The Good, the Bad and the Unlikely : Australia's Prime Ministers

Good drinkers, bad swimmers and unlikely heroes. Since the nation's birth in 1901, twenty-seven politicians have sat in Australia's driving seat. Their time at the top has ranged from eight days for Frank Forde to eighteen years for Bob Menzies. Whatever the length of their term, each prime minister has a story worth sharing. Edmund Barton united the bickering states in a federation; Billy Hughes knocked US president Woodrow Wilson down a peg or two. The unlucky Jimmy Scullin took office days before Wall Street crashed into the Great Depression, while John Curtin admirably rose to the challenge of wartime leadership. The much-loved Ben Chifley refused to wear a dinner suit to meet the king, and Jolly John Gorton's partying lost him the job. With characteristic wit and expert political knowledge, Mungo MacCallum brings the nation's leaders to life on the page. The Good, the Bad and the Unlikely tells the fascinating tales of the men and woman who've had a fair crack at running the country. It is a wonderfully entertaining education.

Mungo MacCallum has long been one of Australia's most influential and entertaining political journalists, in a career spanning more than four decades. His books include the bestselling Mungo: The Man Who Laughs, Run Johnny Run: The Story of the 2004 Election and Poll Dancing: The Story of the 2007 Election.