Oceania Books

I highly recommend David Bowman's new book, Legerdemain.
It is the most thorough and objective collection of just about all the
evidence and theories regarding what happened, or did not happen, to
Amelia Earhart that I have ever seen...literally a meticulous file of all
available old and newly discovered and rigorously analyzed information
about the disappearance and possible survival of Amelia Earhart.
It is thoroughly catalogued and documented, and a resource that no
sincere researcher should pass up making available to themselves.

This book would be one of the only country editions where I would say it isn't vastly superior to it's Lonely Planet competitor. It is thinner than Lonely Planet which is great if you're backpacking as it's less weight. If one company's version is a lot cheaper I'd say buy it.

The main difference between this and Let's Go is that this Lonely Planet is written for a North American audience whereas Let's Go is more for your British, European, Australian, South African and the like markets. This means those not from North America may find a lot of the information contained in Lonely Planet as common knowledge, especially historic things and would prefer to have less weight by not having this common knowledge space and weight creating information. Assuming you already know the common stuff Let's Go actually gives you more information as it has stuff Lonely Planet has left out for their space reasons. Since the American education system doesn't teach the basics about the world, American audiences may prefer Lonely Planet but others I would think would get more out of Let's Go. Lonely Planet does have a few colour photographs which Let's Go doesn't but you're going to take your own anyway.

A fair amount of the hostels in New Zealand actually do appear in this book with around the same number in Lonely Planet. Be aware that there are other hostels out there though, so don't completely rely on the book and use the best method word of mouth from other backpackers as well. Of course the price information is out of date as usual.

Actually I'd say don't bother with either as you're just reliving someone else's experiences and it's better to explore for yourself but for hostel listings and background info if you don't know much about New Zealand then this is useful. There is heaps of information in every New Zealand hostel on every part of New Zealand so you don't really need it.

This is a splendid study of power shifts, ruses, mimicry, contamination, counter-authority, in the textualizing Pacific seen as a domain of conversion and imperial materiality. The book deserves a wider recognition within postcolonial studies, as a thick descriptive theorization of colonial authority as made and unmade in a nexus of unequal and unstable distribution, then and now. The materials on Stevenson in Samoa are the best of their kind on native and colonial collaboration in something mongrel and new.

Leon Oberg has brought out the fourth edition of his classic works, "Locomotives of Australia" and if anything, it is an improvement on an already excellent book. This not only provides details on the very latest locomotives to be introduced on the various railroads of Australia over the last ten years, in addition to those already in the earlier edition, but includes many colour photographs as well, which add to the overall quality of the book. Also, I do not remember the section on the "Shays" in the last edition and believe it is an addition here. Undobtedly, this is one of the best books on locomotives anywhere, giving fascinating details and technical information on so many locomotives, from the first days of railways in Australia right up to the present day. This book should find a fitting place on the book shelf of any railway enthusiast not just in Australia, but all over the world.

Uday Peeligama
Sydney
Australia

I used this map book on a recent trip to Australia. I used it extensively and in conjunction with other travel books. We drove a rented RV from Sydney to Cairns (about 1500 miles). Had a blast and found this map book very useful.

This book is an excellent and still pretty up-to-date book on PNG's many and varied dive sites. Good way to plan a dive trip, by seeing which site descriptions most appeal to you. PNG's dive sites are very variable; fabulous visibility one day can be down to murky on the next. Little explored country in terms of diving, new sites are being identified all the time. Hopefully they'll update the book in a few years to include the many sites not known at the time it was first published. All in all, a very helpful and thorough book.

I purchased this book as part of my preparation for a diving trip to Chuuk Lagoon. It contains many excellent colour photographs of wrecks, coral, artifacts and local inhabitants. I found the brief history that accompanies each of the wrecks featured especially interesting. Likewise the diagrams of some of the wrecks, along with their various inclinations on the lagoon floor is fascinating.

Invaluable for such a trip are the scale maps of the lagoon and islands which pinpoint the location of the wrecks and other major features/landmarks. Further, the book grades each of the featured sites using the Pisces Rating System for Dives & Divers and the Dive Site Icons, both of which I found gave an excellent feel for the dive.

Finally, the overview of the area given in the first few chapters is a nice touch. It contains a brief history of the area, information for travelling to Chuuk, items to bring, weather, food, shopping etc.

In this book, author Tim Rock, has improved greatly his previous work on Truk Lagoon in 1994. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Chuuk, or, who simply wants to read about The Most Spectacular Wreck Diving in the World (In my opinion).

Rob Kay provides far more than just a survival guide in this wonderous creation. This book will take the reader on the most magical journey into Fiji's history, geography, language and art, and much much more.

Upon opening this book, the reader will never be able to put it down as each detail expand's the limits of one's imagination. The reader will lap up and hang onto every word as the mind enjoys its feast.

If you never traveled to Fiji, you definitely will want to after reading,or even skimming this incredible book.

I go to Melbourne fairly regularly for business (from Sydney). I am looking for some interesting things to do and this book meets that need. It is comprehensive, and in a plus for Lonely Planet, the maps are good. Real street maps, not out of scale, sketch maps.

I am taking the family there for a holiday soon and this book will be invaluable.

Recommended.

This book is the best I have found about New Caledonia. It is so hard for Americans to find good accurate info on New Caledonia but this book does it all. I knew more about some places than many of the locals. It helped me understand where I was going and helped me better integrate into the society there. Wonderful book. I am a lonely planet person now. :-)