A compelling brew of mystery, crime, and science revealing the details behind the search for the lost Ark of the Covenant. The Lost Ark of the Covenant is one of the great historical mysteries of all time. To believers, the Ark is the legendary vessel holding the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Bible contains hundreds of references to the Ark's power to level mountains, destroy armies, and lay waste to cities. The Ark itself, however, mysteriously disappears from recorded history sometime after the building of the Temple of Solomon. After ten years of searching through the dusty archives of Europe and the Middle East, as well as braving the real-life dangers of a bloody civil war in Ethiopia, Graham Hancock has succeeded where scores of others have failed. This intrepid journalist tracked down the true story behind the myths and legends--revealing where the Ark is today, how it got there, and why it remains hidden. Part fascinating scholarship and part entertaining adventure yarn, tying together some of the most intriguing tales of all time--from the Knights Templar and Prester John to Parsival and the Holy Grail--this book will appeal to anyone fascinated by the revelation of hidden truths, the discovery of secret mysteries.
This book is an overview and analysis of the global tradition of the outlaw hero. The mythology and history of the outlaw hero is traced from the Roman Empire to the present, showing how both real and mythic figures have influenced social, political, economic and cultural outcomes in many times and places. The book also looks at the contemporary continuations of the outlaw hero mythology, not only in popular culture and everyday life, but also in the current outbreak of global terrorism. The book also presents a more general argument related to the importance of understanding folk and popular mythologies in historical contexts. Outlaw heroes have a strong purchase in high and popular culture, appearing in film, books, plays, music, drama, art, even ballet. To simply ignore and discard such powerful expressions without understanding their origins, persistence and especially their ongoing cultural consequences, is to refuse the opportunity to comprehend some profoundly important aspects of human behaviour. These issues are pursued through discussion of the processes through which real and mythical outlaw heroes are romanticised, sentimentalised, sanitised, commodified and mythologised. The result is a new position in the continuing controversy over the existence the 'social bandit' that highlights the central role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of outlaw heroes.
Through the first comprehensive investigation and analysis of the English language trench periodicals of the First World War, The Soldiers' Press presents a cultural interpretation of the means and methods through which consent was negotiated between the trenches and the home front.
This comprehensive collection of folk hero tales builds on the success of the first edition by providing readers with expanded contextual information on story characters from the Americas to Zanzibar. Despite the tremendous differences between cultures and ethnicities across the world, all of them have folk heroes and heroines—real and imagined—that have been represented in tales, legends, songs, and verse. These stories persist through time and space, over generations, even through migrations to new countries and languages. This encyclopedia is a one-stop source for broad coverage of the world's folk hero tales. Geared toward high school and early college readers, the book opens with an overview of folk heroes and heroines that provides invaluable context and then presents a chronology. The book is divided into two main sections: the first provides entries on the major types and themes; the second addresses specific folk tale characters organized by continent with folk hero entries organized alphabetically. Each entry provides cross references as well as a list of further readings. Continent sections include a bibliography for additional research. The book concludes with an alphabetical list of heroes and an index of hero types.
A powerful account of how coerced migration built the British Empire In the early seventeenth century, Britain took ruthless steps to deal with its unwanted citizens, forcibly removing men, women, and children from their homelands and sending them to far-flung corners of the empire to be sold off to colonial masters. This oppressive regime grew into a brutal system of human bondage which would continue into the twentieth century. Drawing on firsthand accounts, letters, and official documents, Graham Seal uncovers the traumatic struggles of those shipped around the empire. He shows how the earliest large-scale kidnapping and transportation of children to the American colonies were quickly bolstered with shipments of the poor, criminal, and rebellious to different continents, including Australia. From Asia to Africa, this global trade in forced labor allowed Britain to build its colonies while turning a considerable profit. Incisive and moving, this account brings to light the true extent of a cruel strand in the history of the British Empire.
Two of Graham Seal's bestselling collections of stories from around Australia, now in one volume. 'Aussies know how to spin a good yarn, and Graham Seal knows how to tell them.' - Weekly Times Graham Seal is one of Australia's master storytellers. This bumper collection of yarns from the bush gathers some of our best stories since colonial times, retold in Graham's warm style. It takes a certain character to make a living in the Australian bush. In the most difficult situations, laughter often comes to the rescue. Here are pioneers and battlers, convicts and settler's children, and a land that tests them with fire, flood and drought, in stories resonant with Australia's distinctive wry humour. Originally published as two bestselling collections: Great Australian Stories and Larrikins, Bush Tales and Other Great Australian Stories. 'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller.' - Warren Fahey AM
Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' Warren Fahey AM Graham Seal takes us back to Australia's ignominious beginnings, when a hungry child could be transported to the other side of the globe for the theft of a handkerchief. It was a time when men were flogged till they bled for a minor misdemeanour, or forced to walk the treadmill for hours. Teams in iron chains carved roads through sandstone cliffs with hand picks, and men could select wives from a line up at the Female Factory. From the notorious prison regimes at Norfolk Island, Port Arthur and Macquarie Harbour came chilling accounts of cruelty, murder and even cannibalism. Despite the often harsh conditions, many convicts served their prison terms and built successful lives for themselves and their families. With a cast of colourful characters from around the country--the real Artful Dodger, intrepid bushrangers like Martin Cash and Moondyne Joe, and the legendary nurse Margaret Catchpole--Great Convict Stories offers a fascinating insight into life in Australia's first decades.
