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'Will keep you on the edge of your seat... You'll venture on  a journey of admiration, despair, sadness, hope and joy.' SMART BOOKS FOR SMART KIDS, US

THE AUSTRALIAN BESTSELLER! Based on the true experiences of military dogs, here is a story of loyalty, strength, and the bond between a man and his dog that has captivated readers in Australia and the US.  

At the kennels, Caesar doesn't look special. But Corporal Ben Fulton sees something different—an intelligent dog whose curiosity will make him an excellent sniffer dog in the Australian Army.

On operations in Afghanistan with Ben, Caesar proves his worth, finding hidden explosives and saving the lives of the soldiers. Then, during a Taliban ambush, Caesar is separated from his master. In the aftermath, Ben and his best friend Charlie are seriously wounded and evacuated to the hospital before being shipped back to Australia. But where is Caesar?

From their home in Australia, Ben and his family search for clues that might reveal whether their beloved dog is still alive and surviving Afghanistan's bitter winter cold and capture by the Taliban. It will be a long road home, and Caesar will face many hardships along the way, but for this brave and loyal dog, anything is possible.

This book is based on the true story of Australian military dog Sarbi and its experiences in Afghanistan, combined with the factual experiences of Endal, the devoted British dog who cared for his wheelchair-bound ex-serviceman master and became the most decorated dog in history.

The success of this is first book led to a series of four more exciting Caesar the War Dog operations from Stephen's pen. Read all about them on this site.

Both boys and girls have fallen in love with Caesar, with teachers and parents thanking Stephen. "These books have got my boys reading!' they tell him.

TEACHERS AND CAESAR THE WAR DOG CLASS PROJECTS - SEND YOUR WRITING AND LETTERS TO STEPHEN

At a number of schools around Australia, classes have been reading the Caesar the War Dog series then writing their own fabulous 'Further Adventures of Caesar the War Dog.' Then, they've sent their work to Stephen, with each member of the class also writing Stephen a letter with their personal questions for the author. Stephen always sends a detailed thank you and reply to readers' questions.

If you and your class would like to do the same, send your class writing and letters to:

Stephen Dando-Collins, C/- Penguin Random House Australia, Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, NORTH SUDNEY, NSW 2060. Pengiun Random House also have free Teachers' Resources available on this series.

 

 

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'Well written and exciting... It romps along in style and will surely maintain the popularity its predecesors achieved.' STELLA LEES, Reading Time, Children's Book Council of Australia

IT'S SINK OR SWIM TIME FOR OUR CANINE HERO

When Sergeant Ben Fulton’s family joins him on a cruise ship holiday, Ben, Josh, Maddie, and Nan travel in luxury among the islands of the Caribbean while Caesar is in quarantine.

But a gang that has broken out of a Cuban prison have other ideas. They hijack the massive ship and hold its 3,000 passengers for ransom. With passengers of all nationalities in danger, only the United Nations can step in to help.

Ben’s best friend Charlie and the rest of the GRRR team quickly assemble. Charlie will need super-sniffing explosive detection dog Caesar with him as he parachutes in to sneak aboard the ship.

Will Caesar and Ben be reunited in time to find the hidden explosive devices that threaten the ship? Can Operation Black Shark capture the modern-day pirates before it’s too late?

Prior to writing this book, Stephen spent time aboard cruise ships in the Caribbean - a tough job, but someone had to do it! While on board, he spoke with captains and senior officers to learn as much as he could about cruise ship operations, learning lots of fascinating facts. For example, did you know that the ships of major cruise lines retain all their waste on board? They don't dump it in the ocean; they offload it back in port for disposal onshore.

