Australia Books

Murray Whelan is supposed to be a garden variety electoral officer. In reality, he does a lot more troubleshooting than paperwork and answering complaint letters.

A deputy minister asks him to look into the death of a Turkish meat packer at a factory.

Amusing antics follow as much dodgy brothers business is discovered.

Maloney's 'hero' Murray Whelan is a superb addition to the landscape of political satire in this country. His stories are also well-written with none of the clunky contrivances that less-skilled authors display.

Highly recommended.

Being the political minder for Charlene Wills, Australian Minister for Industry, is the only job that Murray Whelan wants. His personal life consists of raising his son by himself while his spouse Wendy goes all over the place turning into a big shot and lusting after waitress Ayisha Celik.

So when Agnelli informs him that he must investigate the frozen corpse of an ethnic Turk named Batraktar found in a freezer, he thinks his compatriot is acting crazy. Still, if the opposition has a plan to stir up the unions over this death as Agnelli claims, Murray figures he better be prepared. Reluctantly, Murray begins to look into the death of the STIFF, starting at the locale of the accident. When he started his inquiries, Murray never intended to be a target, but soon he finds himself in danger as his world turns upside down.

Anyone who enjoys an off the wall, jocular amateur sleuth tale should try the works of Shane Maloney. As in his previous Murray Whelan novel, BRUSH-OFF, the story line is weird and rips into any and everything involving modern urban Australia. Murray retains the freshness of a street punk attitude buried inside a political hack and the secondary players add local flavoring to the fast-paced lunacy. Fans of outrageous who-done-its will not believe they were STIFFed after reading this satirical look at politics and amateur sleuths.

Harriet Klausner

Murray Whelan is a low ranking political go-fer for the Australian Labor Party who can create chaos from the simplest chore. He redeems himself with a self-effacing humor that both entertains and endears. If you do not cry tears of laughter at his description of insulating his attic, something is seriously wrong with your funny bone.

Murray is asked to investigate the death by freezing of a Turkish immigrant meat packing plant worker. Everyone agrees it was an unfortunate industrial accident. Murray's investigation is for the sole purpose of determining if there is any potential for political fallout on the issue of worker safety.

Soon someone is trying to kill him. Is it right wing Turkish militants? Is it industrialists in high places? Is it the janitor at the plant? Is it the mis-tattooed constituent who wants redress from the government?

Reading Shane Maloney's take on Australia in the late'80's will satisfy your yen for mystery (the whodunnit is subtle), double you over with laughter and (especially for "Yanks" like me)create an unforgettable image of Australian society!

The mystery part of this novel isn't the greatest. But the sideshow is a real whopper. The story is told by Murray Whelan, gofer and fixer for Charlene Wills. Charlene and her colostomy bag are Minister for Industry of the reigning Labor Party. Her advisor, Angelo Agnelli, is Murray's boss who sends him to the Pacific Pastoral meat works to check out possible political implications in the freezing death of foreman Ekrem Bayraktar. Things spiral downwards from there with the entry of an industrial super mogul, the questionable shop steward Herb Gardiner, not to mention Ayisha Celik, that Turkish honey pot.

The author not only has a way with words. He also has an incredible sense of humor. He takes the Australian political scene apart in a roaring satire without letup or ending. His description of the Italian and Turkish minorities is memorable.

This book makes you laugh all the way to the end.

My 2 year old LOVES this book. When you are reading to him, you can hardly believe what you are reading. A total crack up!

This is one of the cutest books i've ever seen. Not only is it clever and charming but it actually makes kids think about their "business" in a healthy, funny way. The illustrations are adorable and help you really get a sense of the characters' personalities immediately, even if they appear only on one page. Its a short and simple little treat and I highly recommend it for kids and adults alike.

My son checked this book out from his school library. I couldn't stop laughing when I read it. It's hilarious! I could not believe that someone actually wrote a book about this.

I'm not going to tell you what it's about. It's more fun reading it and finding out for yourself. But, I will tell you that you will not be disappointed. It's a kids' book, but every adult I've shared it with has raved about it. You will too!

