The Swifts: The New York Times Bestselling Mystery Adventure (The Swifts, 1)

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Local and General News". The Armidale Chronicle. No.7676. New South Wales, Australia. 6 January 1900. p.4 . Retrieved 23 May 2019– via National Library of Australia. How to identify The Swift is a medium-sized aerial bird, which is a superb flyer. Sleeping, eating, bathing and even mating on the wing (while flying), Swifts rarely touch the ground. They are also the fastest birds in level flight, with an impressive top speed of 69mph. Clive Lucas, Stapleton and Partners, "Swifts: Conservation Analysis and Conservation Guidelines", September 1995 Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

Swifts is significant as a unique Australian translation of a Gothic or Old English style upper-middle class country house of the late nineteenth century picturesquely perched at the tip of Darling Point on Sydney Harbour. The house is impressive for its scale and use of sandstone masonry in the Gothic or Old English style of architecture, planning and decorative embellishments and is one of the grandest castellated mansions in New South Wales. Moreover, Swifts is of both New South Wales State and Australian heritage significance, as apart from Government House, Sydney, it is the largest remaining Victorian Gothic Revival house in Australia. There is considerable diversity of the decorative styles used in the respective rooms, with the ballroom and its hallway being the work of Lyon, Cottier & Co., Sydney (the leading firm of art decorators in the last quarter of the nineteenth century). The Moorish smoking room (opium den), the upper hall and the vestibule walls and ceiling are also their work – and most likely some of the other rooms. It is also likely that John Clay Beeler, an American trained art decorator then working in Sydney, who went on to decorate the interior of Melbourne's International Exhibition building for the 1888 Centenary, undertook work in the interior decoration. The copy of Guido Reni's Aurora in the sopraporte is believed to be the work of the Italian decorator in Sydney Signor Lorenzini, who regarded Reni as a master Italian artist from the early seventeenth century. The heraldic bird known as the " martlet", which is represented without feet, may have been based on the swift, but is generally assumed to refer to the house martin; it was used for the arms of younger sons, perhaps because it symbolized their landless wandering. Kaufman, Kenn (2001). Lives of North American Birds. Oxford: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-15988-6.Shenanigan Swift, like the rest of the Swift family, is destined to grow up like the name randomly chosen for her from the dictionary. When the family converges for a reunion and treasure hunt, Shenanigan meets most of her relatives for the first time. Used to primarily interacting with her overbearing sisters, Phenomena and Felicity, she’s fascinated by her rude, more-than-slightly criminal cousins. Cousin Erf, who is nonbinary and recently decided to choose their own preferred name, prompts Shenanigan to wonder if she must be a troublemaker just because the dictionary said so. Amid the chaos of family and Shenanigan’s quest for hidden treasure, Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, the matriarch of the Swift clan, is murdered. The sisters, aided by Phenomena’s Junior Forensics Kit and a chalkboard where they plot and record data, might be able to solve the mystery, but first they have to stop fighting with one another. The narrative voice includes jokes and viewpoints that will be appreciated by sophisticated younger readers as well as those who are older than Shenanigan; overall, the humor and action are spot-on for middle-grade audiences. The members of the British Swift family have a variety of skin tones, and several characters are LGBTQ+. Final art not seen.

Austral Archaeology (1997). 14 Hampden Avenue, Darling Point – Archaeological Monitoring of Excavation at the Former Gardener's Compound, Swifts Estate. In December 2012, Swifts was awarded the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage by the Australian Institute of Architects for the finest restoration project in Australia. [1] Swifts demonstrated a unique phase in Australia's colonial history with the rise of an upper-middle class, exemplified by Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, whose wealth was generated through brewing as well as agriculture, commerce and industry. With its almost intact historic curtilage, Swifts and its garden setting are rare survivors, arguably owing to the long occupation by, and benevolence of, the Resch family. Its iconic status in Australia's cultural heritage has been supported through the extensive conservation program of Dr Shane Moran. Swifts' connection with the Roman Catholic Church is also of social significance as it was home to three cardinals: Gilroy, Freeman and Clancy. The restoration of Swifts, undertaken with NSW Heritage Council's approval, emphasised the original 1870s Tooth-period of ownership over the later Resch family era. This was due in part to the high rate of survival of evidence for the decorative paint finishes under the twentieth century accretions and the photographic record of the principal rooms made around 1900. The house has become a form of homage to both High Victorian good taste and Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth. [67] Mr. A. Resh Retiring". Evening News. New South Wales, Australia. 9 January 1930. p.9 . Retrieved 13 August 2018– via National Library of Australia.National Trust of Australia (NSW) (1983). Swifts, 68 Darling Point Road, Darling Point: submission to Commission of Inquiry pursuant to section 41 of the Heritage Act 1977 / National Trust of Australia (NSW). Wexford-born James Kirwan is an experienced artist based in Dublin. His work has been showcased in solo and group exhibitions, and his mural work has been seen as far away as Canada. James has worked extensively in Ireland too, with recent work appearing in Gorey, Waterford, Thurles and Dublin. James’ work is often made with bold colours, with a mix of playful abstract forms and references to the natural world and landscapes. The Weekend Australian – WISH Magazine, April 2023. Story by David Meagher, Photography by Tom Ferguson. a b c d Swifts Sydney (2012). " 'History', in "Swifts Soirees 2012" – Artistic Director David Rowden – The Grand Ballroom, 68 Darling Point Road, Darling Point – Inaugural Concert series in support of the Opera Foundation Australia". Archived from the original on 18 May 2013 . Retrieved 7 May 2019.

Australian Brewer Dead". The Riverine Grazier. New South Wales, Australia. 19 June 1945. p.2 . Retrieved 13 August 2018– via National Library of Australia. A treasure hunt and murder mystery with a family that’s rather eccentric (adjective: zany, whimsical, oddball). Lucas, Clive (1994). Swifts, Darling Point Road, Darling Point, Sydney, Conservation Analysis and Conservation Guidelines Final Report. Stapleton & Partners. Swifts are among the fastest of birds in level flight, and larger species like the white-throated needletail have been reported travelling at up to 169km/h (105mph). [7] Even the common swift can cruise at a maximum speed of 31 metres per second (112km/h; 70mph). In a single year the common swift can cover at least 200,000km, [8] and in a lifetime, about two million kilometers. [9] a b c "A Sneak Peak Inside One of Sydney's Most Famous Houses – Swifts Mansion". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019.I wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook. Nikki Patel delivered a performance that was absolute perfection.