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Adrift in Melbourne

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( 124 ratings, 25 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Adrift in Melbourne, Robyn Annear takes readers on a fascinating journey through the rich history and hidden stories of Melbourne while expertly blending anecdotes and historical insights. The book offers a captivating exploration of the city's past and present, showcasing its unique character through the eyes of an experienced storyteller.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have a fascination with Melbourne's history and charm as it takes you on a journey through the city's streets. Filled with intriguing anecdotes and historical insights, it is perfect for those who love urban exploration and discovering hidden stories behind well-trodden paths.

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Take a walk through Melbourne’s streets and discover a world of fascinating historical tidbits with renowned writer and history buff Robyn Annear.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Melbourne’s streets have always been marvellous—but the proud facades of the nineteenth-century boom aren’t the half of it. What about the stories behind them?

The great corset scandal of Melbourne’s belle epoque; the heritage-listed toilets out the back of the Rialto; the exploits of the women who ran the brothels in Little Lonsdale Street; the reason George Mallaby starred in Homicide wearing a hat two sizes too small.

This book contains a series of walks created by Robyn Annear to showcase the hidden histories we might scurry past every day, the buildings now gone and the extraordinary characters who inhabited them. Charming, erudite and frankly gossipy, Annear’s highly entertaining guide to Melbourne past and present need not be experienced on the move.

But whether you enjoy it from a tram stop or an armchair, Adrift in Melbourne will inspire you to unleash your inner flâneur on the lurking surprises of this great city.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Adrift in Melbourne by Robyn Annear is celebrated for its engaging storytelling, charm, and wit. Critics praise Annear's conversational writing style, making readers feel like they're exploring Melbourne with a delightful companion. The book is described as both informative and entertaining, offering a captivating blend of history and personal anecdotes that bring the city to life.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922330970

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 30 November 2021

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Robyn Annear is the author of six books of history, including Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne, Nothing but Gold: The Diggers of 1852 and, most recently, Nothing New: a History of Second-hand. Her podcast ‘Nothing on TV’ presents stories from Trove historical newspapers.

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  • Nothing New: A History of Second-hand
    Robyn Annear lends her signature wit to this fantastic history of second-hand, from the origins of the op shop to eBay, up-cycling, and how new became normal. 'Given the way we live now,' writes Robyn Annear, 'it would be easy to suppose that newness has always been venerated.' But as this wonderfully entertaining short history makes clear, modern consumerism is...
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  • A City Lost & Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne
    "Old landmarks fall in nearly every block...and the face of the city is changing so rapidly that the time is not too far distant when a search for a building 50 years old will be in vain." - Herald, 1925. The demolition firm of Whelan the Wrecker was a Melbourne institution for a hundred years (1892-1992). Its famous sign -...
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  • Shutter City
    Suppose that you could travel back in time to a Melbourne city street from 150 years ago or even longer. What might meet your eye that has eluded history’s gaze? Shutter City presents city street views spanning the hurly-burly decades of the 1850s to 1870s, between the gold rushes and Marvellous Melbourne. Robyn Annear peers into every shadowy corner to...
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    Beloved Melbourne historian Robyn Annear takes us on an unorthodox tour of the city's streets and corners, telling stories about the events and people that have made these the most interesting places to be. What better defines a city than its street corners? A corner gives you a starting point, a destination, and a place to turn. It's furnished with...
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  • Melbourne
    Melbourne: a city of stories grew out of Melbourne Museum's permanent exhibition, 'The Melbourne Story'. That makes it a selective history: one based on objects—things that have survived. The idea that objects can give rise to stories comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever dug up a shard of old china in their garden, or found an ancient button...
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