Australia Books

Not only is Tilman's book brillantly written, but his chapter on "Two Mountains and a River," which focuses on the Swiss/British expedition to Rakaposhi and the Kukuay Glacier illustrates all the problems and hardships my uncle, Hans Gyr experienced during his quest for conquering the Rakaposhi in the Karakorum. Thanks to Tilman, I know now so much more about these few trying weeks in snow and ice. I recommend this book to all who like not only mountains, but solitude and the ultimate challenge.

In this anthology Tilman's pioneering travels through central Asia are recounted in his wonderfully laconic voice. This is a great addition to any exploration or mountaineering collection, particularly because Tilman was the first European to visit many of the peaks and places described. The portrait of Nepal he presents I will always treasure.

An avid collector of Himalayan subject matter, I have also been lucky enough to have wandered around the upper Langtang Valley on several occasions in the last few years. Not only is Tilmans book still accurate in many respects, but it is also highly amusing at the same time. Fact, folklore and quotations are fantastically woven into a single, almost epic tale of discovery. It is, at times, laugh-out-loud funny, and yet one might feel a certain sense of guilt at particular comic moments. Where Tilman describes one of his porters as "slow in mind and weak in leg, and not, one suspects, long down from his tree", it is an hilarious turn of phrase, but in our modern standardised and easily-scandalised society one feels the need to look over one's shoulder to make sure the PC police aren't looking.
I would heartily recommend anyone to read the book, particularly if it is available, the Nepal Himalaya single edition, - great, great books for travelling minds (and soles..) so long as you can cope with the mountain of salt required to see some of Tilmans less emphatic points.

Tilman and Shipton were the first humans to enter the Nanda Devi sanctuary, a valley surrounded by some of the greatest Himalayan peaks. They were indelibly marked by the experience.

I've read this book three times, I have never read a book three times. I love this book, I'm not even sure why.
Even though it's not likely someone of Morgan's age could write these memoirs it is still fun to read and imagine yourself in her shoes.
I came to love and care about each one of these characters (except ofcourse her Dad) and thought about Morgan long after the book ended.
Her courage and imagination was one of which I envied as a child.
The first part of the book is a little tough to get through, but once you do, you will be captivated by each of these characters that Georgia Savage portrays.
My hat is off to you Ms. Savage.

A wonderful book that captures the innocence of a young woman who has to grow up faster than expected because of the situation she was placed in. Morgan Christie (Victoria) runs away with her young mute brother when no one in her family believes what had happened to her and her father. During her escape to a place better than the one at home, she runs into some homeless children who have left their own homes for various reasons. Allie, Marchelle, Angel, and Joss are the people she stays with near the beach. At first, they are happy living in an open area, but things change when Allie's about to give birth. Morgan, Max (Morgan's little brother), and Marcelle leave to stay at a marina. Morgan begins to lose her friends (beginning with Angel) who jumps into another car not to be seen again. Marchelle, a close friend of Morgan, leaves believing that she is going to be in pictures. Yet, she disappears after spending the day in an boat with a strange man. Finally, Morgan ends up staying at Tibat caring for Xam-an old man. Yet, the story does not end there. Morgan spends some time at a brothel, falls in love with Joss, and tranforms from a lost and confused child to a mature young woman whose innocence was taken away by her father. A book I highly recommend for those interested in understanding the complexities that life may force upon a little girl and the wisdom that Morgan learns by quietly observing life's unexpected problems.

I could not put the book down, it was an addiction from the moment I picked it up. When I was not reading the book, I was wondering what was happening to Vicky. I felt that if I was not reading it, the story would go on without me. I felt that the author did a great job describing the way a young girl deals with such a traumatic experience in her life, realizing that there is no trust... We all know that if you can trust anyone, it is your mother and father. The author explains how this is not always the case. I myself have experienced alot of the same misfortunes that Vicky had. I applaud Georgia Savage for such a great insite to the mind of a strong girl who can overcome and not get mentally disturbed in the end, but change her life completely and become a stronger person.

Thirteen year old Morgan le Fay Christie began her life as a spoiled Austrailian girl by the name of Vicky, pampered by her dad and hidden from reality by all.

Of course this just cannot go on and Vicky's world is shattered by the rape. After being brushed off by all female relatives, she decides to run off. Younger mute brother James also leaves with her on the afternoon train to Surfer's Beach. Meeting with a band of other runaways, Vicky and James change their names and begin to mature.

It is a grand day when the newly renamed Max speaks. It is a tragedy when myopic Marcelle falls from a boat and drowns. Joss goes back to his father and Dawn wanders off in a drug haze. The other girl (whose name left me) gives birth but is devestated when it is given up for adoption. The babe is later stollen back. Morgan begins work in a whorehouse but leaves after the madame propositions her and she overhears people plotting to turn her in. So she runs to the House Tibet where the kindly old gentleman Xam lives. Here Morgan and Max are reunited with mother, but she agrees to leave them there.

Sure it all wrapped up too neatly, but I really felt a loss when I closed the cover on this book. I lived Morgan's maturation process as she took her first lover, watched as he abandoned her yet she still maintained a equnamity that was impressive.