Now this book is GREAT!!!! I don't know if I should really put it in the educational category, but in fact it is - it leaves lots of subjects open for discussion with the young ones

My two daughters adore this book - it is visually rich, the story is great fun, and it is an easy read for adults and children alike. There is also, as I mentioned, a chance for discussion on issues such as why are all these animals 'business' different (as well as discussing a range of euphemisms for 'business')

The story starts with a little mole who puts his head up above the ground only to have some animal go to the toilet on his head. The mole, who is very short sighted and wears thick glasses doesn't see who it was that did this on his head so he goes in search of animals to ask. These include a dove, a goat, a pig, a cow a horse and couple of flies (amongst others) and in fact it is the flys which point him in the right direction at last.

Although I am not one for condoning revenge it is rather funny as the revenge is hardly worth the effort in the end but it makes the mole satisfied and the animal hardly notices the difference.

The drawings are gorgeous, as I said, they look like they have been done in rich colourful pastels so the animals are very alive and with excellent detail.

Kids love this book, for its toilet humour, but also for its natural biology - just why do animals have different business - it is a great introduction to talk about animal diet, circumstances, even flight of birds and things to assit. While they might not understand all the concepts it is a fun way to extend them.

Adults will enjoy this one too

I first encountered this book when I took a Children's Literature course in college. A bestseller in Germany, it had been banned in the United States because of its subject matter, so our professor had to show us the original German book and translate it for us. After our initial shock wore off, it had our entire class of English majors in stitches!

Basically, someone or something poops on the little mole's head, and the mole (understandably upset) starts going from animal to animal asking if that animal is the one who did it. Each animal says "no" and then shows what their own poop looks like. Eventually, the mole finds out which animal is responsible, and has his revenge. This is VERY similar in style to the P.D. Eastman children's classic "Are You My Mother?" where a baby bird goes from animal to animal looking for his mommy bird - except, of course, the content is a bit more unusual for the average American parent who is used to "Goodnight Moon" or "Where the Wild Things Are." The thing is, though, kids love to learn about bodily functions - especially when they reach the age of potty training.

I actually found the book so amusing that I always kept my eye out for a copy, and years later I managed to track down an English copy here on Amazon! (Note: the original American/English title for the book was "The Little Mole Who Went In Search of Whodunnit"...it looks like they've changed the name this time around.) I ordered it to read to my young son who was 3 years old at the time. He loved it and thought it was the funniest thing ever!

I find this book more tasteful than some of the others of this type - it's matter-of-fact and doesn't try to be crude in any way. It's also educational in the sense of highlighting differences between animals. I think this is a good book to get for a child who is in the potty-training process, when kids tend to get fascinated by the elimination of body wastes...and also for kids who have reached the point where they'll appreciate the humor in the mole's quest and his revenge.

Anybody who's read a lot about or even worked with afflicted clients and thought they have a good understanding of what it'd be like to have Schizophrenia will find this book a real eye opener! It's a MUST READ for all families, friends, workers and Doctors alike. It's written in a very easy to read and understandable format, as unemotional as could be possible in such circumstances. I personally think it is the best book on Schizophrenia that's available within a non-clinical context. I give it the highest of recommendations.

The disgraceful lack of help that Anne Deveson and her son, Jonathon, recieved in the early-to-mid-eighties when Jonathon was seriously mentally ill with schizophrenia is a sad indictment on the psychiatrists and a system that was - and still is in a lot of ways, I believe - totally impotent.
Anne and her son's terrible experiences happened in Australia, but, here in the UK, every so often, we have seriously mentally ill people attacking and killing innocent by-standers.
It must also be strongly emphasized that these violent individuals are just a SMALL minority, and that the VAST MAJORITY of people with these afflictions are NOT dangerous at all, and, if I may give you an even better perspective: murders committed by so-called "normal" people, if you like, in England and Wales, number about 300 a year, while murders committed by people with mental illness number about 40 a year. Yet, due to biased reporting and the stigma surrounding mental illness, newspaper journalists do NOT state these facts in context and thereby give the impression that everyone with schizophrenia is a potential knife-wielding maniac, probably because the headline KNIFE MANIAC sells papers. I don't know!
Having said that, for people who are seriously mentally ill like Jonathon was - he thought his mother was evil and was out to get him, yet was not treated for his illness because he didn't want to be - to be Sectioned under the Mental Health ACT, here in the UK, mentally ill people must be a danger to themselves or others, OR THEIR CONDITION BE DETRIMENTAIL TO THEIR HEALTH.
I have read that many psychiatrists and social workers ignore the last part of this act, and this would appear to be why we have seriously mentally ill people - people who seem to be unaware of their illness - living (and dying) on our streets.
This is gross neglect, in my opinion, also due to the fact that the Mental Health Trusts in the UK are so under-funded.
The mentally ill have nowhere to go that provides them with the support they need after leaving hospital - a lot of the time before they are well enough - to make way for someone who is even iller than they are.
Moral is also at rock bottom among the mental health workers due to this under-funding and cutbacks.
Most of these seriously mentally ill people could be saved from their sufferings and even death - and from occasionally causing harm to others - if they WERE treated and the mental health professionals had the resources to do their jobs properly.
To this schizophrenia sufferer, this chronic under-funding that prevents the mental health professionals from doing their jobs properly, and the newspaper journalists who sensationalise these terrible tragedies, is a complete and utter disgrace.

