This anthology reveals the many ways in which going to war has formed a cultural bridge between Australia and the world. From the Sudan in 1885 to Afghanistan in 2001, the connection of war to travel is illustrated in the observations of many writers.

A celebrated memoir by one of the Australia's most decorated WWI soldiers, Lt Joe Maxwell VC, MC & Bar, DCM. Joe also features in THE LOST DIGGERS, and his pageturner of a memoir is reissued as a classic companion piece. A classic World War I memoir by Lt Joe Maxwell, one of the Australia's most decorated WWI diggers. this is his colourful eyewitness account of the role of 18th Battalion AIF in Gallipoli and the Western Front. After serving at Gallipoli, Maxwell, together with so many other Aussie diggers, was transferred to the Western Front. In just twelve months during 1917-1918 he was commissioned and awarded the DCM, Military Cross and Bar, and VC. this vivid and gripping memoir is a unique record of life as a World War One digger: Joe was in most of the major battles of the Western Front and graphically describes the action he saw, as well as the notorious larrikinism -and romantic adventures-of the off-duty diggers. With a new Afterword detailing Maxwell's life after repatriation back to Australia, this is an edition to be treasured.

'Falconer Blood' - Book 1 Infinite Worlds deals with Dan Falconer of Melbourne - 16 years old - awkward, spineless and bullied. A girl claiming to be his half-sister, already an accomplished traveller between worlds, rescues him from some 'classmates' and takes him to 1720 Jamaica. In 'Falconer Vision' - Book 2 Infinite Worlds, battle-ready, designer soldiers are being genetically created for terrorists and rogue states. Two adolescents, Dan's 'cousins down the coast' from Apollo Bay, develop special powers after a near-death experience. In 'Falconer Alliance' - Book 3 Infinite Worlds, reasons for the powers become clearer, but the incredible abilities are unreliable and seem to be manipulated randomly. Someone may be playing with their minds. In 'Falconer Blade' - Book 4 Infinite Worlds, Skye's fear that she will be shut up in a laboratory somewhere seems to be coming true. Academic and Government agencies are aware of her abilities. They are seeking her out, but they have their own agenda.

Wilf Yates joined the army to make a difference, but nothing prepared him for his place in history-or in the heart of a nurse named Ann Davis. As a member of the Australian Imperial Forces, Wilf took part in the capture of Mont St Quentin in France, the greatest achievement of any army in World War One. In that fateful campaign, Australia suffered some three thousand causalities over three days of fighting, but those lives were not lost in vain; the victory helped bring the war to an unexpected end. Wilf's heroic tour of duty was brought to an ignoble end with a case of common trench foot. In the ambulance, nurse, Ann, inspired his imagination. What would prompt a young girl to give up a life of relative safety to work amidst the horrors of war? She healed more than his body; she healed his heart. Their love story-inspired by the wartime diaries of the author's grandfather-will transport readers to the terrifying and heady times of the Great War. After the war ended, Wilf and Ann returned to Australia to start a new life together in the lonely bush of Australia. There, he reclaimed his pre-war life as a timber cutter and bullock driver to support his family. When World War Two started, he answered the call to duty to serve as an army inspector in Newcastle. Danger is never far away in this lovely, thrilling story of mud, blood, and romance.

In early August with the failure of the August Offensive at Gallipoli the senior commanders still believed that victory was possible. To help prepare for a new offensive sometime in the first half on 1916 the allied forces attempted to straighten out the line connecting Suvla and Anzac at a small hillock called Hill 60.

'A flash blinds me... We are lost in a chaos of flying mud... Smoke, filth, confusion, racket! I spit and splutter and swear... Oh Christ! I think I'm flamin' well dead.' This is the compelling story of Lieutenant Joseph 'Darkie' Maxwell DCM, MC and Bar, VC - the second highest decorated Australian soldier of the First World War. Meticulously researched by historian John Ramsland, Maxwell's colourful life is traced from his childhood on the Hunter coalfields until his death at age 71 in a soldier's settlement home in Matraville Sydney. Maxwell was a vivid storyteller who wrote Hells Bells and Mademoiselles, telling of his experiences in the war. In telling Maxwell's story, Ramsland has uncovered many forgotten documents to piece together an extraordinary life of an extraordinary man.

In the past, while visiting the First World War battlefields, the author often wondered where the various Victoria Cross actions took place. He resolved to find out. In 1988, in the midst of his army career, research for this book commenced and over the years numerous sources have been consulted. Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: Battles of the Hindenburg Line - St Quentin, Beaurevoir, Cambrai 1918 and the Pursuit to the Selle is designed for the battlefield visitor as much as the armchair reader. A thorough account of each VC action is set within the wider strategic and tactical context. Detailed sketch maps show the area today, together with the battle-lines and movements of the combatants. It will allow visitors to stand upon the spot, or very close to, where each VC was won. Photographs of the battle sites richly illustrate the accounts. There is also a comprehensive biography for each recipient, covering every aspect of their lives warts and all parents and siblings, education, civilian employment, military career, wife and children, death and burial/commemoration. A host of other information, much of it published for the first time, reveals some fascinating characters, with numerous links to many famous people and events.