Recollections of a bleeding heart

Don Watson’s “Recollections of a Bleeding Heart” remains a cutting-edge example of political biography though Paul Keating never forgave his former speechwriter for pulling back the curtain on his political career.

The ferryman

A new book explores the life of Ephraim Finch, the son of a Melbourne butcher who converted to Judaism and became the director of Melbourne’s Chevra Kadisha – the city’s Jewish Burial Society.

The curious case of Ferdinand von Sommer

Dutch-born Ferdinand von Sommer was Western Australia’s first official geologist, but a little digging into his own life reveals as many frauds as real achievements.

A woman of substance

A new biography of Labor’s Tanya Plibersek paints a positive picture of her life and achievements, but offers more insight into her policies than her personality.