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Discover Two Centuries of Australian Writing
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The Text Classics series is designed to unearth some of the lost marvels of our literature, and to allow readers to rediscover wonderful books they have never forgotten. These books are milestones in the Australian experience. We have chosen them in the conviction that they still have much to say to us, undiminished in their power to delight, challenge and surprise us.’

— Michael Heyward, Text Publisher

Discover more than two centuries of Australian writing, in more than ninety books—including fiction, biography, history, crime, humour, romance, and books for kids and teens.

Read Watkin Tench’s elegant and clear-eyed account of the experiences of the First Fleet in 1788 or Ned Kelly’s impassioned defence in The Jerilderie Letter. Share the terror of John Grant’s descent into hallucinatory nightmare in Wake in Fright or laugh out loud at Afferbeck Lauder’s Aussie lingo in Strine. From the diaries of explorers to Australian experiences at war, from life on the land to life in the suburbs, from those who arrived, seeing this place with fresh eyes, to those who left it behind in search of new horizons, from exploring our darkest emotions to our lightest moments, every Text Classic will take you somewhere new. Some will even take you to New Zealand!

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at the top ten, read Alice’s favourites, or delve into the other categories we’ve created below and connect with this incredible selection of Australian and New Zealand writing.

Download a full list of all available Classics here—it’s still growing! Or browse the catalogue at texclassics.com.au.

And don’t forget you can purchase any 5 for $50—and have them delivered for free in Australia—anytime from our website. 

Top 10 Classics, 2015
    I for Isobel

    I for Isobel

    Amy Witting
    The Dig Tree

    The Dig Tree

    Sarah Murgatroyd
    My Brilliant Career

    My Brilliant Career

    Miles Franklin
    The Women in Black

    The Women in Black

    Madeleine St John
    Fear Drive My Feet

    Fear Drive My Feet

    Peter Ryan
    The Watch Tower

    The Watch Tower

    Elizabeth Harrower
Alice’s Favourite Text Classics
    The Long Prospect

    The Long Prospect

    Elizabeth Harrower
    I for Isobel

    I for Isobel

    Amy Witting
    Owls Do Cry

    Owls Do Cry

    Janet Frame
    The Women in Black

    The Women in Black

    Madeleine St John
    Wake In Fright

    Wake In Fright

    Kenneth Cook
    A Lifetime on Clouds

    A Lifetime on Clouds

    Gerald Murnane
Classic History
    1788

    1788

    Watkin Tench and Tim Flannery
    The Explorers

    The Explorers

    Tim Flannery
    The Jerilderie Letter

    The Jerilderie Letter

    Ned Kelly
    Terra Australis

    Terra Australis

    Matthew Flinders and Tim Flannery
    The Dig Tree

    The Dig Tree

    Sarah Murgatroyd
    I Saw a Strange Land

    I Saw a Strange Land

    Arthur Groom
Classic Humour
    They're A Weird Mob

    They’re A Weird Mob

    Nino Culotta
    Strine

    Strine

    Afferbeck Lauder
    A Lifetime on Clouds

    A Lifetime on Clouds

    Gerald Murnane
    The Women in Black

    The Women in Black

    Madeleine St John
    Eat Me

    Eat Me

    Linda Jaivin
    Aunts Up the Cross

    Aunts Up the Cross

    Robin Dalton
Classic Crime
    Stiff

    Stiff

    Shane Maloney
    Death in Brunswick

    Death in Brunswick

    Boyd Oxlade
    The Dying Trade

    The Dying Trade

    Peter Corris
    An Iron Rose

    An Iron Rose

    Peter Temple
    The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

    The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

    Fergus Hume
    The Brush-Off

    The Brush-Off

    Shane Maloney
Classic War
    Fear Drive My Feet

    Fear Drive My Feet

    Peter Ryan
    The Middle Parts Of Fortune

    The Middle Parts Of Fortune

    Frederic Manning
    The Odd Angry Shot

    The Odd Angry Shot

    William Nagle
    The Long Green Shore

    The Long Green Shore

    John Hepworth
    When Blackbirds Sing

    When Blackbirds Sing

    Martin Boyd
Classic Award Winners
    The Idea of Perfection

    The Idea of Perfection

    Kate Grenville
    The Young Desire It

    The Young Desire It

    Kenneth Mackenzie
    The Glass Canoe

    The Glass Canoe

    David Ireland
    I for Isobel

    I for Isobel

    Amy Witting
    Careful, He Might Hear You

    Careful, He Might Hear You

    Sumner Locke Elliott
    Rose Boys

    Rose Boys

    Peter Rose
Classic Kids & Teens
    Ash Road

    Ash Road

    Ivan Southall
    The Watcher in the Garden

    The Watcher in the Garden

    Joan Phipson
    Hills End

    Hills End

    Ivan Southall
    The True Story of Spit MacPhee

    The True Story of Spit MacPhee

    James Aldridge
    To the Wild Sky

    To the Wild Sky

    Ivan Southall
    The House that Was Eureka

    The House that Was Eureka

    Nadia Wheatley
Classic Kiwis
    The Scarecrow

    The Scarecrow

    Ronald Hugh Morrieson
    Sydney Bridge Upside Down

    Sydney Bridge Upside Down

    David Ballantyne
    Selected Stories

    Selected Stories

    Katherine Mansfield
    Owls Do Cry

    Owls Do Cry

    Janet Frame
    In the Memorial Room

    In the Memorial Room

    Janet Frame

 

FRIENDS OF THE CHILLER

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ANZ LitLovers

Bite the Book

The Conversation

Diva Booknerd

Inside a Dog

Kids’ Book Review

Killings

Literary Minded

Meanjin Blog

ReadPlus

Scribe News

The Wheeler Centre

Whispering Gums

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