New edition published 1998 by Penguin

There are two books that should be ordered together, this one, "Tell Me I'm Here" One Family's experience of Schizophrenia, by Anne Deveson and "I am Not Sick I Don't Need Help" by Dr. Xavier Amador. "Tell me... is a story from a mother's perspctive of doing everything possible for a young adult, and her relationship with her son who had a duel diagnosis of both Schizophrenia and drug addiction. This mother did just about everything to bring her son to recovery. "Tell me...: is told with a good writing style and down under mater of fact blatancy. It is easy to follow the events of this woman's life and how the illness affected not only her son but the whole family that loves a person who has schizophrenia. "I am not Sick I Don't need Help" is the clinical method, which might bring a schizophrenic loved one into medicine compliance. The two together can be a powerful ally to both protecting not only the ill person but the caregiver as well. The two books together can give shocked loved ones of an ill person a fighting chance at surviving "the crisis event", and the initial treatment phase which is very emotional for all and exausting. According to one psychiatrist 99.99% of recovery in schizophrenia is medicine compliance. These books do not support stigma and fear, the first two hurdles when the loved one is diagnosed.

This book is one of the most heart wrenching stories that I have ever read. The author takes you into the world of schizophrenia. You feel the emotions and the heartache that she felt while seeing her son slip in and out of madness. It is the only book that has ever made me cry while reading it. It is the only book that I have been moved to share with people.I encourage anyone who has the chance to buy it, and don't forget your handkerchief, you'll need it.

If you are looking to cook amazing Thai food and wish to impress your family and friends.... You MUST buy this book. The steps are easy to follow with some illustrations. Plenty of colored pictures. Definately worth buying!!!

I have had this book for ages. I even brought it with me 6 years ago when I moved to Thailand. Actually, I bought it after eating at the restaurant in Manly, Sydney. It's a great book to get a feel for what it is to "cook Thai". After you've got that feeling, you can use it as a springboard for creative Thai cooking. After you've served your dishes to your friends, they'll say two words..."aroy maak!" (very delicious!) Just buy it!

This is the best Thai cookery book I have ever come across. Colorful photos and easy to follow recipes. Having tried several of the recipes, I found them very authentic. Never, never, will I ever loan a cookery book to anybody on Earth! Especially THAI COOKING CLASS!! Please, I want my book back.

Wonderful and wide assortment of easy recipes with color photos of the steps involved and the final, delicious product. Hard to beat this cookbook/primer on Thai cooking. A must have if you want to venture into this great Asian food style.

It's the best Thai cookbook I have ever come across. The dishes come out like in a restaurant and the instructions are easy to understand and follow. What more could u ask for?!

If you have seen the film 'Rabbit Proof Fence', then you simply must read this book. Carolyn Wadley Dowley has presented all the historical context necessary to allow the reader to understand the themes and setting of the film more deeply, and has richly illuminated this period of Australian history.

Wadley Dowley succeeds masterfully in bringing this fascinating episode in Australian history to life, filling the framework provided by historical archives, contemporary analysis and oral histories with fresh emotion and reality. Through Silent Country is all the more remarkable for its ability to preserve a clear distinction between the voice of the author and those of the real historical actors in this human drama. Wadley Dowley's treatment of the historical sources and oral history transcripts, along with her honest and moving journal record, provide a strong basis for the reader to understand - from several fascinatingly diverse perspectives - her new and complete account of the escape from detention of this group of Aboriginal Australians, and their epic trek back to their home country. This work is important and ground-breaking, both in content and in style. It deserves to be widely recognised as such. I recommend it without hesitation to all who want to explore the landscape of Australian history, and especially to Australians who hope to discover a new perspective on their past.

This book is an excellent contribution to Australian history. I recommend it highly.

This exceptional book - which I note has just received a significant Australian history award - is the author's account of an event from 1921 in the Western Australian goldfields. Further, it is the story of what was required to uncover such history. Through Silent Country is history as it all too rarely written - emotive, gripping, full of fascinating characters, and ultimately triumphant. The 'heroes' of the tale are the Wongutha people of the Western Desert, who walk hundreds of kilometres across unknown (silent) country to return to their homes from forced exile. Loved it!

This book follows the circumstance of the forced removal, in 1921, of the Wongutha people from their their homeland in the Western Australian goldfields to Mogumber, a feared place of detention.The events are set in context, the complete picture slowly emerging through the author's own travels over the escape routes the Wongutha used, from `speakings' about the escape and related concerns, documents (officialdom's cold tone chills even now) and a `new account; by the author. This is not a dreary recitation of facts but an imaginative reconstruction of the events. The Wongutha's plight, as they face encroaching settlement and drought, is emotively drawn. Just brilliant.
Good Reading Magazine(Australia). January 2003.

This book was terrific. I could hardly put it down. I felt like I was right on the ship with the rest of the transportees.
I liked the book so much I went out and bought the rest of the series. A friend's daughter is now reading them and is really enjoying them too.

Anyone that wants to read a book filled with romance, suspence, excitment, and renewed Christian faith should read this book, Voyage of the Exiles. I don't want to tell you too much and spoil the story, so all I will tell you is that the most unexpected things happen. When you least expect them to! I know that when you start to read this book you won't be able to put it down. I didn't! It has left me yearning for the next book in its series.

I loved the whole series, but book one is my favorite. Even if you're not big on the whole religion aspect, this book is an amazing mix of adventure, heartache, family values, and has great historical aspect. I love historical fiction, and I have read a lot of it, but this book was one of the prime examples of the Australian-Penile-colonies .
I got totally caught up in the entire storyline, and I was unable to put the book down, and once I finished it, I read the rest of the series, then I read the whole series all over again. The characters are so well developed, and it's as if they were real people, living a real life, not like other books where everyone seems so fake, and the situations they get involved in are so fanciful and everything is just perfect. The author keeps things real, and shows you how like would have really been.
It's a great book that I recommend for everyone to read.

This book is not a typical Christian romance. It's much better. The characters aren't thrown into improbably sappy situations, in fact, it's quite the opposite. These characters are flawed, abused, and not destined for your typical fairy tale ending. People get sick, die, have to live down doing bad things, and don't necessarily end up with the first romantic pairing they are put in. This isn't normal for a Christian romance and it's refreshing to find a book that is historically realistic and still very readable.

I wait with great interest to see how things go now that the storyline has finally reached Australia.

If you enjoy suspence, romance, and excitment then you will enjoy Voyage of the Exiles. When George is arrested for pickpocketing and sent on a ship to Southern Whales he thinks all is lost, including his daughter Katy and wife Amelia, little does he know that his daughter is sailing on the same ship as the captian's maid and his wife is on another ship for being wrongfully accused of stealing! I'm sure you will like this book and the strong messange it shows you about faith in Jesus Christ through hard times when everything seems bleak.

This isn't actually a review, as I'm the author. I just wanted you to know that, to support my book, Waltzing Australia, I have created a blog that offers photographs of places described in the book, stories about other trips, and additional information about what I saw while traveling in Australia. So come and visit me at http://www.waltzingaustralia.com and immerse yourself even further in the delights of the land Down Under.

This is a compelling tale of adventure and dreaming. Cynthia takes us on a journey and climbs her 'Everest'. Many Australians make similar journeys to Cynthia- it is still a challenging country to travel through. Yet as we share her travels something becomes clear; there is one thing that most of us cannot do.... and that is to write about our adventures and dreams in such an engrossing way. This is what marks this travel book apart from other similar tales; it is a piece of literature. As an Australian I could almost smell the scent of eucalyptus leaves coming out of the page. (This is the highest praise an Australian can offer!)

This is such a wonderful and compelling book! As a nature photographer, I have a sense of adventure and a love of the outdoors that is shared by Cynthia and expertly conveyed to the reader along the way. I was amazed at her journey and felt I was right there with her. I found myself reading slower during the last few chapters of the book as I didn't want the journey to end. This book really brings to life the wonders of Australia and I admire Cynthia's adventurous spirit and joy in discovering all that nature has to offer.

What a lovely book: a smart combination of memoir and a fresh view on the usual travel story. No one could write this well about travels in Australia without a true love for the country, its people, and its remarkable landscape. Cynthia Clampitt surprises us with a writing talent and story-telling technique that is tough to master, yet she is consistently compelling to read. She puts her full energy into explaining culture, history, anthropology, animal life, and the rigors of being a woman on a long solo journey. Honestly, I'm only 147 pages into this big book, but could not wait to share my enthusiasm for Waltzing Australia.

Helen Gallagher, author: Release Your Writing: Book Publishing, Your Way

I felt like I was along as Cynthia covers 20,000 miles of this fascinating continent. "We" visited deserts, rainforests, mountains, and parks. Small towns and cities alike unfolded before me as I was treated to discovery by someone who doesn't just look, but "sees." Unlike travelogues that just list the same old things over and over, I felt like I was actually visiting this bewitching place. (I'm pretty sure I got a tan just reading about hikes through the desert and dips in wilderness pools!)Waltzing Australia is a sparkling example of a writer who can use words to take you along on a wondrous adventure.

Unfortunately I gave this gorgeous book away as a gift! It is visually beautiful, wonderfully written and leaves you wanting to book a ticket downunder

Michael Cooper's WINE ATLAS OF NEW ZEALAND is the first wine atlas dedicated just to New Zealand - a nation becoming known world-wide for its high quality wines. Michael Cooper has over 25 years experience researching and writing on his subject and is the perfect professional choice for producing a guide which reviews the nation's climate, soils, ten wine-making regions, and nearly 300 wine companies. Add color photos of labels, countryside and productions throughout and you have an important basic reference.

Here's a region-by-region profile to over 280 wine companies accompanying in-depth profiles of 10 selected New Zealand winemakers and packed with maps and new photos. Analysis of climate, soils and wine styles accompany an illustrated history of the wine industry and a regional organization just perfect for the destination-oriented New Zealand wine fan. But you don't have to be traveling there to appreciate the extensive geography and wine grape facts packed into Michael Cooper's Wine Altas Of New Zealand: with John McDermott's color photos gracing nearly every page, armchair wine fans have a lot to enjoy, too.

At the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2003, announced 22 July, Wine Atlas of New Zealand, by Michael Cooper, won the Montana Medal for the supreme work of non-fiction. The judges' commented that "the final decision on the winner of the Montana Medal was influenced by our collective view that the Wine Atlas of New Zealand could not possibly be improved upon - it is elegantly written, superbly designed and produced and its impact on the community has been considerable. Michael Cooper has written many superb books on wine in New Zealand - this is unquestionably his Magnum Opus."

There's not much more to say than that this is a fantastic treatment of its subject. The book is well laid out, fantastically researched, beautifully photographed and a joy to look at (let alone read!). It is little wonder this won the Montana Book Award - Cooper has meticously researched his subject.
The book starts off with an introduction (as they tend to do) then explores the fascinating history of viticulture in New Zealand before tracing the impact of New Zeland wine on the world market. We also get to explore the most commonly grown grape varieties in New Zealand and how they are characterised in New Zealand wines.
General information out of the way, Cooper then explores in detail the wine regions of New Zeland with fantastic maps, photographs and notes on individual wines and wineries.
The book is also indespersed with profiles of key players in the New Zealand wine industry and history.
To sum up - its a beautiful book and a must for anyone interested in the area. It is by far the most comprehenive treatment of New Zeland viticulture, and worthy of the accolades it receives.

The only bad thing about Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy (FIFTH BUSINESS, THE MANTICORE, WORLD OF WONDERS) is that it had to end! Sparklingly clever, bawdy, poignant, erudite, and laugh-out-loud funny, Davies entertains in a wonderfully rich, old-world style.

