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 State Library member with a Victorian home address. (Terms and conditions of use apply.)
Oscar Wilde: The unrepentant years Oscar Wilde: The unrepentant years Nicholas Frankel
Nicholas Frankel presents a revisionary account of Oscar Wilde's final years, spent in poverty and exile in Europe following his release from an English prison for the crime of 'gross indecency' between men.
Despite repeated setbacks and open hostility, Wilde – unapologetic and even defiant – attempted to rebuild himself as a man, and a man of letters.
The book pays close attention to Wilde’s final two important works, De profundis and The ballad of Reading Gaol , while detailing his nearly three-year residence in Paris.
This ebook has been selected to mark the 164th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's birth on 16 October.
The waterless sea: A curious history of mirages The waterless sea: A curious history of mirages Christopher Pinney
Mirages have long astonished sea-going travellers and beguiled thirsty desert voyagers.
A potentially negative but also enchanted emblem, mirages convey a sense of escape, of fascination, of a desire to be deceived.
In the first book devoted to the theories and history of mirages, Christopher Pinney shows how mirages have impacted politics, culture, science and religion – and how we can continue to learn from their sublimity.
A rightful place: A road map to recognition A rightful place: A road map to recognition Shireen Morris (ed)
After more than two centuries, can a rightful place be found for Australia’s original peoples? In this essential book, leading writers and thinkers provide insights into what constitutional recognition means and could make possible: a political voice, a fairer relationship and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture.
With remarkable clarity and power, the essays by Noel Pearson, Megan Davis, Stan Grant, Rod Little and Jackie Huggins, Damien Freeman and Nolan Hunter, Warren Mundine, and Shireen Morris traverse law, history and culture to map the path to change.
This ebook has been selected to note the anniversary of the return of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to its traditional owners, the Anangu, on 26 October 1985.
Elephant dawn: The inspirational story of thirteen years living with elephants in the African wilderness Elephant dawn: The inspirational story of thirteen years living with elephants in the African wilderness Sharon Pincott
In 2001, Sharon Pincott traded her privileged existence as a high-flying corporate executive to start a new life with the Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe. She was unpaid, untrained and self-funded, and arrived with the starry-eyed idealism of most foreigners during early encounters with Africa.
For 13 years – the worst in Zimbabwe's volatile history – this intrepid Australian woman lived in the Hwange bush fighting for the lives of these elephants and forming an extraordinary and life-changing bond with them.
Powerfully moving, sometimes disturbing and often very funny, Elephant dawn is a celebration of love, courage and honour amongst our greatest land mammals.
Norman Lindsay: A personal memoir Norman Lindsay: A personal memoir Douglas Stewart
Norman Lindsay and Douglas Stewart were friends for close to 30 years, enjoying a creative companionship that spanned from their first meeting in 1940s bohemian Sydney to Lindsay's death in 1969.
In this moving record of that friendship, Douglas Stewart remembers Norman Lindsay the man – his richly talented family and circle of friends, his quicksilver and vital personality, and his exceptional gifts as a painter, etcher and writer.
Above all, this is an act of homage to a man whom Douglas Stewart saw as one of the greatest figures of Australian art and literature.
This ebook has been selected to mark 100 years since the publication of The magic pudding on 12 October 1918.
Blossoms: And the genes that make them Blossoms: And the genes that make them Maxine F Singer
How do plants know that it's their time to bloom? And how do they make the variety of shapes, colours and scents?
In this clear and accessible account, distinguished scientist Maxine Singer describes the key genes which, responding to environmental cues and other factors, cause plants to flower at a particular time. The remarkably intricate processes involved have evolved alongside the pollinating birds and insects that the flowers must attract if there is to be another generation.
These processes have only been unravelled in the past 20 years, and the implications for ensuring production of food, including fruits and seeds, are profound. This is cutting-edge science, and the story that lies behind the flowers in our gardens, parks and fields is nothing short of astonishing.
Ida Leeson – A life: Not a blue-stocking lady Ida Leeson – A life: Not a blue-stocking lady Sylvia Martin
Ida Leeson was no ordinary librarian. Controversially, in 1932 she was the first woman to be appointed Mitchell Librarian. She was a girl from a working-class background who successfully penetrated the barriers of both class and gender to become a woman of achievement in a bourgeois, man's world.
Ida was a trailblazer for women and librarians, and a champion of the lively literary culture of Australia at the time. She was friendly with many of the leading literary figures of the time, most notably Miles Franklin, and she was also part of the bohemian enclave established by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin at Castlecrag.
Brought to vivid life by Sylvia Martin, this is the story of a woman to inspire a new generation of readers – hers was a truly remarkable life in an intriguing era.
Ghostly encounters: The hauntings of everyday life Ghostly encounters: The hauntings of everyday life Dennis Waskul, Michele Waskul
Based on two years of fieldwork and interviews with 71 midwestern Americans, Ghostly encounters examines how people experience ghosts and hauntings in everyday life.
The authors explore how uncanny happenings become ghosts, and the reasons people struggle with or against a will to believe. They present the variety and character of hauntings and ghostly encounters, outcomes of people telling haunted legends, and the nested consequences of ghostly experiences.
Through these stories, the authors seek to understand the persistence of uncanny experiences and beliefs in ghosts in an age of reason, science, education and technology – as well as how those beliefs and experiences both reflect and serve important social and cultural functions.
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.
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.
