1932: The Year That Changed A Nation

Looking back, it's hard to believe how much happened in that fateful year to become the stuff of enduring national legend: the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened by surprise with the slashing sword of Captain Francis de Groot; the birth of the Australian Broadcasting Commission; the mysterious death of the beloved race horse Phar Lap; the controversial dismissal of NSW Premier Jack Lang; and the start of cricket's infamous Bodyline series.

Those were among the best remembered incidents but there were others - from an epic outback rescue of two lost aviators to the most expensive divorce case ever heard - that reflected the distinctive flavour of the times.

Overshadowing all else, the Great Depression seemed to single Australians out for special punishment, pushing a fragile young society to the brink of disintegration. By 1932 - the worst of it - a third of the population had been reduced to living like refugees in their own land while a lucky few emerged rich as third world rajahs.

Acclaimed journalist and author Gerald Stone takes us on an exhilarating and fascinating journey through a year that quite literally changed a nation.

Evocative and brilliantly researched, this is a book that turns history into compelling reading at its very best.