The Lucky Country: Popular Penguins


Book Description

'Australia is a lucky country, run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck.' First published in 1964 The Lucky Country caused a sensation. The book was a wake-up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country mired in mediocrity and manacled to its past. Popular Penguins He just wanted a decent book to read . . . Not too much to ask, was it? It was in 1935 when Allen Lane stood on a British railway platform looking for something good to read on his journey. His choice was limited to popular magazines and poor quality paperbacks. Lane's disappointment and subsequent anger at the range of books available led him to found a company - and change the world. 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.' Sir Allen Lane, 1902-1970, founder of Penguin Books Reading habits have changed since 1935, but Penguin still believes in publishing the best books for everyone to enjoy, and that quality books published passionately and responsibility make the world a better place.




Lucky Boy in the Lucky Country


Book Description

Corden has written a charming and insightful account of his professional and personal life, from his childhood in Breslau, Germany, until his retirement in Melbourne. The book is divided into two parts. Part I considers Corden's early life, from a young boy growing up in Nazi Germany, to his immigration from England to Australia and what that means for the author's self-identity. Part II addresses Corden's work on the Australian Protection Policy for which he is perhaps best known, before reflecting upon the author's time at Oxford University and the Australian National University, and, finally, moving on to review contributions made at the IMF, Johns Hopkins University, and The World Bank. This book will be of interest to all aspiring economists, as well as established economists familiar with Corden's work. It is an inspiring and profound record of the intellectual journey made by one of Australia's best known economists.




The Lucky Culture


Book Description

A bold and provocative book about Australia's national identity and a plea to keep Australia's famed open-mindedness, Cater tracks the seismic changes in Australian culture and outlook since Donald Horne published THE LUCKY COUNTRY in 1964. 'A great book.' Rupert Murdoch A bold and provocative book about Australia's national identity and how it is threatened by the rise of a ruling class. Nick Cater, senior editor at the Australian, tracks the seismic changes in Australian culture and outlook since Donald Horne wrote the Lucky Country in 1964. His belief is that countries don't get lucky; people do. the secret of Australia's good fortune is not found in its geography or history. the key to its success is the Australian character, the nation's greatest renewable resource. Liberated from the constraints of the old world, Australia's pioneers mined their reserves of enterprise, energy and ingenuity to build the great civilization of the south. their over-riding principle was fairness: everybody had a right to a fair go and was obliged to do the right thing by others. today that spirit of egalitarianism is threatened by the rise of a new breed of sophisticated Australians - the 'bunyip alumni' - who claim to better understand the demands of the age. their presumption of elitism and superior virtue tempts them to look down on others and dismiss opposing views. Half a century after Donald Horne named Australia 'the Lucky Country', Nick Cater takes stock of the new battle to define Australia and the rift that divides a presumptive ruling class from a people who refuse to be ruled. the Lucky Culture is a lively and original take on 21st century Australia and its people. Sometimes rousing, often provocative and always good-humoured, its unexpectedly moving message cannot be ignored. 'tHE LUCKY CULtURE is a great book and particularly relevant as it comes in a moment of high political excitement. I particularly loved Nick Cater's passion for the great Australian dream. It is the first step in restoring that dream.' Rupert Murdoch




Lucky Country?


Book Description

Can we reinvent the Lucky Country? Fifty years ago author Donald Horne described Australia as 'a lucky country run by second-rate people', adding that our leaders are mostly unaware of events that surround them. The good fortune continued when our wide brown land proved to contain bountiful resources of saleable minerals, allowing successive generations of second-rate leaders to create an illusion of economic progress by liquidating those assets. But a crisis is approaching, driven by irresponsible encouragement of population growth rates typical of poor developing countries. In this polemic work, Ian Lowe will assess the state of Australia and whether we can retain our status of the Lucky Country.




The Lucky Country


Book Description

The happy accident that created wi-fi. The well-placed piece of coral that saved the Endeavour from sinking. The stroke of luck that made Hugh Jackman Wolverine. Australia may be known as 'the lucky country', but just how accurate is that description? Turns out, very. From the Gold Rush to Stephen Bradbury, our history is full of times when lady luck made a spectacular appearance. Now, Eamon Evans dives deep to deliver the most hilarious, fascinating tales of the Australians who were almost too lucky to be believed.




Too Much Luck


Book Description

'We think we are the lucky country, but what we really have is dumb luck - a lot of luck without the planning or strategy to make sure our good fortune lasts.' - Paul Cleary In Too Much Luck, Paul Cleary shows that the resources boom, which seems like a blessing, has the potential to become a curse - unless our governments take urgent action. Today, under-taxed and under-regulated multinational companies make a tidy profit by selling off our non-renewable resources. As the mining boom accelerates, it will drive the dollar sky-high, forcing up the cost of doing business for everybody. Industries such as tourism and education - industries that, unlike mining, involve many jobs - will fade away. But what happens if commodity prices suddenly collapse, as they did with the GFC in 2008; or worse, when the resources run out? Many countries before us have been caught by the resources trap: a heady period of boom and growth, followed by a painful bust. Paul Cleary maps out the pitfalls, considers what has worked overseas, and suggests a better way forward.




Australia


Book Description




The Lucky Country


Book Description

With an introduction by Hugh Mackay 'Australia is a lucky country, run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck.' The phrase 'the lucky country' has become part of our lexicon; it's forever being invoked in debates about the Australian way of life, but is all too often misused by those blind to Horne's irony. When it was first published in 1964 The Lucky Country caused a sensation. Horne took Australian society to task for its philistinism, provincialism and dependence. The book was a wake-up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country mired in mediocrity and manacled to its past. Although it's a study of the confident Australia of the 1960s, the book still remains illuminating and insightful decades later. The Lucky Country is valuable not only as a source of continuing truths and revealing snapshots of the past, but above all as a key to understanding the anxieties and discontents of Australian society today.