 

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'Remarkable!' WASHINGTON TIMES, US

'Compelling.' FLAUNT, US

'A taut tale, a great story.' ROANOKE TIMES, US

'Smoothly written and gripping." KLIATT Magazine, US

'An elegant reminder of a fight well fought.' KIRKUS REVIEWS, US

'Dando-Collins captures the full drama of Standing Bear's struggle... Fascinating.' BOOKLIST, US

'Among the great stories of expanding American law, humanity and civility.' LINCOLN JOURNAL-STAR, US

'Dando-Collins does a superb job.' SOUTHWEST BOOK VIEWS, US 

Written with the help of the Northern Ponca tribe, and using the long dusty files of the Omaha Daily Herald among the many sources he studied, Stephen Dando-Collins was the first to reveal to today's readers the amazing, sad, but ultimately heart-warming story of Standing Bear and his people.

In 1877, Standing Bear and his tribe, the Ponca, were forcibly removed from their land in northern Nebraska. In defiance, Standing Bear sued in U.S. District Court for the right to return home. In a landmark case, the judge, for the first time in U.S. history, recognized Native American rights-acknowledging that "Standing Bear is a person"-and ruled in favor of Standing Bear.

Standing Bear Is a Person is the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of that landmark 1879 court case, and the subsequent reverberations of the judge's ruling across nineteenth-century America.

It is also a story filled with memorable characters typical of the Old West-the crusty and wise Indian chief, Standing Bear, the Army Indian-fighting general who became a strong Indian supporter, the crusading newspaper editor who championed Standing Bear's cause, and the "most beautiful Indian maiden of her time," Bright Eyes, who became Standing Bear's national spokesperson. At a time when America was obsessed with winning the West, no matter what, this is an intensely human story and a small victory for compassion.

Stephen and his wife Louise joined the Northern Ponca in Nebraska for their annual pow wow in 2006. They even attended a Ponca language class in the historic agency building on the Ponca Reservation which features so prominently in this story. The couple found their visit a profoundly spiritual experience, and will be eternally grateful to the Ponca for the gracious way they were treated and for the tribe's wholehearted assistance with the research for the book. At one point, Stephen said to his hosts, "I hope you don't mind a person who is not Native American writing about you." To which the Ponca said, "Stephen, we are honored if anyone writes about us."

As a result of reading this book once it was published, two Lincoln, Nebraska men set out on a mission to locate the unmarked grave of Standing Bear's daughter Prairie Flower at Milford, Nebraska mentioned in an early chapter. They succeeded, finding and marking the grave for posterity.

 

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'Political intrigue... and a grand human drama.' WASHINGTON POST, US

'Dando-Collins energetically recreates the days leading up to the fire, the conflagration itself, and the subsequent decline of Nero's fortunes.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, US

'A valuable and informative account.' El Pais, Madrid, Spain

'A must-read for anyone interested in the politics of Rome.' COLLECTED MISCELLANY, US

'An excellent corrective to myth and a good introduction to 1st century Roman history.' REFERENCE AND RESEARCH BOOK NEWS, US

'A clear-headed, intelligent look at what sort of man the last Caesar seems really to have been.' INFODAD.COM, US

'A page turner. Brilliantly written, and highly recommended.' KINGMAN DAILY MINER, US 

On the night of July 19, AD 64, a fire began beneath the stands of Rome's great stadium, the Circus Maximus. For more than a week the fire spread, engulfing most of the city and nearly burning it to the ground. With its capital in ruins, Rome's powerful empire teetered on the edge of collapse as Nero struggled desperately to save his empire…and his skin.

In The Great Fire of Rome, Dando-Collins takes readers through the streets of ancient Rome, where unrest simmers, and into the imperial palace, where political intrigue seethes, relating a pot-boiler of a true story filled with fascinating historical characters who will determine the course of an empire.

It's an unforgettable human drama that brings ancient Rome and the momentous events of 64 AD scorchingly to life, with a few myths corrected along the way.

AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH EDITIONS AND AUDIOBOOK.

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'A fine and important book.' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

'Stephen Dando-Collins skilfully braids together the Searle brothers' story with that of Australia in the Great War. PROFESSOR PETER STANLEY, University of NSW at Canberra

'A beautifully scripted expose of one family's experience of war. This book deserves to be required reading as part of the Australian history school curriculum.' MAJOR-GENERAL MICHAEL JEFFREY, former Governor-General of Australia

 

THE AUSTRALIAN BESTSELLER! Stephen's most personal book. The true story of three Australian soldiers, the Searle brothers, Stephen's great-uncles. One brother was killed at Gallipoli, another on the Western Front. One came home a decorated hero.

