Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940s

At the end of July, Hachette Australia are thrilled to be publishing the newest historical non-fiction title from renowned historian Anne Sebba, Les Parisiennes. An incredible look at the female perspective on a tumultuous part of history, Les Parisiennes examines women's lives through the Occupation and then the Liberation of 1940s Paris. It was the women of Paris who ultimately came face to face with the German conquerors on a daily basis, and Anne Sebba delves into what this meant for their day-to-day lives. Examining the experiences of everyone from collaborators to resisters, actresses and prostitutes to teachers and writers, Sebba's fascinating cast of characters includes both native Parisian women and those living there temporarily – American women and Nazi wives, spies, mothers, mistresses, and fashion and jewellery designers. These women made life-and-death decisions every day, and often did whatever they needed to survive.

Having read History at King's College London Anne Sebba has written eight works of non-fiction, mostly about iconic women, presented BBC radio documentaries, and is an accredited NADFAS (National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies) lecturer. Her biography of the Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, That Woman, was a Sunday Times bestseller, and Sebba is perfectly placed to tug apart the threads of female experience throughout history and reveal to readers an unseen side of this significant time in Parisian history.

www.hachette.com.au

How to Avoid Online Scams at Rio Olympics

NordVPN explains security protocols and VPN service benefits to travelers using public Wi-Fi networks 

Rio Olympics, taking place from August 5 to 21, will draw more than 10,000 athletes from around the world and hundreds of thousands of fans and spectators.

While Rio is preparing, it is important that everyone who travels to see the Olympics prepares to stay safe.  One of the most important things for travelers who go to crowded public events is not only protecting their wallets and other belongings from pickpockets, but also protecting their online privacy, especially when using public Wi-Fi - whether at a stadium, on the street, at a hotel, a restaurant or the airport.

Free wireless networks, enjoyed by almost every Olympics participant or spectator, provide us with easy access to the Internet service, but are not able to offer security in most cases, since public Wi-Fi can be hacked-into very easily. 

For example, hackers are now using sophisticated technology, such as sniffers - a software designed to intercept and decode data when it is transmitted over a network. Wireless sniffers are specifically created for capturing data on wireless networks. A full stadium of people who are using free Wi-Fi is a goldmine of stolen identities for a hacker.

The most common threat, however, is a hacker positioning himself as a hotspot. When that happens, a Wi-Fi user will be sending their information to a hacker, and that could include credit card information, all emails, and any other sensitive information they might be transmitting. This is extremely easy for a hacker to do, as Wi-Fi spots rarely require authentication to establish a connection.

The best and most effective way for any traveler to protect their data is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN service encrypts all the traffic flow between the Internet and a device thus hiding user¹s IP address.

How to choose a VPN?

Choose a VPN that is easy to use. For example, NordVPN has recently launched its first Mac and Android apps geared towards everyday Internet user, who cares about privacy and security online. How does it work? Log in (the first time only) and press the ON button. The app will then choose the fastest server to connect to, in a country of your choice. That¹s all it takes to hide your IP address and to start safe browsing.

Also, beware of free VPN service providers. Free VPN providers do not necessarily provide highest quality security measures. A VPN service needs to pay for the server maintenance, staffing and operational costs and in itself cannot be free. ŒFree VPNs¹ typically rely on third party advertisers to cover the costs. Often they are free proxy services, marketed as a VPN service, when in fact proxies are not encrypted (they just change your IP address, but do not hide/encrypt it).

Besides protecting your safety and security when you are traveling, a VPN can also help you access geo-blocked sites. For example, social media sites such as Whatsapp occasionally get blocked in Brazil. Using a VPN would allow you to bypass these blocks by setting your connection to another country and appearing to be in the U.S., for example. In addition, you can stream as if you were in USA or UK: with a VPN, you can access most streaming services just as if you were in the U.S. - and that includes Netflix, Spotify, Pandora, Hulu, YouTube with local restrictions and so on.

VPNs are quickly gaining popularity in the world of tightening online security, and soon using a VPN will be as common as going online. Besides using a VPN, travelers should use antivirus and anti-spyware and automatically update their software.