A friend of mine (who recommended the books, and to whom I will be forever grateful) put it this way: "Reading Robertson Davies is like sitting in a plush, wood-paneled library--in a large leather chair with a glass of excellent brandy and a crackling fire--and being captivated with a fabulous tale spun by a wonderful raconteur."

This is the best novel of the century's best English language novelist. The plot is sure-fire (kid runs away with the carnival), the characters memorable (sideshow freaks, revealed to be--human beings! theater people, great and small, revealed to be--human beings!), the sins enormous (pederasty, pride, perhaps even murder), the virtues marvelous (love, devotion to love). The theme of this book, as with the other books in the trilogy, is search for self--the main character of this book lives four different lives during his life. This book works on every level; it reads well as a story, gives you something to think about, and stands up to any number of readings you'd care to give it. (I've given it at least five.)

The theme of the novel "World of Wonders" by Robertson Davies, is "search for self"(Warlton 4) Through ought the novel, there is a constant search for who the main character, Mangus Eisengrim, truly is. The majority of the novel is Mangus telling his life story. During this story, Mangus lives "four different lives"(Warlton 5) First he was born with the given name Paul Dempster, a Reverend's. At the age of ten he ran away with the carnival and became Cass Fletcher and controlled a mechanical card-playing machine as a carnival act. Later he named himself Fastus LeGrand and worked as a stunt double in a travelling play. He finally became Mangus Eisengrim, a world famous illusionist. Countless times during his story he asks the question, "Who was I?"(61).

At the beginning of Paul Dempster's life there was no trouble with who he was. He was born prematurely and so, right from the start, he was a survivor. He also was a Reverend's son, and his mother was known to others as a "hoor"(24). He knew exactly who he was, but anted to be someone else. After running away with the carnival, or as he said "The carnival ran away with me.", he recalls that he was "prepared to do anything rather than go home." At the carnival he became known as Cass Fletcher. This initial change in who he was was the first sign that there was a conflict with who he was.

His time spent as Cass Fletcher, roughly eight years, was the most conflicting time of his life. In the carnival Cass operated a card-playing machine called "Abdullah"(49). He would sit inside the machine spy on his opponent's cards and slip better ones into Abdullah's hand. At point in his life Cass spent most of his time inside this contraption, perfecting his spying and card slipping and when he ate, and that was seldom, he would do it inside Abdullah as well. He was almost never seen or spoken too. This neglect and abuse led him to believe that he was nobody. He mentions "I was Nobody... I did not exist.". At this time his "search for self" came to the most obscure solution possible. He believed himself to be Nobody. However, when he was seen and acknowledged, it was mostly when he was on stage as "Abdullah, the undefeatable card-playing machine". This caused him to think that when he was not Nobody, he was Abdullah. His answer to "Who [am] I?" was either Abdullah, an inanimate object and a machine to trick an audience, or nobody at all. It wasn't until he was about eighteen, when the carnival he was working for went out of business, that he escaped being trapped in Abdullah. He moved to France and became a street performer. His fake passport had "Fastus LeGrand" as his name. So finally he was no longer, and would never again be, Nobody.

Early in Fastus LeGrand's career as a street performer he was offered a job as an actor in a play called "Scaramouche"(162). He was hired as a stunt double for a man named Sir John. All Fastus had to do was walk a tightrope and juggle some plates, but he had quite a problem imitating Sir John. A fellow actor said that he couldn't "get Sir John's rhythm."(167). As he began to get the idea, he realized that he was again hiding from the audience as he had done with Abdullah.

Was this to be another Abdullah? It was, but in a way I could not have foreseen. Experience never repeats itself in quite the same way. I was beginning another servitude, much more dangerous and potentially ruinous, but far removed from the squalor of my experience with [Abdullah]. I had entered upon a ling apprenticeship to an [egotism].

