Pre-order
1
of
1
Matthew Flinders
A definitive and indisputable history of the man who mapped Australia
Brief Description
A wildly funny and meticulously researched reexamination of the life of explorer Matthew Flinders, as Shaun Micallef charts the chaos, comedy, and contradictions behind the founding of Australia. Who was Matthew Flinders? A pioneer who gave Australia its name but chose to name nothing after himself....
Read More
Format: Hardback
$5999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Pre-order
Releases
29th
September 2026
(Approx. Date)
Pre-order "Matthew Flinders" now to secure your copy from our first shipment
Found a better price? Request a price match
Matthew Flinders
$5999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
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
A wildly funny and meticulously researched reexamination of the life of explorer Matthew Flinders, as Shaun Micallef charts the chaos, comedy, and contradictions behind the founding of Australia.
Who was Matthew Flinders? A pioneer who gave Australia its name but chose to name nothing after himself. A dreamer obsessed with Robinson Crusoe who wound up imprisoned on an island for six years. A leader who captained a stout and loyal crew but preferred spending time with his cat. An explorer who charted a continent but had a side-hustle collecting human skulls. A hero who wasnโt all that heroic.
The story of Matthew Flinders, like the story of Colonial Australia, is one of tragic lows and high comedy, of embarrassment, shame, and humiliation.
Enter Shaun Micallef to tell this tale as it has never been told (but probably should have): with both meticulous research and an overweening sense of the ridiculous. As he charts Flindersโ chaotic route around Australia and beyond, Micallef asks bigger questions about who we are as a country and what it means to hold onto a legacy in an ever-changing-its-mind world.
Historically accurate and surprisingly enlightening, Matthew Flinders is a fresh and funny exploration of a foundational Australian story.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781761638336
Publisher: Affirm Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 29 September 2026
Country: Australia
Imprint: Affirm Press
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Shaun Micallef is an Australian comedian, writer, actor, producer, author and bon vivant. After several years of practising law, Micallef threw it all away for a life in comedy. He has been a regular on Australian TV for more than two decades, although his output has been anything but predictable, ranging from chat shows and sitcoms to improvisation, drama and feature films. He is possibly the most loved comedian in Australia and has won just about every award going. Shaun lives in Melbourne with his wife, three children and the motto, โWhen you start quoting yourself, itโs time to stop writing.โ
Also by Shaun Micallef
View all-
DeAth Takes a Holiday
โIf I wasnโt dead, I would sue.โโBram StokerThis is the origin story of the first real vampyre (not Dracula).The trouble with immortality is that eventually you get sick to death of it, and so to soothe his sickened soul, the Comte DeโAth decides to take a trip. From psychoanalysis in Vienna to blood transfusions in London, the Comte learns that...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Impatient Glacier
A glacier up on a mountain grew tired of the same boring view. He wanted excitement; he wanted some fun, he wanted to see something new. From the incomparable Shaun Micallef comes this warming new picture-book adventure about enjoying lifeโs moments... before theyโre gone. Discover the delightful story in The Impatient Glacier.Hardback$2499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
The Ocelot and the Crab
An ocelot can run like the dickens, and this is the tale I must tell, of a race to the face of Mount Olaf against something with pincers and shell . . Ocelot may be fast, but he has a lousy sense of directionโheโs Ocelost! Can slow-and-steady Crab map out a better way to win the race?Hardback$2499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
The Uncollected Plays of Shaun Micallef
Shaun Micallef is without doubt Australia's premier comedian, writer, producer, presenter, actor, author, broadcaster, bon vivant, gadfly, troubadour, dancer, impresario, acrobat, lion tamer, poet and elite sportsman. But did you know that he is also an internationally renowned playwright? No? Typical. It really is a stain on our national character that this doyen of theatre doesn't get the credit he...HardbackSold Out -
Slivers, Shards and Skerricks
This indefinitive collection brings together under one cover the very best comic writing - parody, poetry, prose, plays, philosophy and political treatise - by Australia's greatest living television host. From 'I Was Scott Morrison's Schnoodle' and 'Around the World in One Pair of Underpants' to the deliciously decadent recipe for 'Satyricon Su'rprise', Slivers, Shards and Skerricks by Shaun Micallef has...HardbackSold Out
More from Biography & Memoir
View all-
This Angry Pen of Mine
This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...Hardback$7299Elsewhere:$8999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseFamesick
Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunย wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herย journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseDogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Stakes
Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the authorโs bestselling memoirย Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampireโs badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stokerโsย Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New Release
Built for This
Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Even the Good Girls Will Cry
Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseAn Ocean and a Day
An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseA Place to Stand
A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clareโs thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...Hardback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Rule of Lies
Written with all the pace and energy of a John Grisham novel โฆ An incredible true story and a great read! BILL BROWDER, author of Red Notice and Freezing Order An American lawyerโs brilliant, propulsive story of witnessing and playing a part in the transformation of Russia under Yeltsin and Putin. A true tale of fascinating personalities, criminal intrigue, harrowing...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips late August -
New ReleaseRory
Theย New York Timesย bestseller The #1ย Irish Timesย bestseller The definitive biography of Rory McIlroy, the most important, popular and confounding player of the post-Tiger era. Rory McIlroy contains multitudes. The child of a working-class family from a small town in a war-torn homeland now commutes to work in his own private jet and counts billionaires as confidants. He can overwhelm a golf...Paperback$3699Elsewhere:$4199Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseTe Kaikaukau | The Swimmer
Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera โ author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider โ decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wฤnanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Mฤori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...Paperback$3500Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseThis Is Me: A Reckoning
This is a searingly honest and moving memoir from double Golden Globe-nominatedactress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere has been in front of the camera since before she could talk. She roseto stardom typecasted as Hollywood's blonde girl next door. As a young celebrity,naysayers were certain she would crash and burn. Not one to disappoint, she did.Hayden Panettiere's irreverent memoir satisfies our...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
