Best Selling Books by David Hill

Books in the series present specialised research into all aspects of New Testament textual and historical culture, taking a range of approaches. This is widely recognised as the most authoritative and prestigious forum for serious scholarly publication in the area, and series books are highly regarded by biblical scholars the world over. General Editors: Edward Adams, King''s College London

Presents a detailed description and analysis of Offa''s Dyke that is set against the background of the political and social context of the kingdom of Mercia, over which King Offa ruled from 757 to 796. This book offers a fresh interpretation of the Dyke''s line, length and purpose. It is suitable for academics, amateur historians and archaeologists.

Australia and the British monarchy have always made for an odd couple: the young, rebellious, egalitarian nation wed to an ancient symbol of power and social inequality. Even today, an invitation to meet a member of the royal family remains a pinnacle of social achievement. What is the magic the royals hold over Australians? Since Captain James Cook first claimed New South Wales for King George III in 1770, the pulse of the nation can be measured by the strength of its attachment to an aristocratic bloodline on the other side of the world. Queen Victoria was more revered in Australia the longer she reigned, even though she’d never seen the place and showed little interest in it. When her son Prince Alfred visited in 1867, on the first royal tour the country had seen, he was received rapturously, and nearly assassinated. In 1954 Australia was gripped by royal fever when newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II landed on its shores for the first time; the republican movement grew in the late twentieth century alongside Australians’ adoration for Princess Diana; and now, with the popularity of William, Kate, George and Charlotte, the monarchy looks set to enter the hearts and minds of a new generation of Australians. As one of our most popular writers of Australian history, David Hill guides us with panache through this most peculiar state of affairs.

When a crazy old man leaps out of the bushes at Conrad on his way to swimming training, he gets the fright of his life. And when he discovers the man’s granddaughter is that weird horse-riding girl from school, he decides to steer clear of them. But fate has other ideas … and he is drawn into a grim secret. What’s the old man’s connection to a death from long ago? And whose life is in danger now …

This book will prove to be of interest to a wide range of people, providing satisfactory and helpful reading to those involved directly with school management, as well as education students.

A fast-paced, powerfully told novel for middle-grade readers about limb loss, resilience and becoming excited about the future again. What if you took a shortcut below some rocks and your entire life came sliding down? High on the shingle slopes of Pangonui, 14-year-old Ben cuts below a pile of huge, half-buried boulders. All of a sudden there''s a terrible sound, and a massive rock is tumbling towards him. In the painful weeks that follow a surgery to remove Ben''s shattered lower leg, his mind returns to the mountain, his impatience, that split-second decision. Will anything ever be ‘normal’ again? One goal keeps him going: he will finish the climb he started. ‘Hill knows how to draw young readers in and keep them on the edge of their seats . . .’ LINDA THOMPSON

This book considers four centuries of Spenser criticism, locating critics in ongoing discussions of Spenser''s poetry and the cultural contexts of their time.

Originally published in 1976. This book helps beginning and practising teachers to operate effectively in multiracial schools; its emphasis is on practical guidance for the classroom. It presents a review of the salient features of teaching in multiracial schools, comprising a brief description of the three largest ethnic minority groups; a selected list of studies related to the assessment of ability and achievement; language difficulties, specifically for West Indian, Asian and Chinese pupils, and for second-stage immigrant learners.

A gripping novel for young adults that captures both the daring and the everyday realities of serving in the Air Force during the Second World War. Pete and Paul yelled together. ''Bandit! Nine o''clock! Bandit!'' Jack spun to stare. There was the Messerschmitt on their left, streaking straight at them. Eighteen-year-old Jack wanted to escape boring little New Zealand. But he soon finds that flying in a Lancaster bomber to attack Hitler’s forces brings terror as well as excitement. With every dangerous mission, he becomes more afraid that he’ll never get back alive. He wants to help win the war, but will he lose his own life? My Brother’s War: ''... there are stories that need to be told over and over again, to introduce a new generation of readers to important ideas and to critical times in their country''s history ... Hill''s descriptions of trench warfare are unforgettable.'' from the Judges'' Report of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2013

Contains two versions of Lenz''s play, the translation and an adaptation by Theresa Heskins.

Caught in a tunnel collapse, Liam and Imogen have to use all their wits to survive in this gripping novel for readers eight years and up. Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction 2023 When you stood deep inside the tunnel, you could hear the mountain groaning overhead. That''s what Liam Geary''s father had told him, anyway. It sounded stupid, till you stood inside a big tunnel; felt those billions of tonnes pressing in from above and the sides; heard water dripping from ceilings, or even trickling like something''s blood behind the concrete walls; sensed the blackness that lay beyond the TBM''s blazing lights as it ground its slow way through the stone ahead. Then you knew that a major tunnel like the Puketapu was a place of power, somehow; that darkness and danger lurked all around. When Liam dares his classmate Imogen to come on a forbidden tour of the railway tunnel being drilled through a nearby mountain, he hopes she’ll quit protesting about it damaging the environment — his dad is an engineer working on the tunnel, after all. Just as they reach the huge tunnelling machine everything goes horribly wrong. When the rocks stop falling and the dust settles, they are trapped, kilometres below ground, in the dark. Water is trickling in and beginning to rise. And nobody knows where they are. Can they stop arguing and start working together to escape before time runs out?