Fastus had to become Sir John. Eventually he succeeded, so much so that he was later accused of eating Sir John. "You ate Sir John... You ate the poor old ham."(224). Another crisis in his identity. Fastus learned to walk, act, speak, move, stand and probably even blink exactly the same as Sir John himself. During Fastus's time with the play he was known to most as Mungo Fetch. The name was decided on by other actors who thought it sounded appropriate for a man whose job it was to copy someone else. Fastus LeGrand, the only name he picked for himself, was thought to be far too noticeable, and a stunt double was to be kept secret. Again he needed to be hidden from the world. But when Sir John retired, Fastus was no longer Mungo Fetch, nor Sir John. He was beginning to win himself back. Once again, he was known only by a single name. But "Fastus LeGrand was still not who [he] truly was, or who he was meant to be."(Pierce 318)

Soon after Fastus stopped acting in Scaramouche, he was hired to fix toys for an old rich man. It took months just to fix a single toy because of the minute tinkering took to perfect the movement. But there were hundreds of toys that needed to be fixed. So Fastus spent almost every waking hour of his time working on them. Thus, he had virtually no contact with the outside world. He was even given residence with his employer, so he didn't even have to leave the old mans mansion. Now, instead of hiding behind Abdullah or Sir John, he was hiding behind his work. It was during his time fixing toys that Fastus changed once again. As he continued fixing toys for the old man, Fastus met the old mans niece, Lisel, whom he fell in love with. Since Fastus LeGrand was not his real name and he didn't care for it much they decided to change it again. Fastus would by no means return to being Paul Dempster, and even less so did he want to go back to Cass Fletcher. So Lisel named him Mangus Eisengrim. Becoming Mangus was the "final conflict with who he was."(Pierce 553) Mangus was finally rid of his former lives and had come to the end of his search for self. He had answered the question "Who [am] I?". He lived life as Mangus and became a world famous illusionist and eventually returned to acting, since he had such a skill with imitating people. He was, from then on, Mangus Eisengrim.

I've just finished a Davies marathon: the whole Deptford trilogy in 3 days. I think it a testament to Davies' great storytelling ability that I could not put down any of the three books. I suggest reading them in close succession because the second book (The Manticore) sheds a lot of light on the other two books. It's interesting that in this book (the 2nd), we get 250 pages or so written from the point of view of a minor character: Boy Staunton's son. If you stop to think about it, the whole trilogy is structured around the question "Who killed Boy Staunton," so it shouldn't be surprising to read an account by his drunken son, the famous lawyer of his counseling sessions in Zurich. Rarely does one find such well-drawn characters these days in novels -- by the end, you'll feel like you've known Paul Demster for years, along with the simian Liesl, level-headed Ramsey and of course Demster's character, Eisengrim.

This book is a bit "deeper" than the first two as we find ourselves transported to an almost magic-realism portrait of myth and fantastical events in the World of Wonders. I actually enjoyed the first two books more although I still think this last book is a master work. Occassionaly Eisengrim's recounting of his life gets a bit tedious, but only because we are dying to resolve the mystery which finally gets solved in the closing pages. All in all, a memorable trilogy and a gripping read by one of the great 20th century writers.

Davies uses the 'accidental' revelation of a great magician's life--by the magician himself--to complete the Deptford Trilogy and answer the mystery: "Who killed...?" Davies is at his storytelling best here, spinning out a strange, fascinating life story that begins when a young boy is captivated by a carnival magic show. By far the best book of the trilogy, this novel stands brilliantly on its own and is head and shoulders above the two recent novels that use almost the same plot: Mr. Vertigo, by Paul Auster, and Millroy the Magician, by Paul Theroux

This beautiful reference book is full of beautiful photography of aboriginal art and Howard Morphy has researched this subject in great depth having lived with tribes in Arnhem Land. A great resource for those studying for degrees in Anthropology and Art History.

Over the past two decades, Aboriginal art from Australia has been gathering momentum as a major international art movement. Christie's, Sotheby's and other auction houses hold regular, successful sales of paintings and artifacts produced at Aboriginal settlements across Australia. Major historical figures such as Rover Thomas and Emily Kngwarre can command several hundred thousand dollars for a single painting. Even though indigenous people make up less than three percent of the population, their art in recent years reportedly accounts for about half of the total dollar value of all art sold in Australia.

The appeal of Aboriginal art to non-indigenous collectors is many-sided. On a purely aesthetic level, the work is multi-layered and vibrant. Western eyes familiar with Abstract Expressionism and other post-modern art movements have a conceptual bin in which to place Aboriginal painting. Those who dig beneath the surface appeal discover that many of the paintings record the creation myths of the Aboriginal people, documenting how the land was created by mythical Ancestors during the Dreamtime. Unlike much abstract western art, which concerns itself with technical issues - "flatness" or "shininess" or "color saturation" - Aboriginal art is about something complex and sacred that's been passed down from generation to generation for tens of thousands of years. Collectors with a political bent can take satisfaction in knowing that works purchased from reputable galleries and community art centers provide money to economically downtrodden indigenous settlements while helping to validate the importance of Aboriginal culture.

