Trending Bestseller
Major Hashida's Notebook
Paperback / softback
368 Pages
4 August 2026
RRP:
$34.99
$34.00
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RRP:
$34.99
$34.00
Ships in 2-5 business days
Delivery estimate
Please enter a valid 4-digit Australian postcode.
to ·
Major Hashida's Notebook
RRP:
$34.99
$34.00
Description
'A brilliant, page-turning read. In one volume, Craig Collie has given us a spy story, a thriller, and a fascinating insight into the complexities of Japan's wartime thinking, and a vivid snapshot of Australian society during the Second World War' - Michael Veitch, author of Australia's Secret Army
In January 1941, the dapper, slightly built Major Hashida arrived at Circular Quay carrying only a small suitcase. It was eleven months before Pearl Harbor and a year before the attack on Sydney Harbour.
Japan was claiming to be neutral in the war. Believing there were no grounds to prevent Hashida from landing, the Army consulted its intelligence section, which proposed that he be 'closely shepherded' with a strict watch on his movements.
He was met by Japanese businessmen and consular officials and made his way around the country, stopping at each major city and gathering pieces of intelligence on everything from Australia's fortifications to its car industry. But what was the true purpose of his mission?
In Major Hashida's Notebook, acclaimed author Craig Collie has used Hashida's own diaries, along with military and police archives, to tell the long-buried story of one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on our shores.
'An ingenious piece of historical reconstruction. It reads like a spy thriller.' Tom Gilling, author of Start Digging, You Bastards!
'fascinating . . . Major Hashida's Notebook may have something for everyone.' - Jack Marx, The Australian
'intriguing and entertainingly detailed' - Sydney Morning Herald
'reads like a spy thriller and is packed with vital background detail . . . an engrossing book' - Newcastle Herald
'Military historian Craig Collie charts the spy's progress through Australia as it was then . . . a good account of an anxious moment in our history.' - Daily Telegraph
'Collie has used Hashida's own diaries, along with other archives, to tell the story of one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on our shores. In recreating Hashida's day-to day activities, a vivid snapshot of Australia's wartime society also emerges . . . A fascinating book that brings a long-forgotten piece of Australian history to light.' - Australian Defence Magazine
'Using Hashida's personal notebook alongside Australian military, police and government records, Collie reconstructs a remarkable tale of espionage in the tense months before Japan entered World War II. [His] meticulous investigation weaves scattered historical sources into a coherent story . . . the book sheds new light on a forgotten chapter of Australian wartime history. It will appeal to readers interested in espionage, military history and the hidden stories behind the Pacific War.' - Good Reading
'Collie explores the thrilling spy story of Major Sei Hashida, and offers an insight into Japanese intelligence gathering during the war. Using Hashida's own diaries, the footsteps of Major Hashida are traced through his unremarkable arrival in Sydney to the Australian police tailing him through the journey, still unsuspecting of his mission. This speculative non-fiction is built around well-researched facts, presenting a page-turning narrative of the greatest espionage operation on our shores.' - Our Generation
'Drawing on Hashida's own diaries and long-buried police and military archives, acclaimed military historian Craig Collie reconstructs one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on Australian soil - a true story that reads like a spy thriller.' - FIFTY+SA
In January 1941, the dapper, slightly built Major Hashida arrived at Circular Quay carrying only a small suitcase. It was eleven months before Pearl Harbor and a year before the attack on Sydney Harbour.
Japan was claiming to be neutral in the war. Believing there were no grounds to prevent Hashida from landing, the Army consulted its intelligence section, which proposed that he be 'closely shepherded' with a strict watch on his movements.
He was met by Japanese businessmen and consular officials and made his way around the country, stopping at each major city and gathering pieces of intelligence on everything from Australia's fortifications to its car industry. But what was the true purpose of his mission?
In Major Hashida's Notebook, acclaimed author Craig Collie has used Hashida's own diaries, along with military and police archives, to tell the long-buried story of one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on our shores.
'An ingenious piece of historical reconstruction. It reads like a spy thriller.' Tom Gilling, author of Start Digging, You Bastards!
'fascinating . . . Major Hashida's Notebook may have something for everyone.' - Jack Marx, The Australian
'intriguing and entertainingly detailed' - Sydney Morning Herald
'reads like a spy thriller and is packed with vital background detail . . . an engrossing book' - Newcastle Herald
'Military historian Craig Collie charts the spy's progress through Australia as it was then . . . a good account of an anxious moment in our history.' - Daily Telegraph
'Collie has used Hashida's own diaries, along with other archives, to tell the story of one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on our shores. In recreating Hashida's day-to day activities, a vivid snapshot of Australia's wartime society also emerges . . . A fascinating book that brings a long-forgotten piece of Australian history to light.' - Australian Defence Magazine
'Using Hashida's personal notebook alongside Australian military, police and government records, Collie reconstructs a remarkable tale of espionage in the tense months before Japan entered World War II. [His] meticulous investigation weaves scattered historical sources into a coherent story . . . the book sheds new light on a forgotten chapter of Australian wartime history. It will appeal to readers interested in espionage, military history and the hidden stories behind the Pacific War.' - Good Reading
'Collie explores the thrilling spy story of Major Sei Hashida, and offers an insight into Japanese intelligence gathering during the war. Using Hashida's own diaries, the footsteps of Major Hashida are traced through his unremarkable arrival in Sydney to the Australian police tailing him through the journey, still unsuspecting of his mission. This speculative non-fiction is built around well-researched facts, presenting a page-turning narrative of the greatest espionage operation on our shores.' - Our Generation
'Drawing on Hashida's own diaries and long-buried police and military archives, acclaimed military historian Craig Collie reconstructs one of the most intriguing espionage operations ever conducted on Australian soil - a true story that reads like a spy thriller.' - FIFTY+SA
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