Viv, a gifted poet who was planning to be a clergyman before the war, became a deadly efficient sniper. Ray shot himself and was charged with desertion. Ned was a true Australian larrikin, up for anything, and the black sheep of the family.

The Searle boys had to 'crack hardy', or grin and bear it, as they fought in one grueling campaign after another—from the first wave of the Gallipoli landings to Lone Pine, from Ypres to Messines and Hill 60 in Flanders, to bloody Somme battles at Mouquet Farm, Bullecourt, and Hamel, with their brothers and mates falling all around them. Back home in an Australian country town, their mother, father, sisters, and remaining brother also had to crack hardy, as the bad news from the front just kept coming, and coming.

The Searle brothers' great-nephew, award-winning author Stephen Dando-Collins, uses the letters and journals of the Searle brothers and remembrances of other family members, to create a compelling book that defines Australia and Australians during the making of their young nation on the far-flung battlefields of World War I.

 

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'A work to keep you fascinated, and to make you wonder at the web of deceit that could occur in Rome.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE, UK

'Dando-Collins has masterfully brought Roman history to life.' VENTURA COUNTY STAR, California

 

Could the killing of Germanicus Julius Caesar—the grandson of Mark Antony, adopted son of the emperor Tiberius, father of Caligula, and grandfather of Nero—while the Roman Empire was still in its infancy have been the root cause of the empire's collapse more than four centuries later?

This brilliant investigation of Germanicus Caesar’s death and its aftermath is both a compelling history and first-class murder mystery with a plot twist Agatha Christie would envy.

AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, ITALIAN AND SPANISH EDITIONS AND AUDIOBOOK.

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'The meticulous research and racy writing style make this a fascinating and revealing book.' THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE, US

'The author entertains, and, through chatty digressions on Roman civilization, military practices, myths, and historical and geographical curiosities, also instructs the general reader.' Adrian Tronson, THE HISTORIAN, US

A powerful true tale of war, romance, and one of history's most desperate gambles.

Julius Caesar was nothing if not bold. When, in the wake of his defeat of Pompey at Pharsalus his victorious legions refused to march another step under his command, he pursued his fleeing rival into Egypt with an impossibly small force of Gallic and German cavalry, raw Italian recruits, and nine hundred Spanish prisoners of war-tough veterans of Pompey's Sixth Legion.

Cleopatra's Kidnappers tells the epic true saga of Caesar's adventures in Egypt through the eyes of these captured, but never defeated, legionaries. In this third volume in his definitive history of the Roman legions, Stephen Dando-Collins reveals how this tiny band of fierce warriors led Caesar's little army to great victories against impossible odds.

Bristling with action and packed with insights and newly revealed facts, this eye-opening account introduces you to the extraordinary men who made possible Caesar's famous boast, ""I came, I saw, I conquered.""

AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND POLISH EDITIONS AND AUDIOBOOK.

 

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'Great book. Great man!' PHILIP ADAMS, ABC Radio National, Australia

'An important, long-overdue warts-and-all biography of Australia's most formidable politician.' GEOFFREY ROBERTSON, author, judge, lawyer, UK

'I welcome this very readable biography... Makes light work of a complex career, and it humanises the man... I hope schools invest in a copy.' LISA HILL, ANZ Litlovers

'Parkes' legacy to the nation is recounted magnificently in this fine biography.' DAME MARIE BASHIR, Governor of New South Wales

 

May 27, 2015 brought the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Henry Parkes. After he died, the London Times described him as "a colonial colossus." Henry Parkes received little schooling and worked on a rope-walk, breaking stones, as an ivory and bone turner, ironmonger, laborer, and on the wharves before trying business life and ultimately politics. He and his first wife traveled to Australia on an assisted passage.

