Anna Bishop, the rebellious wife of the English 'Mozart', Henry Bishop, eloped in 1839 with the dissolute French harpist Nicholas Bochsa and began an adventure lasting forty years. She and her lover survived shipwreck, bandits, cholera outbreaks and civil wars while singing in the world's great opera houses and in makeshift venues at the outposts of ‘civilisation’.

A captivating localised history of the most popular and accessible musical instrument in the country. Based on ten years of extensive research and interviews with players, this book also includes an Australian harmonica discography and fascinating illustrations.

Eight frank confessions by eight prizewinning arts journalists, delving into their individual ways of thinking. Roger Covell writes on concerts; Bruce Elder on popular music; Sandra Hall on film; Marion Halligan on literature; John McCallum on theatre; Cyrus Meher-Homji on recordings; Joanna Mendelssohn on art; and Alan Saunders on food.

Ron Blair's first volume of short plays includes:

John Romeril: The Accidental Poke
An exuberant music hall pastiche set in C.J. Dennis' Melbourne. To avoid the attentions of a fortune hunter, a virtous daughter is married off to the monocle-flaunting swell, Horace Dargie-Quintet. Too late they all learn the horrible truth.
Cast: 3F, 2M

Michael Cove: Family Lore
These Jewish Parents are not particularly devout, but their traditions are alive. When the kids decide to lead different lives, their mother and father remember the certainties that shaped their own and try to come to terms with the realisation that the expectation of parents are not always those of their children.
Cast: 2F, 2M

Ron Blair: A Place in the Present
An unlikely past is re-lived briefly by three people who meet by chance at a railway station. This bizarre comedy, touching on the impulse of love and the reality of marriage, focusses on a headmistress, an escapologist and a meths drinker.
Cast: 2F, 3M

Philip Ryall: T he Centenarian
Shirl and her husband have had a difficult time for years looking after Shirl's Gran, who is now only a few hours away from her 100th birthday. The cake is ready and the telegrams start coming, but will Gran go along with it all? Here is a truly black comedy of suburban frustration.
Cast: 2F, 1M

Timothy Daly: The Don's Last Innings
At John and Marjorie's house it is still 1948 and after tea every evening Don Bradman goes in to bat for Australia. Beneath its quirky humour, this ingenious play examines how a woman is coerced into a lifetime of indulging her husband's fantasies.
Cast: 1F, 1M

Ron Blair's second volume of short plays includes:

John Mulligan: The Sex Life of Snails
Daisy and her husband have a perfect marriage. After five years of bliss they are still completely unfaithful. It wasn't easy at first but fidelity can be overcome by the practice of self-control. A comedy about what is good for the goose.
Cast: 2F, 1M

Gordon Graham: Innocent Bystanders
Two cargo packers at Sydney Airport are overcome by a trio of stowaway terrorists who think they have arrived in Argentina. A comedy thriller in which the terrorists prove as muddled as their victims.
Cast: 1F, 1M

John Summons: The Coroner's Report
Irene works hard and lives alone after her mother's death. She is one of life's aunties. But why is she telling her story to this unknown man? His questions, some of them harsh and prurient, make for a gripping and grim interrogation.
Cast: 1F, 1M

Pamela van Amstel: Late Arrivals
People have their own reasons for going to Brolga Point: a lost housewife, a destitute boy, a ranting old deadbeat. Then two pill-popping teenagers arrive, looking for action. With this cross-section of rejects the author develops her theme of isolation.
Cast: 3F, 2M

Mil Perrin: Is This Where We Came In?
Alan is delivered to Carole's place. He is a demonstration model with only 150 hours in 'service'. The only trouble is, he has a major defect. Still, Carole has taken a liking to him and so have the other girls...
3F, 1M

The all-girl dance bands and orchestras of Australia in the 1920s-40s worked on the margins of a profession dominated by men—often financially exploited, they still managed to find fulfilment through their music.