Iain McCalman Books

Iain McCalman’s brilliant history of the Great Barrier Reef, told in 12 extraordinary tales, charts its shifting status from labyrinth of terror to global treasure.Equal parts gifted storyteller and acclaimed historian, McCalman brings to life the people who’ve shaped our knowledge and perception of this World Heritage– listed site. He describes encounters between peoples and places, ideas and environments, over the past two centuries and more.Where today the Reef is known for its astonishing underwater beauty and diversity, once it was notorious for the shipwrecks in its treacherous waters. Scientists theorised about the creation of this massive structure, and the fiery debate between Darwinists and creationists caught the world’s attention. Then came successive waves of resource hunters and exploiters, followed by beachcombers and artists who fought to stop them, and the marine specialists who first became aware of the threats to the Reef’s survival. In between, the Indigenous peoples of the Reef gave succour to castaways such as Eliza Fraser, and were then vilified for it.The first social, cultural, and environmental history to be written of the Great Barrier Reef, The Reef is an effortlessly readable and often moving story of one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

The riveting true story of four great voyages of discovery that inspired Darwin's Origin of Species

Focusing on the pivotal figures in the evolution debate, this book explores the lives of Charles Darwin and his key supporters: Joseph Hooker, Thomas Huxley, and Alfred Wallace. Starting with the poignant day of Darwin's funeral on April 26, 1882, it delves into their scientific contributions and the fervent advocacy that helped shape the understanding of evolution, highlighting their collective impact on the scientific community and the broader cultural landscape.

Guiseppe Balsamo, the Count of Cagliostro, was an 18th-century Sicilian who became a magician, mystic, healer, Freemason, swindler, and last, but not least, a pornographer. He was so controversial, he became a central figure in Faust and the Magic Flute. This work features his story that is told through the eyes of seven of his contemporaries.

Exploring the evolution of visual entertainment since the late 1700s, this book delves into reenactment as a dominant form of popular history. It examines the challenges of defining reenactment and its boundaries, while also addressing the interplay between realism and emotional impact. Through this analysis, it sheds light on how reenactment shapes our understanding of history and nature.

Exploring the multifaceted identity of a central character, the narrative delves into themes of mysticism and deception. This individual embodies a blend of roles, including a Freemason, shaman, and seducer, while also engaging in swindling and heresy. The story intricately weaves together elements of spirituality and morality, challenging the boundaries between truth and illusion. As the protagonist navigates a world filled with intrigue and complexity, readers are invited to reflect on the nature of belief and the human experience.

A team of prominent historians and curators have produced this innovative cultural history of gold and its impact on the development of Australian society. Throughout history, gold has been the "stuff" of legends, fortunes, conflict and change. The discovery of gold in Australia 150 years ago precipitated enormous developments in the newly settled land. The population and economy boomed in spontaneous cities. The effects on both the environment and indigenous Aboriginal peoples have been profound and lasting.

Voltaire, Rousseau, Hume, Adam Smith y tantos otros filósofos famosos, nos han habituado a asociar el siglo XVIII con la idea de «razón», pero la verdad es que fue también un tiempo de magia, misterio y confusión en el que florecieron nigromantes, profetas, herejes y masones, como el siciliano Giuseppe Balsamo, más conocido como conde Alessandro Di Cagliostro. La vida del conde de Cagliostro es misteriosa y fascinante: tenido por unos como un santo laico, que curaba a los enfermos y socorría a los pobres y, por otros, como un peligroso barbián cuyas ideas ponían en peligro los fundamentos mismos de la monarquía y el papado, Cagliostro fue sin discusión una de las figuras más extraordinarias de la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII. Amado y odiado por la aristocracia europea, se codeó con Casanova, Catalina la Grande, Goethe, Luis XVI y María Antonieta, así como con el papa Pío VI quien lo entregaría a la Inquisición para morir en sus cárceles en 1795. Su historia y su leyenda, que inspiró a Johann Strauss una opereta, y a Mozart un personaje de La flauta mágica, han llegado a nuestros días sin ponerse de acuerdo: para Umberto Eco, Cagliostro no es tanto un hombre del siglo XVIII como un «posmoderno» actual, un profeta new age, uno de esos telepredicadores que se ceban en la indigencia psicológica y en el desconcierto moral, pero para Walter Benjamin, Cagliostro es un titán de la cultura occidental, un mesías underground, el auténtico y último alquimista, un fantasma del irracionalismo que aterra a los fetichistas de la razón. Pero ¿quién fue verdaderamente el conde Cagliostro?

Strhující kniha australského historika, odborníka na 18. století, vypráví o osudu jedné z nejpozoruhodnějších postav té doby: alchymisty, léčitele, spiritisty, zednáře a „nesmrtelného Velkého Kopta“, Giuseppeho Balsama alias hraběte Cagliostra. Na pozadí takřka neuvěřitelných životních příběhů tohoto muže, jenž prošel Evropou od Palerma po Londýn a od Petrohradu po Lisabon, se před čtenářem odhaluje druhá tvář „věku rozumu“ s jeho zednářskými lóžemi, až dětinskou vírou ve všemocný svět duchů a magických sil, sexuální posedlostí i chorobným intrikařením. Autor Iain McCalman tak znovu poodkrývá, co na Cagliostrovi tolik fascinovalo jeho současníky a též umělce, jako byl Mozart či A. Dumas, kteří se postavou tohoto dobrodruha nechali inspirovat.