A compelling brew of mystery, crime, and science revealing the details behind the search for the lost Ark of the Covenant. The Lost Ark of the Covenant is one of the great historical mysteries of all time. To believers, the Ark is the legendary vessel holding the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Bible contains hundreds of references to the Ark's power to level mountains, destroy armies, and lay waste to cities. The Ark itself, however, mysteriously disappears from recorded history sometime after the building of the Temple of Solomon. After ten years of searching through the dusty archives of Europe and the Middle East, as well as braving the real-life dangers of a bloody civil war in Ethiopia, Graham Hancock has succeeded where scores of others have failed. This intrepid journalist tracked down the true story behind the myths and legends--revealing where the Ark is today, how it got there, and why it remains hidden. Part fascinating scholarship and part entertaining adventure yarn, tying together some of the most intriguing tales of all time--from the Knights Templar and Prester John to Parsival and the Holy Grail--this book will appeal to anyone fascinated by the revelation of hidden truths, the discovery of secret mysteries.
Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' - Warren Fahey AM Australia's history is one of epic journeys, intrepid explorers, and mysterious disappearances in far flung places. From perilous sea voyages to the distant south land, to forays across vast deserts on horseback, they are stories of endurance and misadventure, survival and loss. Master storyteller Graham Seal has gathered together a gripping collection of famous and lesser-known journeys by land, sea and air in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As Warren Fahey writes in his foreword, 'Some journeys, like those of Burke and Wills, Lasseter's First Find, and the razing of the riverboat Rodney, are relatively well known. Others, mostly unknown, are tales of bravado, determination and, sometimes, sheer madness.' From the comfort and safety of your armchair you can join some of Australia's bravest and also some of its most foolhardy men and women in their adventures.
Australia's master storyteller Graham Seal brings to life the enigmas and puzzles behind famous unsolved crimes, long-held secrets, buried loot and strange phenomena from the bush and the city. Australia has always been a land of mysteries. Some are ancient, some are historical, and many continue to perplex us today - and will probably continue to do so tomorrow. More often than most of us would like to think, things simply vanish, and people disappear without explanation, leaving a trail of heartbreak across generations. Australia also has its fair share of buried loot and fabulous riches gone missing - somewhere. Master storyteller Graham Seal has gathered mysteries from around Australia. There are riddles of lost explorers, unexplained phenomena, and yarns of fish, frogs or pebbles falling from the sky. There are unsolved crimes and long-held secrets; hidden tunnels and wartime enigmas; and hair-raising tales from the bush and from the city. 'Graham Seal brings to life stories of missing treasures, shipwrecks, First Nation legends, mysterious happenings and the occasional murder... I had often wondered what happened to Cook's vessel the Endeavour, Ned Kelly's skull and The Pyjama Girl's murderer. Graham's book answers most of these queries but, as with any good mystery, raises further questions and makes you think.' - Rob Willis OAM, National Library of Australia Oral History and Folklore Collections
Whatever the circumstances, Australians have always found something to laugh about, laugh at or laugh off. Graham Seal has been gathering traditional stories from country towns and the outback for decades, and here he compiles the very funniest stories he has encountered. 'Graham Seal writes ripper, fair dinkum, true-blue Aussie yarns.' - The Weekly Times Australians traditionally like their humour irreverent, crude and with very sharp teeth. Perhaps you've heard of the vicious drop bears that fall on unsuspecting tourists as they walk through the bush? Or the hoop snakes that put their tails in their mouths as they roll down the hill towards you? Or how about the Citizenship Test for Aspiring Australians which begins with this question about an essential life skill: 'How many slabs can you fit in the back of a Falcon ute while also allowing room for your cattle dog?' The bush is the source of traditional Aussie humour. Pioneering, settlement and battling fire, flood and drought have produced yarns of tough cocky farmers, shearers, bush workers, swaggies and dreadful cooks. Much of this humour relates to the resilience and fortitude necessary to endure the realities of rural life. Australians took this sensibility with them to war and to work in the cities, and the tradition continues today. Whatever the circumstances, Australians have always found something to laugh about, laugh at or laugh off. 'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller.' - Warren Fahey AM
