VIDEO
Did you know that the Library has a huge range of free nonfiction ebooks – 12,000 and counting! – which you can either read online or download for up to seven days?
To get started, browse our latest selection of ebooks and watch this space for new additions. You can also scan the list of past Ebookshelf titles or browse for even more free ebooks ! For tips and advice, watch our video on using ebooks.
To access ebooks from home, you need to be a Victorian resident with a current State Library card . (Terms and conditions of use apply.)
The bare bones: An unconventional evolutionary history of the skeleton The bare bones: An unconventional evolutionary history of the skeleton Matthew F Bonnan
What can we learn about the evolution of jaws from a pair of scissors? What do a spacesuit and an egg have in common? The answers to these and other intriguing questions illustrate how scientists have pieced together the history of vertebrates from their bare bones.
Highlighting the fascinating twists and turns of evolution across more than 540 million years, paleobiologist Matthew Bonnan uses everyday objects to explain the emergence and adaptation of the vertebrate skeleton.
With its engaging and informative text, plus more than 200 illustrative diagrams created by the author, The bare bones is an unconventional and reader-friendly introduction to the skeleton as an evolving machine.
DAAS, their part in my downfall: How I survived life on the road with the Doug Anthony All-Stars DAAS, their part in my downfall: How I survived life on the road with the Doug Anthony All-Stars Paul Livingston
Under the guise of his alter ego, Flacco, Paul Livingston once basked in the reflected glory of Tim Ferguson, Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler, and their anarchic comedy incarnation, the Doug Anthony All-Stars.
As a fly on the pungent walls of DAAS dressing rooms over the decades, Paul Livingston has lived and played alongside these men, probing their depths and shallows. Here, he reveals all – their rise, disappearance and rebirth – and interviews their fans, colleagues, and famous peers and admirers.
In 2016 the bad old men of Australian comedy dared to venture back to where it all began 30 years ago – the Edinburgh Festival. Did anyone remember them?
Toxic geek masculinity in media: Sexism, trolling and identity policing Toxic geek masculinity in media: Sexism, trolling and identity policing Anastasia Salter and Bridget Blodgett
This book examines changing representations of masculinity in geek media, during a time of transition in which 'geek' has not only gone mainstream but become a more contested space than ever.
Anastasia Salter and Bridget Blodgett critique both gendered depictions of geeks, including shows like Chuck and The big bang theory , and aspirational geek heroes, ranging from the Winchester brothers of Supernatural to BBC's Sherlock and the varied superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Through this analysis, the authors argue that toxic masculinity is deeply embedded in geek culture, and that the identity of geek as victimised other must be redefined before geek culture and media can ever become an inclusive space.
Not enough: Human rights in an unequal world Not enough: Human rights in an unequal world Samuel Moyn
The age of human rights has been kindest to the rich, and a commitment to material equality has disappeared. In its place, market fundamentalism has emerged as the dominant force in our economies.
In this provocative book, Samuel Moyn analyses how and why we chose to make human rights our highest ideals while neglecting the demands of a broader social and economic justice. In his pioneering history of rights stretching back to the Bible, he charts how attempts to challenge inequality on a global scale have been foiled by the triumph of a neoliberal faith in markets.
Exploring why the rise of human rights has occurred alongside enduring and exploding inequality, Not enough calls for more ambitious ideals and movements to achieve a humane and equitable world.
People with disability Justin Healey (ed)
One in five Australians have a disability. Many encounter a range of barriers, stereotypes and negative attitudes: they are more likely to experience poverty, suffer from mental illness, have low levels of education and be socially isolated.
This important book looks at the levels of care, support and protection currently available, and explores issues involving disability rights and discrimination. Eminently practical, it also includes worksheets and activities, fast facts, a glossary and useful web links.
Part of the Issues in society series, the book's content is drawn from a wide variety of sources and includes newspaper reports and opinion pieces, journal articles, statistics, government reports and literature from special interest groups.
The Great Houdini: His British tours The Great Houdini: His British tours Derek Tait
The American illusionist Harry Houdini was the best-known escapologist of all time. At the height of his career, he was the highest paid entertainer in the world.
Between 1900 and 1920, Houdini toured Great Britain’s major towns and cities, escaping from jails, jumping from bridges while bound in chains, and performing amazing escapades.
Using archive materials and extensive research, Tait brings to life the excitement and thrills of Houdini’s appearances. The book also documents Houdini's friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, along with his involvement with seances and spiritualism, and offers an insight into the life of one of the world's greatest entertainers.
On borrowed time Robert Manne
From climate change to the Murdoch empire, refugees to WikiLeaks – Robert Manne, emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University, applies his brilliant mind to the issues and people that shape our world.
This provocative and informative book includes essays on Donald Trump's links to Russia, Malcolm Turnbull's leadership, the ideas driving Islamic State, and Jonathan Franzen's views on climate activism.
In the title essay, Manne shares a life-altering personal story that is frank, moving and unforgettable.
James Cook: The voyages William Frame and Laura Walker
The 25th of August 2018 marks the 250th anniversary of the departure of the Endeavour from Plymouth, and the first of three voyages by James Cook that would virtually complete the map of the world.