There has never been anyone else like Sir Henry Parkes in Australian public life. Not only was he the father of federation, but his friends included Thomas Carlyle, fellow poet Lord Tennyson, and British Prime Minister Gladstone. He convinced Florence Nightingale to send trained nurses to Australia. He conceived the international rabbit competition which led to the Pasteur affair and put Australia at the forefront of microbiology. He encouraged talented men to enter politics, yet he shunned the limelight, rarely attending social functions.

Whenever he received begging letters, (which he did, daily), Parkes always wrote back enclosing money. No wonder he went bankrupt three times! Yet he was Premier of New South Wales 5 times, leaving its finances well in the black every time. He married three times, the last time to a 23-year-old beauty. Clearly, Parkes loved women, and they loved him. He encouraged women to attend political meetings, and long advocated the vote for women. But not everyone loved Sir Henry; he had a long-running feud with poet Henry Lawson's mother after Parkes wouldn't give young Lawson the help she demanded, and he constantly wrestled with political aspirants chasing his seat.

It all added up to a colossal life.

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'A page-turner of a history... The dramatic story examines the roles of soldiers, politicians, philosophers, wives and mistresses.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, US 

'Recommended for all readers seeking a lively introduction to a turning point in Roman history.' Library Journal, US

Unraveling the many mysteries surrounding the murder of Julius Caesar.

The assassination of Julius Caesar is one of the most notorious murders in history. Two thousand years after it occurred, many compelling questions remain about his death: Was Brutus the hero and Caesar the villain? Did Caesar bring death on himself by planning to make himself king of Rome? Was Mark Antony aware of the plot, and let it go forward? Who wrote Antony's script after Caesar's death?

Using historical evidence to sort out these and other puzzling issues, historian and award-winning author Stephen Dando-Collins takes you to the world of ancient Rome and recaptures the drama of Caesar's demise and the chaotic aftermath as the vicious struggle for power between Antony and Octavian unfolded.

For the first time, Dando-Collins shows how the religious festivals and customs of the day impacted on the way the assassination plot unfolded. He shows, too, how the murder was almost avoided at the last moment.

A compelling history that is packed with intrigue and written with the pacing of a first-rate mystery, Dando-Collins' The Ides will challenge what you think you know about Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire.

AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH EDITIONS AND AUDIOBOOK.

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THE TRUE STORY THE MOVIE NEVER TOLD YOU

The facts behind the events in 300: Rise of an Empire, the sequel to Zack Snyder's hit movie 300.

The action-packed 300 focused on Ancient Greece's epic battle of Thermopylae, in which King Leonidas led 300 Spartans into battle against Xerxes and his million-strong Persian forces. In the sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire, the action moved to the sea, covering ten years starting with the Battle of Marathon and ending with the massive naval engagement, the Battle of Artemisium, which occurred the same day as Thermopylae.

This book tells the story of the real men and events depicted in the movie, focusing on the Athenian general Themistocles, one of the world's greatest warriors. He became warlord of Greece, built their navy and, by uniting Greece to defeat Xerxes' fleet, enabled what we call western civilization. Packed with vivid detail, clashes of arms and ships, blood and glory, Rise of an Empire tells a story even bigger than the big screen could contain.

Both an essential read for fans of the 300 movies and the Frank Miller graphic novels they're based on
an insightful exploration of the leaders who feature in the film, their backgrounds, motivations, command decisions, struggles, victories and defeats, from the Battle of Marathon through the Battles of Artemisium and Salamis - Xerxes, the Persian king determined to succeed where his father failed, and Themistocles, overcoming monumental hurdles to turn Athens into Ancient Greece's greatest sea power and leading city-state of the age.

Before writing this book, Stephen Dando-Collins conducted detailed research of classical texts and inscriptions, at key sites on the ground in Greece, and into Greek warships of the period - with extensive help from the Trireme Trust of the UK, who also advised the producers of 300.

The result is a gripping narrative of the real-life naval battles of the first and second Persian invasions of Greece, with fascinating detail about the ships, the warriors and the tactics, and most of all Thermstocles, the brilliant Athenian commander who saved Greece but fell foul of his own countrymen.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIOBOOK.