UNSW Press

An exhilarating scientific journey, Why Are We Like This? takes us behind the scenes of the evolutionary paradoxes that make up life on this planet.

Leading historian Peter Stanley traces the history of Australia’s military history in 1000 books that reveal the many facets of our continuing fascination with our military past.

The annual collection – now in its fourteenth year – celebrating the finest voices in Australian science writing.

In a love letter to the swimming spots of Sydney, Chris Baker takes 52 swims in and around Sydney over the course of a calendar year.

marramarra highlights contemporary Indigenous art from across the planet and how artists and their communities are providing truth-telling about the past and inspiration to imagine better futures.

From balancing on a wing tip to paragliding with an eagle, Take Flight tells the stories of Australian women who have leapt, tumbled and dived, and reached for the stars.

The definitive guide to researching family history in Australia.

Captivating and quirky, Australia in 100 Words takes readers chronologically through Australian history to tell a unique story through language

In many ways, Australia handled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as any country in the world – but what did we get wrong?

The Badge We Wear tells the important history of sport at UNSW.

The ultimate guide to the night sky in 2025

An award-winning and landmark joint biography of Elizabeth and John Macarthur, from one of Australia’s most respected historians.

Acclaimed playwright and author, Louis Nowra explores the energy, beauty, vulgarity, dynamism and pulsating sense of self-importance of his adopted city, Sydney.

In the only full history of constitutional change in Australia, George Williams and David Hume examine Australia’s referendum record, why success has been so rare and how we can change this.

Yves Rees rewrites the story of Australian–US relations by spotlighting ten trailblazing women whose extraordinary lives have largely been forgotten.

Award-winning author Catherine Fox maps out seven ways to recognise and beat boss bias.

Gadigal country, Woolloomooloo Farm, Riley Estate, Burdekin’s paddock, Burlington Picture Palace, First Church of Christ Scientist, party mansion, Yirranma Place – the many transformations of 262 Liverpool Street Darlinghurst reflect the long and layered history of Sydney.

This evocative new biography of James Fairfax – businessman, philanthropist, collector and champion of Australian art – from his nephew, Alexander Gilly, pieces together Fairfax’s life through the prism of his collection.

Remember When … Snapshots of Australia from the ’50s to ’90s is a photographic trip down memory lane, celebrating the people, places, events and experiences that shaped our nation in the second half of the 20th century.

A captivating account of Australian documentary photography at its height including the photographs of Max Dupain, Carol Jerrems, William Yang, Rennie Ellis, David Moore, Mervyn Bishop, Sue Ford and others.

The Bee Squad is jam-packed with fun adventures and hands-on projects to help kids boost biodiversity in their neighbourhood.

Land Back tells the story of the work that has been done, and is yet to be done, to get land back.

Interested in birds but don’t know where to start? Overwhelmed by the bird guides? Want to know more about the birds you see around you? Then this is the book for you!

The never-before-published novel by Charmian Clift.

Dive beneath the surface with acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta as she reveals the mysterious world of humpback whales — and gets mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale, covered in whale snot and much more.

The incredible story of an Australian hero who helped save the life of a future president.

A little book about the big history of one of Australia’s most important institutions

Australia’s leading beach scientist shares everything you need to know about how beaches work and how to swim safely, with examples from Australia and across the globe.

Award-winning author Quentin Beresford investigates Australia’s corporate Australia’s highest-profile scandals.

Two extraordinary writers, one difficult mother and a vanished literary world.

The Relationship is the Project features provocations, tools and practical tips for working with communities from over 40 thought-leaders.

Peripathetic is an essay collection exploring globalised identities in flux.

A landmark and revealing joint biography of Elizabeth and John Macarthur, from one of Australia’s most respected historians.

The gruesome and compelling tale of Robert ‘Nosey Bob’ Howard, the longest-serving executioner for the colony of NSW.

Exquisitely written, Eda Gunaydin’s essays unsettle neat descriptions of inheritance, belonging and place.

Winner, NSW Premier’s History Awards 2022, Australian History Prize

The first book published on acclaimed Australian architect Andrew Andersons, written by well-known arts administrators Leon Paroissien and Bernice Murphy.

*WINNER of the 2020 Colin Roderick Award* *Longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize*

WINNER of the Nonfiction Award 2020 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature

'I'm going plastic free next month, who wants to join me?'

Shortlisted for the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards  Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction

WINNER of the Australian Book Design Awards 2020  Best Designed Autobiography/Biography/Memoir Nonfiction Cover

'At both ends of the world, I have found confusion and profound disagreement about how to read the story of the past, about who should write or speak it, and what parts of it should be written or spoken about at all.'

*Winner of the Australian History Prize in the NSW Premier's History Awards 2020*

How do you write a memoir when your memories have been taken? She awakens in hospital, greeted by nurses and patients she doesn’t recognise, but who address her with familiarity. She decides to untangle the clues.

Cast Mates — starring Errol Flynn, Peter Finch, David Gulpilil and Nicole Kidman — uncovers the long history of Australian actors in cinema at home and abroad.

Two extraordinary writers, one difficult mother and a vanished literary world.

The never-before-published novel by Charmian Clift.

Interested in birds but don’t know where to start? Overwhelmed by the bird guides? Want to know more about the birds you see around you? Then this is the book for you!

In 1941, the paper emperors of the newspaper industry helped bring down Robert Menzies. Over the next 30 years — thanks to shrewd and ruthless behaviour from members of the Murdoch, Packer and Fairfax families and other key players — they grew into media monsters.

This unofficial account of Australian Signals intelligence reveals the organisation’s efforts to reveal the secrets of others.

The incredible story of an Australian hero who helped save the life of a future president.

Exquisitely written, Eda Gunaydin’s essays unsettle neat descriptions of inheritance, belonging and place.

Top evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks offers an innovative perspective on human behaviour, AI technologies and the future of sex.

Political Lives is an intimate history of image-making and image-breaking in national politics.

Australian politics is changing. Voices of us looks towards the future with hope and ideas.

Leading thinkers on the policies and leadership of the Morrison Government from 2019 to 2022

A little book about the big history of one of Australia’s most important institutions

The Art of Coalition focuses on the relationship between the Liberal and National parties during the Howard years, and the lessons and challenges of this partnership today.

Whether you’re a concerned community member, or someone who is already active in social or environmental campaigning, this book will inspire and inform you, and get you fired up to co-create a common, more equitable future.

The story of the complex and crucial relationship between Australia and China, charting the highs and lows through the prism of the prime ministers who have handled relations with Beijing since Whitlam in 1972.

Dear Prime Minister is a fascinating insight into the concerns, assumptions and political beliefs of 1950s and 1960s Australians.