Interweaving accounts of scientific discovery with the personal stories of the voyages' key participants, the authors explore the charting of the Pacific and the natural world, the first encounters between Western and indigenous cultures, and the representation of the voyages in art.
The book draws on the British Library's extensive Captain Cook collection of maps and artworks, including the only surviving paintings by Polynesian high priest and navigator Tupaia, who joined the first voyage at Tahiti and sailed with Cook to the Antipodes.
A field guide to spiders of Australia A field guide to spiders of Australia Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson
Australians have a love–hate relationship with spiders. Some spiders, such as the redback and the Sydney funnelweb, inspire fear. Yet peacock spiders, with their colourful fan-spreading courtship dances, have won rapturous appreciation worldwide.
Featuring over 1300 colour photographs of living specimens to help identify many of the spiders we encounter, this is the most comprehensive account of Australian spiders ever published.
With more than two-thirds of Australian spiders yet to be scientifically described, it sets the scene for future explorations of our extraordinary Australian fauna.
Great Australian scams, cons and rorts: A book of dodgy schemes and crazy dreams from the bush to the city Great Australian scams, cons and rorts: A book of dodgy schemes and crazy dreams from the bush to the city Jim Haynes
Australia is the birthplace and setting of some of the wildest, craziest and least-likely-to-succeed cons and rorts in history.
Like the clever bushman who stole a thousand head of cattle and got away with it, despite being caught 'red handed'. The disappearing work of art that suddenly dissolved, only to reappear at an auction years later. Or the butcher from Wagga who passed himself off as a French-born English duke to inherit a small fortune.
From the cleverest double-crosses to the most unlikely and maddest schemes, master storyteller Jim Haynes has collected a veritable 'Gullible's Tales' of unexpected and surprising true stories that defy belief.
Big blue sky: A memoir Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett's life has been fully and passionately lived. A man of boundless energy, compassion, intelligence and creativity, he has already achieved enough to fill several lives.
From his early interest in equality and justice to fronting iconic Australian band Midnight Oil, from his time as a galvanising activist for the environment to being the only unaligned Cabinet minister in two Labor governments, he has an extraordinary story to tell.
Provocative, entertaining, impassioned and inspiring, this memoir goes to the heart and soul of a remarkable Australian and raises questions crucial to us all.
Courage in the skies: The untold story of Qantas, its brave men and women and their extraordinary role in World War II Courage in the skies: The untold story of Qantas, its brave men and women and their extraordinary role in World War II Jim Eames
Courage in the skies is the remarkable story of Qantas at war during WWII, sharing the heroic deeds of the airline's crew and ground staff.
Flying unarmed planes through war zones and at times under enemy fire, the airline supplied the front lines, evacuated the wounded and undertook surprising escapes, including carrying more than 40 civilians on the last aircraft to leave besieged Singapore.
Absorbing, spirited and fast-paced, this is the story of an extraordinary group of Australians who confronted the dark days of WWII with bravery, commitment and initiative.
Total propaganda: Basic Marxist brainwashing for the angry and the young Total propaganda: Basic Marxist brainwashing for the angry and the young Helen Razer
Millennials have it bad. They face the problems of underemployment, unaffordable housing and economists writing desperate columns saying everything would work better, if only we stopped eating sandwiches.
Karl Marx may not have had much to say about brunch in the 21st century, but he sure had some powerful thoughts about where the system of capitalism would land us. Over time, it would produce a series of crises and a top-heavy system that could come crashing down with a nudge.
Pushy old communist Helen Razer offers an introduction to the thoughts of Marx for Millennials, and anyone else tired of wage stagnation and growing global poverty.
Breaking out: Memories of Melbourne in the 1970s Breaking out: Memories of Melbourne in the 1970s Susan Blackburn (ed)
Breaking out celebrates Melbourne in the 1970s, a heady time of turbulence that stretched far beyond the Whitlam era and the level of national government.
Sixteen contributors remember their roles in this vibrant and creative decade when anything seemed possible, and alternative approaches sprang up for everything from education to radio broadcasting, theatre and legal services to suburban living.
Starting with the massive opposition to Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, and ending with efforts to combat its role in East Timor, contributors also recall the protests against environment policies and the administration of universities.
Chinese market gardening in Australia and New Zealand: Gardens of prosperity Chinese market gardening in Australia and New Zealand: Gardens of prosperity Joanna Boileau
This book offers a fresh perspective on the Chinese diaspora, highlighting the mobility of migrants as an essential element in the adaptation of technologies.
Truly multidisciplinary, it incorporates elements of economic, agricultural, social and cultural history to document how market gardeners from subtropical southern China adapted their horticultural techniques to novel environments and the demands of European consumers.
The text also shows how they developed flexible strategies to cope with the vagaries of climate and social environments that were often hostile towards Asian immigrants.
The evolution of money David Orrell and Roman Chlupaty
The sharing economy's unique customer-to-company exchange is possible because of money's elastic nature and the way in which it has evolved.
The evolution of money illuminates the fascinating reality of virtual money and its cooperative potential, focusing on the tension between currency's real and abstract properties.
From the debt tablets of Mesopotamia to the coins of ancient Greece and Rome, the gold-backed currencies of medieval Europe to monetary economics in Victorian England, the book also covers the digital era and anticipates money's next, transformative role.