In this excellent book, Howard Morphy uses art scholarship, his experience in the settlements, and a deep empathy to place Aboriginal art firmly within the context of modern Aboriginal life. The book shows how art making is a part of ritual practices used to summon and honor the Ancestors who made the world. Art - whether it's done as rock paintings or sand drawings, body painting, wood carving, or the application of ochres to bark or acrylics to canvas - is a way of animating the past by making it come alive in the present. Only designated clans or individuals have the right to perform certain rituals or tell certain Dreaming stories. Art becomes a way of asserting and establishing those rights, as well as a way of establishing rights to the land where the dreaming story occurs. Their art also enables Aborigines to open up a dialog with the dominant European culture in a way that expresses and asserts the value of their belief system.

A significant part of Morphy's achievement is granting us access to the rich body of inherited myths, rituals and symbols that Aboriginal artists draw upon to create their art. Like all great religious art, the best of this work expresses eternity in the context of a present moment. Aboriginal artists such as Uta Uta Tjangala, Paddy Sims, and John Mawurndjul, like the Italian Renaissance masters, allow us to experience something sublime. A number of women artists have also created major bodies of work. Dorothy Napangardi, Judy Watson, and Eubena Nampitjin, for example, use sweeping lines and bold colors to tell their Dreaming stories and to express personal visions of everyday bush life. In the works of the great Aboriginal artists, we are witnessing the expression of an enduring vision that has triumphed over time and, since the arrival of the Whitefellas, extremely adverse social circumstances.

Morphy covers the evolution of this art from the Wandjina and Bradshaw rock art done thousands of years ago through printmaking and photography produced today by young urban Aboriginals. He also discusses the historical and cultural circumstances that led to diverse artistic expressions on bark and wood across Arnhelm Land, and is informative on the multiplicity of painting styles that evolved out of ritual practice in the central and western deserts. He provides us with a broad and sympathetic look at artists from southern Australia, where greater exposure to European settlers led to greater suffering and cultural disruption. The concluding section on art produced by urban Aboriginals is convincing in its assertion that even though it differs from the "traditional" art produced in the settlements, it still says something important about the Aboriginal experience.

The book is lavishly and expertly illustrated, and the reader will be struck by the sheer variety of forms and methods of artistic expression. The most rewarding way to see this art is to travel to the places where it's being created and meet the artists who do it. If that's not in your budget, the best public collection of Aboriginal art in the Unites States is the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, which is housed at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. (Howard Morphy is associated the Kluge-Ruhe Collection and helped to assemble it.) If you read the book, then stand in front of some of these paintings, you will tap into one of the world's oldest continuous cultures while simultaneously experiencing the "shock of the new." As Howard Morphy amply demonstrates, the effort richly rewards you at multiple levels.

Aboriginal art having always been a great influence on my own artwork ......., I looked for weeks to find a book of this caliber. This book by Phaidon press features gorgeous reproductions in full color, history and observations of Aboriginal culture, and art interpretation written in a friendly, engaging manner. If you want to learn more about Aboriginal art, you really couldn't do better than to start here.

This book is not your standard art history, by any means. It is the story of how the Aboriginals coped with the European indruders. They had much experience dealing with strange people from overseas but nothing prepared them for their encounter with Europeans. They were at first completely baffled and also almost wiped out. The people of Tasmania were literally completely eliminated--the last native of Tasmania died in the second part of the 19th century.
Using their wits and their art, they were finally able to get through to the Europeans, to make them understand and appreciate the beauty of their whole culture, to gain the Europeans' respect and admiration. Initially dismissed as rude doodlings of savages, Aboriginal art is now esteemed world wide.
The author takes great pains to explain how the Aboriginals' art prevades their whole way of life and how knowing their cultural ways makes understanding their art possible and visa versa. The book is fascinating, beautifully written and structured and its sometimes grim but finally triumphant story makes for wonderful reading. It is hard to put down once you start it. It must be of interest to all sorts of people, not just art lovers.