a different character, since James was a supposititious son of Charles II., and since the evidence in support of his paternity establishes the further and much more important fact that Charles was anxious to declare himself a Roman Catholic as early as September, 1665. This book is annotated with a rare extensive biographical sketch of the author, Andrew Lang, written by Sir Edmund Gosse, CB, a contemporary poet and writer.

Adam Swann has grown old, and is struggling to keep up with the changing times. The Victorian age is giving way to the Edwardian and the horse is being overtaken by the motorcar, with devastating effect on his transport business. As the new century is born, the Boer war brings tragedy, but even this cannot quench the indomitable spirit of the Swann family.

In the Preface to this second edition of her first book, Sandra M. Gilbert addresses the inevitable question: "How can you be a feminist and a Lawrentian?" The answer is intellectually satisfying and historically revealing as she traces an array of early twentieth-century women of letters, some of them proto-feminists, who revered Lawrence despite his countless statements that would today be condemned as "sexist." H.D. regarded him as one of her "initiators" whose words "flamed alive, blue serpents on the page." Anais Nin insisted that he "had a complete realization of the feelings of women." By focusing on Lawrence’s own definition of a poem as an "act of attention," Gilbert demonstrates how he developed the mature style of Birds, Beasts and Flowers, his finest collection of poetry. She discusses this volume at length, examines many of his later poems in detail, including the hymns from The Plumed Serpent, Pansies, Nettles, and More Pansies, and ends with a close look at Last Poems. Her detailed examination provides a clearer image of Lawrence as an artist—an artist whose poetry complements his novels and whose fiction enriches but does not outshine his poetry.

• Gaolbird is an entertaining children's/middle-grade non-fiction book set in Australia's convict era, from Simon Barnard, the 2015 CBCA winner of A-Z Convicts in Van Diemen's Land • An outrageous and unbelievable true story of a convict pirate named Swallow • Swallow was a serial escapist, a seaman turned pirate. In Gaolbird, we follow him through various countries and identity changes. From pirating a ship to sailing to New Zealand with fake papers and a stolen ship, he was capable of sweet talking his way out of any scenario • Many saw Swallow’s story as a triumph of the oppressed over the authorities and his bold acts of defiance as inspirational • For readers of all ages, Gaolbird is about one of Australia’s greatest unsung folk heroes, comparable to Ned Kelly • A lavish four-colour production, illustrated in cartoon style by Barnard himself