Black Inc imprint: 229 books

They say that tourist ships to Antarctica, even more than ordinary human conveyances, are loaded down with aching hearts. Deceived wives and widowers, men who've never been loved and don't know why, Russian crew forced to leave their children behind for years at a time … And then there are the married...

A big liner, brightly lit, passes us one or two cable-lengths ahead. ‘Ow! They are guzzling champagne but cannot see what's in front of them!’ grumbles Etienne, who has the helm and puts Prosper back on course. Our wooden boat, which one long wave can carry, is a mere cork in the wake of that...

In every religion I can think of, there exists some variation on the theme of abandoning the settled life and walking one's way to godliness. The Hindu Sadhu, leaving behind family and wealth to live as a beggar; the pilgrims of Compostela walking away their sins; the circumambulators of the Buddhist...

On a Tuesday morning, I make my way to the Gap View Hotel for a drinking session starting at 10 a.m. I'm told this is one of Alice Springs' three notorious 'animal bars' … As I wander around, a Sudanese security guard approaches me, his face concerned. Am I lost? he wants to know. In a way, I am....

How many Australians born in the 137 years since Truganini's death learnt her legend and scarcely thought deeper about the enormity of the loss she represented, and the history that led to it? Her spirit casts a long shadow over Australian history, but we have nearly all of us found a way to avert...

I ask a young 200-kilo patient what he snacks on. “Nothing,” he says. I look him in the eye. Nothing? He nods. I ask him about his chronic skin infections, his diabetes. He tears up: “I eat hot chips and fried dim sims and drink three bottles of Coke every afternoon. The truth is I’m addicted...

Going green is the new black for big business. But how real is the climate-friendly revolution that's being advertised? Toyota reckons Mother Nature drives a Prius, Ford wants us to “Join the Green Revolution”, and McDonald's has painted its famous golden arches green. Facebook has even 'friended'...

In 1981, fifteen-year-old Nikki McWatters is living in a Gold Coast suburb, dragging herself through humdrum schooldays and dreaming of losing her virginity to a rock star. With three friends she starts the Vulture Club for aspiring groupies – and so begins a festival of sex, drugs and rock ’n’...

Up from the Mission charts the life and thought of Noel Pearson, from his early days as a native title lawyer to his position today as one of Australia’s most influential figures. This is writing of great passion and power, which introduces a fascinating man and a compelling writer. Many of the pieces...

It’s so sad,” she told me, “because you could have been something. You could have gotten to the top. You’re smart enough. But now you’re going to end up as just another dirty, scummy, rotten crimwife. How far would you go for love? Some women commit crimes to help their lovers, while...

In Thought Crimes, Tim Richards takes the reader on a mind-bending ride through a world where nothing is quite as it seems. The lives these stories describe are almost ordinary – but an ambush lurks around every corner. A novice teacher accepts a job at an unconventional high school where...

W.E.H. Stanner's words changed Australia. Without condescension and without sentimentality, in essays such as “The Dreaming” Stanner conveyed the richness and uniqueness of Aboriginal culture. In his Boyer Lectures he exposed a ‘cult of forgetfulness practised on a national scale,’ regarding...

Known for his wild wit and irreverent commentary, Guy Rundle is one of Australia’s sharpest and most entertaining minds. Practice distils his best writing on politics, culture, class and more. In it, Rundle roves the campaign trails of Obama and Trump, Rudd and Abbott; rides the Greyhound...

From blue collar to billionaire … Hunter Valley mine electrician Nathan Tinkler borrowed big in 2005, made a fortune from several speculative coal plays, and by 2011 was a self-made billionaire. He had gambled and won, but his volatility and reluctance to pay his debts were making him enemies....