From quiz kid to Australian Minister for Science, from frustrated school teacher to National President of the ALP, from the suburbs of Melbourne to UNESCO in Paris, Barry Jones has had a prodigious public life. Barry Jones first came to public prominence as Pick-a-Box quiz champion, and from then on he has embraced a myriad of passions and causes. A Thinking Reed spans his remarkable career, from a lonely childhood in Melbourne of the 1930s and 1940s to the fight he led against the death penalty to his crusade to make science and the future prominent issues on the political agenda. He has worked tirelessly on both a global and local scale to rethink education, to improve and preserve our heritage, to revive the nations's film industry, and to build a better Australia. Almost unique among politicians, Barry Jones is held in enormous public affection. And while he reveals many insights into the political process - both the problems of office and the atrophy of Opposition - he concentrates above all on the life of the mind; a mind with deep, passionate and often witty insights into history, philosophy, music and literature. A Thinking Reed is a generous gift from an extraordinary Australian. 'Introducing Barry Jones for a 60 Minutes program, I revealed that when the planet Krypton was about to explode, not one but two children were sent to Earth in little rockets. One became a mild-mannered reporter working for the Daily Planet, famously doubling as Superman. But the 1930's comic strip failed to record the story of the other infant refugee. He became a teacher, a lawyer, a writer, a quiz champion, a politician, a prophet, an advocate. Like the caped crusader of Metropolis, fighting for truth, justice and the American way, Barry Jones has been a crusader for our country, displaying superhumanity as a citizen. And while he has his detractors on the conservative side of politics, and within the Labor Party to which he has devoted too much of his life, his contributions are widely recognised. High honours and honorary doctorates have been heaped upon him but more importantly, so has a rare degree of public affection. Clearly people sense the man's generosity of spirit and an integrity that has survived a lot of battering.' - Phillip Adams