To find out more, visit www.nordvpn.com

Cripes! $11 million for a secondhand Jaguar

HISTORIC RACING JAG'S WAY OUT PRICE

IN his continuing search for the more weird and wondrous in this world, David Ellis says that a 64 year old C-Type Jaguar sports car that was once a racing favourite of British co-drivers Stirling Moss and Peter Walker, has sold at auction in Monte Carlo for a mind-blowing 7,245,000 Euros – which is around 11,270,000 in Aussie dollars.

Boasting of being in "wonderfully original condition" the sleek 2-seater had made its debut on England's Silverstone Racing Circuit in 1952, and had never been either restored or modified since ending its racing career just three years later. And during that short career it had set countless new records on such famous tracks as France's Le Mans, the Isle of Man, in Sicily and in Belgium, and was officially recognised as the most-raced of all C-Types on the British racing club circuit.

One of only fifty-three of the type built by Jaguar in the early 1950s, it was amongst some forty rare and historic vehicles that English auctioneers Bonhams sold just recently in Monte Carlo, and which fetched an almost breath-taking E15.3m in bids, or AU$24m.

The English family that sold the C-Type had owned it for 52 years, racing it for a short while after it's purchase, and later registering it for road use and participation in vintage car events, rallies and touring in the UK and Europe.

The new owners are keeping mum about the latest future for the historic C-type.

                                                         ………………….

PHOTO CAPTION:

[] ONE-time racing favourite of famous English drivers Stirling Moss and Peter Walker, this 64 year old C-Type Jaguar sports car has just sold at auction in Monaco for the equivalent of AU$11,270,000. (Image: Bonhams Auction House)

Automobili Lamborghini fully restores Miura SV 1971 Geneva Motor Show car

Lamborghini PoloStorico celebrates Miura 50 anniversary at Amelia Island with restored Miura SV 1971 Geneva show car

Sant’Agata Bolognese, 9 March 2016 – The original Lamborghini Miura SV shown at Geneva motor show in 1971 has been the subject of more than a year’s restoration by Lamborghini PoloStorico, and is presented as a finished project at the Amelia Island concours event (USA) from 10 to 13 March.

The Lamborghini Miura SV (Super Veloce), chassis #4846, was the pre-production model for subsequent Miura SV production. Unveiled at the 1971 Geneva motor show on Bertone’s stand (while Lamborghini showed its new Countach), the car was truly a one-off, carrying over parts from the previous Miura S and introducing new features that would be seen on later SVs.

Lamborghini PoloStorico was appointed a year ago to fully restore chassis #4846 to its perfect original state. The subject of exhaustive research, each detail of the Geneva show car has been respected rather than adopting later production SV parts.

Shown in metallic green Verde Metallizata with tan leather, the restoration of #4846 by PoloStorico has included a complete restrip of the chassis and engine. Using photos and other archived historic documentation, every panel on the Miura has been returned to its original lines and angles and, following the original production sheet and records held by Automobili Lamborghini, every component restored or replaced. Expert Lamborghini craftsmanship and original Lamborghini parts have been used throughout, from bodywork to repainting the car in its original color, refurbishing the interior and overhauling the engine.

“This is a very important car, not only for its place in history as the Geneva show car and the forerunner of future Miura SV models built, but as the first completed project of Lamborghini PoloStorico,” said Enrico Maffeo, Head of PoloStorico. “We are delighted to be able, with the consent of the owner, to show this car for the first time in its perfectly restored state, at the important Amelia Island event.

“This is the year in which the Lamborghini Miura celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. This car not only illustrates the iconic appeal of the Miura, widely acknowledged as the forerunner of modern super sports models, but is also a perfect example of the expertise available in Lamborghini PoloStorico in providing the most authentic Lamborghini restorations.”

Lamborghini PoloStorico officially opened in spring 2015, supporting historic models and Lamborghini’s heritage through four main areas: restoration of historic Lamborghini models; archive management; original Lamborghini spare parts for which around 70% of the historic car parc is covered; and official certification of Lamborghini historic cars.

Can you imagine booking a holiday here?

When Count Gustav von Grabenstein went on holidays to Southeast Asia, he wanted privacy, security, the comforts of Europe and somewhere to go fishing.