Tall tales and colourful characters, from ancient times to today; these are the stories that reveal what makes us distinctively Australian. Some of the world's oldest stories are told beneath Australian skies. Master storyteller Graham Seal takes us on a journey through time, from ancient narratives recounted across generations to the symbols and myths that resonate with Australians today. He uncovers tales of ancient floods and volcanic eruptions, and shows us Australia's own silk road. He locates the real Crocodile Dundee and explores the truth behind the legend of the Pilliga Princess. He retells old favourites such as the great flood at Gundagai, the boundary rider's wife and the Australian who invented the first military tank, and presents little known figures like mailman Jimmy, who carried the post barefoot across the Nullarbor Plain, architect Edith Emery and Paddy the Poet, as well as the unusual sporting techniques of the Gumboot Tortoise. These yarns of ratbags, rebels, heroes and villains, unsettling legends and clever creations reveal that it's the small, human stories that, together, make up the greater story of Australia and its people. 'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' - Warren Fahey
From pioneer tales to urban myths, folklore expert Graham Seal has gathered some of the best Australian stories from around the country, and this?new edition contains?10 extra stories. Australia has a rich tradition of story telling that reflects?a unique history and experience. Great Australian Stories is the most representative collection available of the stories?Aussies tell about themselves. Graham Seal explains where the stories come from, and why even the outright lies reveal a truth of sorts.
Stories of heroism, suffering and endurance, and humour, from the main wars in which Australians have fought. Includes stories from WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, plus the home front. Most of the stories haven't been seen since they were first published in newspapers and memoirs. Many were sourced from unpublished diaries.
Tales from life on the land and outback adventures continue to intrigue, puzzle and entertain us. This collection is Graham Seal at his best. 'Graham Seal has the knack of the storyteller' - Warren Fahey AM The tradition of yarns from the bush goes back to the earliest days in Australia. Colourful rural characters and dramatic incidents parade through our history and folklore, entertaining and appalling us in equal measure. Graham Seal has gathered classic and little-known stories from when most Australians lived outside the cities, and communication was by dirt track or boat. There's the time when farmers used their Ferguson tractors to save a town from floodwaters; when soldiers took on mobs of emus devastating the wheat crop; the Lady Bushranger who lived rough in a cave; Bob the railway dog who hitched rides on trains for years; and the many dubious strategies devised against the pesky bush fly over the years. True or more than a little exaggerated, these stories reflect the distinctive way of life of rural and outback folk which continues to this day.
Australia's master storyteller takes us all around the country, uncovering tales of unsolved crimes, early exploration and military exploits, fascinating natural phenomena and iconic destinations. Wherever you go in Australia, you'll stumble across traces of ancient settlement, remnants of exploration, yarns from the roaring days of gold and bushranging, unexplained events and a never-ending cast of eccentric characters. Graham Seal takes us on a storytelling tour, from iconic destinations to tiny settlements, remote landmarks and little-known corners of this vast continent. He discovers the true stories behind the immortal Aussie songs about the pub with no beer and the land where the crow flies backwards. He visits sites precious to First Nations people and others precious to recent arrivals; he uncovers hair-raising stories in dangerous places; and he tracks down the elusive Everywhere Man. He also investigates mysterious natural phenomena and unsolved crimes, and takes us to locations of gruesome crimes and secret installations. Whether you're planning a road trip or indulging in an evening of armchair travel, Graham Seal's Great Australian Places will surprise, amuse and entertain you. 'Graham Seal finds and writes ripper, fair-dinkum, true blue Aussie yarns' - The Weekly Times
We like to think that we live in an age of reason and rationality, that uncertainty and the unknown have largely been eliminated by technology and science. But it seems that we have nagging doubts. Continually, we tell each other odd tales about ankle slashers and hairy-armed women in the shopping mall. We hear about phantom hitchhikers and headless bikies on the highways. Dreadful things are reportedly done to small pets at home.tummies explode at work, garden gnomes take international holidays, and what certain celebrities do with gerbils should be nobody's business.these tales are usually called ' contemporary legends' or 'urban myths'. Given their often macabre subjects, most of us hope they are just myths, but whether we believe them or not, these stories are constantly spread around the world by people who apparently believe them to be true. In this revised edition of 'Urban Myths', author Graham Seal tracks down over one hundred contemporary Australian legends guaranteed to fascinate readers with their gruesomeness and their absurdity.
