Sport

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The Taylor Years

by Ken Piesse
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genre Non-fiction · Sport

In 1999, cricketer Mark Taylor AO retired from Test cricket and was named Australian of the Year. He went out on a high having been captain for the last five years, leading an increasingly successful Australian team. In The Taylor Years, first published in 2000, veteran sports journalist Ken Piesse brilliantly brings to life what wasn’t only a key period in Australian cricket, but a key period in Australian sport. A must for cricket fans.

Ken Piesse is a journalist, commentator, magazine editor and author—he’s published 76 books. President of the Australian Cricket Society for more than a decade, Ken is also a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club Media Hall of Fame and the Australian Football Media Hall of Fame.


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Darby McCarthy

by Lauren Callaway
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genre Non-fiction · Sport

An Indigenous boy who won his first race at just ten, Darby McCarthy OAM is considered one of Australia’s greatest jockeys. And while McCarthy faced considerable challenges to achieve his extraordinary success, both on and off the track, he never forgot his heritage. As the The Guardian’s 2020 obituary put it, McCarthy was ‘genius jockey who rode for princes’, ‘partied with Sinatra’, but also ‘made it a mission to teach everyone about Aboriginal culture.’ First published in 2004, with a foreword by Cathy Freeman, Lauren Callaway’s biography of one of Australia’s most significant sportsmen vividly captures the lows and highs of McCarthy’s extraordinary life.


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Boxing Day

by Jeff Wells
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genre Non-fiction · Sport

In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American World Heavyweight champion—after winning a fight in Australia. In a gripping piece of writing that brings the Edwardian sporting world to life, veteran sports journalist Jeff Wells explains just what happened, who was involved, and why this fight was so significant.

Boxing Day was first published in 1998.

Jeff Wells is an acclaimed sports journalist and novelist.


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15 Days in June

by Jesse Fink
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genre Sport

The 2006 World Cup was an extraordinary tournament for Australia, making us fall in love with the World Game like never before – and then breaking our hearts. This acclaimed account of Australia’s entry into and exit from the World Cup is essential reading for local fans of the world game as well as those wanting to understand what it’s all about.

‘Already a classic. 15 Days in June brings back great memories, of course, but also provides context to football’s growth, and its ongoing problems. A must-read for any football fan in Australia.’ — Simon Hill

‘Jesse Fink is not only a great storyteller but he’s a master with words. He has the wonderful ability to transport you to the moment and keep you there, enthralled from the first page to the last.’ — Ray Gatt

‘15 Days in June gives much more than a fan’s recollection of the tournament. Fink delves into the psyche of a country and how it came so wholeheartedly to support a sport it had always considered foreign. He explores the background movements that brought the important pieces together away from the pitch. Most of all, he draws the links between matches, countries, politics and history that make football the true world game and the benefits that anyone who is a part of it can experience.’ — Tim Cahill

Jesse Fink is a journalist and author. His books include the internationally bestselling AC/DC biographies, The Youngs (2013) and Bon (2017). His most recent work, co-written with Luis Navia, is Pure Narco (2020). 15 Days in June was first published in 2007.