Gus Grabenstein, 15th Century visionary

He built this quaint weekender in 1436 on the little spot he found in a real estate scroll enticingly labelled “get away from it all on this remote private island.”

He neglected to read the bit, written in a fine nib, “a challenging project for someone with flair”

Not to be outdone, Gus set about constructing his dream fishing cottage complete with waterfront access and somewhere to tie up his dingy. He called it “Friedenplatz”

Now this delightful location can be your dream escape too.

Book this wonderful cottage on Luftkoje today.

Art Deco Airports - the world’s first airports in the 1920s and 1930s

Art Deco Airports

By Terry Moyle

Art Deco Airports delves into the design and role of the world’s first airports in the 1920s and 1930s. With original images, comprehensive and dandy illustration by international aviation artist Rosie Louise and text by author Terry Moyle, the book explores the relationship between airports, aviation and Art Deco.



These first airports were not only concerned with commercial air transport but were also an important social venue. Millions of spectators flocked to airports each year and helped define aviation’s ‘Golden Age’. The airport architects also celebrated the achievement of flight in designs that were regional, as well as modern and functional. Art Deco Airports recreates this period with detailed and atmospheric depictions of the buildings, aircraft and fashions to create a beautiful and essential aviation book.

With profiles on 33 different airports in Great Britain, Europe and the United States, Art Deco Airports provides both specialist and armchair passengers with a window on an exotic lost world.

Published NOV 2015

PRINT RRP $45.00

FORMAT: HARDBACK


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terry Moyle has a keen interest in 1920s and 1930s commercial aviation.

A professional artist and writer, Terry collaborates with artist Rosie Louise as Contour Creative Studio and has an MA (Hons) in English.

Rosie Louise Dip. GD, BFA (Aus) is an illustrator specialising in vector graphics. Her designs are represented in a wide range of art applications. Rosie is an international aviation artist; her art has appeared on the covers of award-winning books and she has designed hundreds of aviation postcards and many paper aircraft models from the Golden Age of Aviation.

From Pulitzer Prize winner comes Afghanistan's Romeo and Juliet, the true story of how they defied their families and escaped an honour killing.

Publishing in February, THE LOVERS by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Rod Nordland, tells the true story of a young Afghan couple from different ethnic backgrounds who are willing to risk everything for love — struggling to stay together in the face of danger and the threat of death that their relationship poses.

This is a riveting, real-life equivalent of The Kite Runner and an astonishingly powerful and profoundly moving portrayal that puts a human face on the ongoing debate about women's rights in the Muslim world.

The book grew out of a series of articles Rod Nordland wrote for The New York Times in which he described the star crossed lovers as a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Zakia is a Sunni, her lover Mohammad Ali a Shia, and although as children growing up in the same village they would play together, as they grew older contact was strictly forbidden. By that point they were deeply in love.

When the author first encountered the couple, Zakia was locked up in a shelter and Mohammad was forbidden to see her. They escaped and were hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan where Nordland tracked them down as they continued to evade capture. They had no money and no food and relied on the kindness of strangers to give them shelter a day at a time as they remained on the run.

Rod says: 'This is both a great love story, and a great way to look at the difficulties faced by women in Afghanistan, which is really on the frontlines of the struggle for women's rights in conservative Islamic countries. The most rewarding thing about working on this book, for me, was to discover how the lovers' appreciation for poetry and for the great Persian love stories that preceded them informed and motivated much of what they did, even though they themselves are unlettered and uneducated. It is a real triumph for the heart in a society that officially outlaws love, and bans young people from choosing their own mates.'

Rod Nordland is currently a correspondent-at-large for The New York Times, working throughout the Middle East and South Asia; he spent more than three years as the paper's bureau chief in Kabul. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for reporting in the US, was a Pulitzer Finalist for International Reporting, studied as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and has received many honours including two George Polk awards and half a dozen Overseas Press Club awards. Nordland has worked for three decades as a foreign correspondent in over 150 countries. When not in Kabul, his second home is London.

Published by Hachette Australia in February 2016,

Paperback, RRP $35.00, Ebook RRP $16.99