You are invited to meet David Hunt when he introduces Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia. Winner of the 2014 Indie Award for Non-Fiction.

Girt - no word could better capture the essence of Australia...

In this hilarious history, David Hunt reveals the truth of Australia's past, from megafauna to Macquarie - the cock-ups, the curiosities, the forgotten eccentrics and Eureka moments that have made us who we are.

Girt introduces forgotten heroes like Mary McLoghlin, transported for the crime of 'felony of sock', and Trim the cat, who beat a French monkey to become the first animal to circumnavigate Australia. It recounts the misfortunes of the escaped Irish convicts who set out to walk from Sydney to China, guided by a hand-drawn compass, and explains the role of the coconut in Australia's only military coup.

Our nation's beginnings are steeped in the strange, the ridiculous and the frankly bizarre. Girt proudly reclaims these stories for all of us.

You are invited to meet David Hunt when he introduces Girt at 6.30pm on Thursday, July 31st, at Berkelouw Books in Leichhardt.

Bookings are essential and can be made by phone on 9560 3200 or by email to leichhardt@berkelouw.com.au.

Cost is $ 8.50, which will be credited against any purchases made on the evening.

David Hunt is a tall and unusually handsome man who likes writing his own biographical notes for all the books he has written (one), although he claims to be working on a sequel. He has worked as a historical consultant and comedy writer for television and also has a proper job. He also owns a cat and has a birthmark that looks like Tasmania, only smaller and not as far south.