'Mr Stuart's Track' wins Westfield/Waverly Library award

Mr Stuart's Track by Melbourne author John Bailey (Macmillan) has been named the winner of the 2007 Westfield/Waverly Library Award for Literature at an award presentation held last Wednesday 14 November in Sydney.

Bailey's biography of John McDouall Stuart, the first European to cross the continent of Australia from South to North, was described as ‘fast-paced' by the judges. ‘For all its meticulous research, this book is as colourful and enthralling to read as a novel,' they said.

Bailey's novel beat more than 140 entries and shortlisted authors including Les Carlyon, Barry Jones and Alice Pung for the $15,000 prize.

Human Rights awards shortlist announced

The shortlisted titles for this year's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commision's Human Rights Awards arts nonfiction category have been announced.

The shortlisted titles are: Acting From the Heart: Australian Advocates for Asylum Seekers Tell Their Stories (ed by Sarah Mares & Louise Newman, Finch Publishing), What Price Security? Taking Stock of Australia's Anti-Terror Laws (Andrew Lynch & George Williams, UNSW Press) Alone on the Soaks (Alec Kruger & Gerard Waterford, IAD Press), Going Bush (Nadia Wheatley & Ken Searle, A&U) and Journeys with the Black Dog (ed by Tessa Wigney, Kerrie Eyers & Gordon Parker, A&U).

The awards will be announced on 10 December.

This article from Thorpe Bowker's Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2005, Thorpe-Bowker