Australia’s Submariners are a group with an extremely strong sense of identity that goes well beyond occupational comradeship or the esprit de corps of military life in peace or war. Since 1914, the unique skills, attitudes, values and demands of the work they do and the environment in which they do it have forged unparalleled camaraderie. A camaraderie that extends beyond nationality, embracing submariners past and present of every other nation. No one but submariners understand the experience of diving deep beneath the waves in technology filled tubes of steel, each submariner totally dependent on the other for a safe return to the surface. The ethos of Australia’s submariners is based upon these factors and remains strong even when they leave the sea and take up other occupations. Australia’s future submarines will certainly present challenges in terms of sophistication, technology and capability however the characteristics of our submariners evolved over previous generations will remain much the same; trained and equipped to meet the challenges; just as they have been met and surmounted so many times, in silence, over a century of service.
Page turning stories of inventive scams, dramatic escapes and captures, and vile deeds of our most infamous criminals. 'Graham Seal finds and writes ripper, fair-dinkum, true blue Aussie yarns. His books are great reads.' —The Weekly Times Australia's master storyteller trawls our rich history of cold cases, notorious robberies, shameless frauds and razor gangs to uncover a cast of colourful villains. From the men and women who stepped off the convict ships and continued to ply their trade, to the dark streets of the burgeoning towns and cities over the next couple of centuries, it's a fascinating array of tales. Australia's worst serial killer is a woman from Perth, responsible for over 30 deaths. There are the lolly shop murders, the world's first plane hijacking, the great bookie robbery and the black widow of Richmond. There are lesser-known stories from our best-known crims, including Tilly Devine, Squizzy Taylor, Iris Weber, Francis Deeming and of course Ned Kelly, as well as practitioners of the long con you'll hear about for the first time. The inventive scams, dramatic escapes and vile deeds of our most infamous criminals will keep you turning the pages.
A comprehensive collection of Australian rhyming slang, in all its fascinating (and bawdy) glory. It's much more fun to say 'What's the John Dory?' instead of 'What's the story?' and 'Give me a Captain Cook' instead of 'Give me a look', and wonderfully cheeky to remark 'Who made the apple tart?' instead of 'Who made a fart?'But there is also a darker side to rhyming slang - it can be used like a secret code (perhaps that's why criminals have always been fond of it!).Since colonial days, Australians have used rhyming slang with great style. And as the addition of Britney Spears (beers) goes to show, rhyming slang is still very much alive. In DOG'S EYE AND DEAD HORSE, Graham Seal shares his long-held fascination with this aspect of everyday language. As well as including an A to Z section, he groups the rhymes by themes - 'the body plus its functions, its adornments and its afflictions' has the most entries. Expect irreverence, whimsy and wit. You may be shocked but you will also laugh out loud.
Headless bikers on the highways; tummies exploding at work; garden gnomes taking international holidays. In this edition, the author tracks down over 100 contemporary Australian legends.
A historical detective story for lovers of Colonial Australian history. With deftness and superb storytelling Graham Seal uses his own scholarly research, the fragments of letters, diary and journal entries left by Myra and William Sykes to give his readers an insight into an early Australian convict life.tHESE FEW LINES is a historical detective story for lovers of Colonial Australian history; based on the correspondence of William Sykes and his wife, Myra. William was transported to Western Australia for manslaughter in 1867 as a result of a savage and controversial poaching affray near Rotherham, UK. Over 25 years Myra corresponded with her husband hoping one day to be reunited. A very human and moving record of a woman's courage, determination and unflinching love for her family, against all odds.
Yarns, legends, myths, jokes and anecdotes are our national lifeblood. The home-grown and borrowed tales, told and re-told over generations, offer an insight into the larger national story of which every Australian has a part. Was Breaker Morant the Gatton murderer? What happened to Sniffling Jimmy and Black Mary? We revisit some of the most colourful characters in Australia's past, and the stories that have grown around them. We go looking for the real illywhacker and find out what happened after the execution of our most famous outlaw, Ned Kelly. It takes a certain character to make a living in the Australian bush. In the most difficult situations, laughter often comes to the rescue. Here are pioneers and battlers, convicts and settler's children, and a land that tests them with fire, flood and drought, all in stories resonant with Australia's distinctive wry humour. Dip into Larrikins, Bush Tales and Other Great Australian Stories for a taste of Australia's rich history and traditions.
Highwaymen, badmen and bushrangers, both mythical and historical, have been part of folklore for centuries. Remembered and recreated through song, stories and film, this cultural tradition has been remarkably resilient across time and place. Graham Seal shows that these famous "social bandits" share many characteristics, particularly as anti-authority figures, and are best understood within class, ethnic and national struggles. From Robin Hood to outlaws in cyberspace, this book is an important study for folklorists.
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