Second Best

Description

History is written by the winners and about the winners. But what about the nearly men and women of the past who reached for gold but grasped only morale-sapping silver? Australia's second-best comedy historian Ben Pobjie celebrates the fascinating stories of those pipped at the post of greatness From Buzz Aldrin following footsteps on the moon, Australia's second Prime Minister whose name everyone keeps forgetting, and the woman who discovered DNA butdidn't get the credit because she was a woman, SECOND BEST shines a light on those plucky men and women who, through no fault of their own - or at least only a little bit of fault of their own - didn't quite get there before everyone else, but did get there before almost everyone else

Ben Pobjie studied history at the University of Western Sydney before his lust for glamour led him to comedy writing. He is known for his TV columns in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, and political satire for New Matilda, Crikey and the ABC, among others. He is the author of Aussie Aussie Aussie, Error Australis, Australia: What Happened? and Mad Dogs and Thunderbolts and has written for the TV shows Reality Check and The Unbelievable Truth. He lives in Melbourne with his wife, three children and a rising sense of panic.