In the final book of my Windy Mountain series, someone will get married and someone will die. They may even be the same person. I haven’t decided yet, so please go easy on me. That uncertainty probably tells you a lot about me. I try to write blog posts weekly because they behave themselves. They turn up, do… Continue reading Two things will happen at the end
Tag: books
Ums and Urs
I can’t continue the lie. All this time I’ve been masquerading as a short, overweight, unfit former journalist called John Martin. But my real name is Urs Freuler — and in the 1980s and 1990s I was one of the world’s greatest cyclists. Six foot two. Muscles on muscles. Legs like tree trunks. Born in… Continue reading Ums and Urs
The case for me as a piece of Australiana
Exhibit A: Name, Heritage and Pure CoincidenceA man named John Martin was a convict on the First Fleet. He was a Black American and a political prisoner. So it’s wildly unlikely I’m related — but you never know. Australia was built on improbability. Until recently I thought I had Locke blood on my mother’s side.… Continue reading The case for me as a piece of Australiana
The evolution of funny, satirical books
Humour has been part of storytelling for as long as people have been telling stories. Ancient writers used comedy to puncture pomposity, while medieval satirists sharpened their pens on the powerful. In English literature, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) proved that a ridiculous adventure could carry biting political commentary, and Charles Dickens later filled his novels with… Continue reading The evolution of funny, satirical books
The evolution of book covers
Book covers have come a long way from their humble beginnings. In the earliest days of printing, books were precious objects, often bound in plain leather or cloth. Their value lay in the words inside, and covers were designed to protect rather than attract. Titles, if they appeared at all, were handwritten or stamped in… Continue reading The evolution of book covers
JOHN MARTIN 