Tom Downer’s Legacy: The Story of the State Horse-Drawn Vehicle Collection of the National Trust of South Australia

Compiled and published by Glenda Couch-Keen (2002). Available for $28 from the Police Journal.

This delightful limited-edition book on South Australia’s old horse-drawn vehicles is a collector’s item that will appeal to all ages.

It contains magnificent photos – many of them colour plates – of vehicles lovingly restored by volunteer organizations such as the National Trust of SA, the SA Police Historical Society, and various museums and private collections.

There are examples of horse-drawn mail coaches, trolley-buses, trams, hearses and fire engines. Also featured is one of South Australia’s original horse-drawn Black Mariahs (Paddy Wagons), used between 1880 and 1928, and still in good condition at its present home in the Thebarton Police Barracks.

The book is conveniently divided into various categories: carts and drays; trolleys, vans and wagons; and passenger vehicles, commercial and private. It includes useful historical background, commentaries and diagrams as well as a glossary of terms.

Patrick Lindsay, The Spirit of the Digger.
Pan Macmillan Australia. $30

From the author of last year’s bestselling The Spirit of Kokoda, comes a compelling portrait of the Australian Digger through the years. The men in the slouch hats have made a telling impact in virtually all the conflicts in which they have served, winning universal acclaim as warriors, yet retaining their larrikin charm, their compassion and their dislike for spit and polish.

Telling the story through Diggers’ eyes, Lindsay examines how the Digger has been able to build his remarkable reputation – well out of proportion to his numbers and the length of his history – from Gallipoli through to East Timor and Afghanistan.

Anna Gekoski, Murder by Numbers.
Carlton / Pan Macmillan Australia. $25

In Murder by Numbers, Anna Gekoski asks: “A child, we must assume, is born innocent, not a potential serial killer... What happened to the child who becomes a serial killer?” In this incisive and compelling book, the author provides the first serious attempt to compare and contrast the lives and crimes of nine high-profile British serial sex killers. From John Christie and Dennis Nilsen to Colin Ireland (with whom the author corresponded during her research) and the Wests, this disturbing study examines the patterns behind the backgrounds that led these individuals to commit such appallingly depraved acts.

Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds, The Altman Code.
Allen & Unwin. Paperback: $29.95

This story, by bestselling thriller writer Robert Ludlum (Scarlatti Inheritance, The Bourne Identity) who died in 2001, is set just before September 11, the War on Terrorism and the recent war in Iraq.

On the dark waterside docks of Shanghai, a photographer records cargo being secretly loaded. He is brutally killed and his camera destroyed. Two weeks later, the US Navy tracks a Chinese ship rumoured to be carrying tons of chemicals for Saddam Hussein to create new biological weapons. The US president cannot let the ship reach Iraq. He orders Fred Klein, head of Covert-One, to find solid proof of what the Chinese ship is ferrying, but can Klein do it without wrecking decades of delicate negotiations between China and America?

Huon Hooke and Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide 2003/2004.
Penguin paperback. RRP: $22.95

This excellent 496-page guide will appeal to every wine-buyer: the occasional drinker, the serious buff, or the budget-conscious. The book gives you the most telling reviews of the very latest wines in an expert, fun, good-sense tour of great gulps: red wines, roses, sparkling burgundies, ports and many more varieties. Whether you want a decent wine at a fair price or want to start a wine cellar, this is a definitive book on selecting and drinking Australian wine.

Martha Day, Baking.
Lorenz / Pan Macmillan Australia. $30

Nothing equals the satisfaction of home baking, and over 400 recipes in this excellent collection will be sure to inspire. This technique-led book will take you through all the processes from keeping your kitchen stocked with the right ingredients and equipment to baking blind, making a lattice top for a pie and mixing the perfect choux pastry. With recipes for biscuits, buns, tea breads, cakes, gateaux, pies, tarts, shortbread, low-fat cakes and bakes, everyday breads and classic bread recipes, this book is a one-stop reference that will meet all your baking needs.

Tim Blue, The Seven Ages of Money.
Choice Books / Pan Macmillan Australia. $25

Financial journalist broadcaster Tim Blue identifies the seven financial ages of man. As each year passes, our financial needs gradually metamorphose. Our needs at the age of 17 are not the same as our needs at 70.

What are your chances of becoming financially independent? Long thought to be the realm of the lucky or the well-to-do, financial health is within the reach of everyone, providing the four pillars of financial success – time, discipline, knowledge and strategy – are respected. The first two are within your reach now, and the other two can be acquired over time.

Alan Edwards, The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Cats, Cat Breeds and Cat Care.
Lorenz / Pan Macmillan Australia. $45

This comprehensive book brings together in one indispensable volume the very latest veterinary-approved advice on cat care and the most up-to-date coverage of the world’s cat breeds. There is advice on choosing and buying a cat, inoculations for kittens, and providing a safe environment indoors and out; major sections on feeding and nutrition, grooming and training, and essential health care, all supported by step-by-step instructions, from popular to rarer breeds. Each breed has a breed box giving defining characteristics, such as coat texture, eye colour, average size and temperament.

Slim Dusty and Joy McKean, Another Day, Another Town.
Expanded and updated edition. Pan Macmillan Australia. $30

Slim Dusty, who has been travelling and performing since 1948, is one of Australia’s best loved and most prolific recording artists. He holds more gold and platinum record awards than any other Australian artist. This is the completely updated and expanded version of a book first published in 1996, with three new chapters to bring readers up to date with the lives of Slim Dusty and his wife Joy McKean, and a moving epilogue written by Slim himself.