Disneyland - Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Places (David Hoffman)

Disneyland - Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Places

David Hoffman

Blurb: Did you know?

-When Disneyland opened its gates on July 17, 1955, it had just eighteen rides and attractions. Today there are more than sixty.

-The inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle came from Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.

-Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

-Thought certainly well-known, Mickey Mouse is not the most recognisable character in the world; he ranks third, after Santa Claus and Ronald McDonald.

Disneyland... a magic place of dreams and adventure. In this follow-up to the popular Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Stuff, David Hoffman delves into the stories behind the happiest place on Earth. Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places goes beyond the obvious to reveal the tidbits that we have yet to discover. Covering every aspect - from the history and personalities to the landscaping and architecture - this collection of offbeat facts and figures, statistics and specifics, is guaranteed to delight a first-time visitor and surprise even the most die-hard fan. Packed with a wealth of revelations, Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places is a must-have for Mouseketeers, information addicts, curious readers, and armchair travellers of all ages.

ISBN: 9781435104310 (Hardback)

Year: 2008

Publisher: Fall River Press

Pages: 200 (Non-Fiction)

Links

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3. Forum dedicated to the book

4. Goodreads page for the book

5. Review of the book

The Hitler Club: The Rise and Fall of Australia's No.1 Nazi (Gary Gumpl and Richard Kleinig)

The Hitler Club: The Rise and Fall of Australia's No.1 Nazi

Gary Gumpl and Richard Kleinig

Blurb: After immigration restrictions were lifted in 1925, a numer of German nationals came to live in South Australia, the heartland of earlier German settlement. Among them was Dr Johannes Becker, who would go on to achieve infamy as Hitler's Confidential Agent, and 'Australia's No. 1 Nazi.'

A 29 year old war veteran and ship's surgeon, Becker travelled to the Barossa Valley and quickly established a thriving medical practice. Embroiled in controversy and litigation from the start he would later become the leading Nazi Party organiser for Australia. He gathered around him a small following of like-minded expatriates who were eager to see the re-emergence of Germany from the wreckage of the Great War.

Days after the Second World War broke out he and his Party comrades were interned. They were regarded by the Government as risks to national security, but newly declassified archives reveal that none of them had committed any acts which endangered Australian interests or affected the rights of any citizens. Though Becker lost favour with Nazi officials in Germany and was expelled from the Party in 1941, the Australian Authorities nevertheless interned him for seven years.

For a short time in 1947 he became a fugitive and Australia's most wanted when he disappeared whilst on parole. Following his accidental capture on board a ship headed for Panama he was deported to Germany, leaving behind his family amid a blaze of hysterical publicity. He was never allowed to return to Australia and never saw his wife and children again.

'The Hitler Club' (the name coined by Australian security operatives) tells the gripping story of Becker and the people in his life, his rise to prominence and his inevitable fall at the hands of an unsympathetic legal system. Analysis of the transcript of Becker's deportation hearing reveals that the Judge's findings were flawed and unsupported by the evidence; the hearing was litter more than a show trial.

The book highlights the irony of an innocent former Nazi being denied justice by a xenophobic Establishment that preached fair play but practised bias. This is a story that cannot be ignored in today's 'war on terror' and the internment of 'enemy aliens' without due process.

ISBN: 9781921221095 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Brolga Publishing

Pages: 427 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Google books page

2. National Library of Australia page for the book

3. Publisher's page for the book

4. Buy from Fishpond

5. Review of the book

Squizzy Taylor: The Rise and Fall of a Larrikin Crook (Hugh Anderson)

Squizzy Taylor: The Rise and Fall of a Larrikin Crook

Hugh Anderson

Blurb: Guns were fired in Fitzroy vendettas, police were killed in armed robberies and gangs operated in hotels and brothels - Melbourne in the 1920s was a crime-ridden city in which no one was safe.

Through it all strode the notorious crook Leslie 'Squizzy' Taylor, artfully dodging conviction with his calculated plans and foolproof alibis. Daily newspapers eagerly reported his crimes to a public fascinated by his larrikin wit and blatant contempt for the law.

In this classic account of gangland murder and greed, author Hugh Anderson brings Australia's infamous criminal mastermind to life amid car chases, robberies and cold-blooded murders.

Who was Squizzy Taylor really? A heroic symbol of resistance and king of the Melbourne underworld who died a tragic death? Or a bloody-minded criminal who got what he deserved?

ISBN: 9781742662282 (Paperback)

Year: 1971

Publisher: Pier 9

Pages: 267 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Abe books

2. State Library of Victoria page on Squizzy Taylor

3. Buy from Amazon

4. Wikipedia page on Squizzy Taylor

5. Biography of Squizzy Taylor