This is one book where you must read the introduction. and then when you read the book you find out thatthe book can be interpreted in at least one other way. i think everybody would take out something different but that would always be refreshing. i could not stop myself from saying 'aha' at many places. still, i think he sometimes is contradicting himself. he thinks that socialism and liberalism can go together. maybe he is right. i dont think so.

Written by a very advanced thinker, this book represents a shattering statement against the Christian petit-burgois morality of work, a true revolution and evolution in man's thinking.

Russell became famous as a mathematician and philosopher.

But when he won the Nobel Prize, it was for Literature. When you read this book of essays, you will see why.

It is beautifully written and has all of Russell's virtues: clarity, wit, humor, forcefulness, simplicity.

Even better, it is a brief education in itself. Most of the essays were written just as the Great Depression was beginning, and Russell gets right to the heart of a problem Capitalists and Socialists do not usually address: How much work is needed, and what is the ultimate point? He constantly stresses that we do too much work, and most of it is unneeded, and makes life grim. He never ceases to remind us that we should work to live, not live to work.

He addresses this point in many ways--through economics, through architecture, through the then-raging problems of Fascism and Communism. And though he treats serious problems seriously, he always has time for the breathtaking perspective and the ligtht touch--as with the essay, "Man Versus Insects."

A wonderful, even life-changing book.

+++++

Controversial philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Lord Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) has written fifteen scintillating essays on which to whet our intellectual appetites. These short essays were written between 1925 and 1935.

Russell writes in an elegant, readable, and understandable style. His arguments are well thought out.

These essays consider social questions not discussed in politics. The general theme that ties these essays together is that the world suffers from dogmatism and narrowness; what is needed is the willingness to question dogma.

These essays are a blend of philosophy with other disciplines such as psychology, economics, science, and history. All the essays are brutally honest and forthright. Each is packed with loads of wisdom. What's amazing is that these essays are as current today as when they were first written and their messages will probably remain relevant in the future.

My five favorite essays in this collection include the following:

(1) "In Praise of Idleness." Discusses work and the importance of leisure. In order to get an idea of Russell's insight that permeates this book, here's a sample sentence from this essay: "The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

(2) "'Useless' Knowledge." Points out that all knowledge is useful not only that which has a practical value.

(3) "The Case for Socialism." Russell gives many arguments in favor of socialism, most notably the need for preventing war.

(4) "Western Civilization." Discusses its characteristics. Sample sentence: "I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent utility."

(5) "Education and Discipline." Sample sentence: "Education...must be something more positive than mere opportunity for growth...it must...also provide a mental and moral equipment [for] children."

In conclusion, this book is Bertrand Russell at his best. Enjoy!

+++++

As an avid reader, I was entranced to find this hiddent gem among my collegue's recommendations. It is a beautifully written intellectual soujourn that probes the past advances and compares them to the current day technological advances. Sounds dry?? It's not. It's a poetic journey about what inventive advancements have meant in the past, and what they mean to the modern day intellectual. If you are in the mood for something that stretches your mind and enriches your soul, treat yourself to this rare gem of a book.

This book is a direct relative of Pirsig's "Zen etc" although neither author may agree. This author pens the words that are already in your mind.

This book was a beautiful read. The subject matter,comparing the Computer Age to the Industrial Revolution, was extremely interesting. It was fascinating to see the economic, cultural and technological similarities. As an added bonus, the author has a beautiful way with words, and therefore reading this book was a pleasure as well as being intellectually stimulating. I was captivated from the opening chapter on Alexandria. Highly recommended, and I am hard to please!

With careful research and amazing insight this author details for us, through the work of various people through the caenturies, how our present day computers were born. Through charming and poignant vinettes we learn of their lives and their work. From there, the author brings us to the delimmas the Information Revolution poises for us. A delightfully good read; an excellent liberal education. The vignettes are inspiring; the dicussion of the economics involved is thought-provoking. An outstanding first book.

I have made several of the necklaces from this book and have received raves everytime I wear them. It takes a little effort to understand some of her terms for beads but once you get past that, the instructions are excellent. These are beautiful, wearable necklaces, mainly based on peyote, that take time to make but are worth it.

This book is really unique as far as the beading techniques go. The written instructions looked rather daunting at first but were fairly easy to follow once you get started. Good for advanced beaders to add to their beading repertoire!

I was looking for something new and different. When I received my book I found that it is exactly that. Beautifully different beaded jewelry technique than what I have been doing. Good diagrams and wonderful colored pictures. This is an English translation from Dutch. Therefore you might be confused at first with the size of the beads but I just go with what I have and try to follow accordingly. I don't think it will be a problem for most beaders. Non-beading friends that have seen the book love the jewelry displayed in the pictures. Directions for all shown are provided. I believe this will keep me in beading heaven for quiet some time. The technique is versatile and the jewelry looks dressy and expensive. Various beads and sizes can be used. If you like to be creative then don't miss the opportunity with what you can bead from this book.

This is an excellent book for medium to advanced seed beaders who are looking for more than another peyote pattern. The author opens up completely new directions by using seed beads with bugle & cut beads, crystals and other small decorative beads to create exceptionally unique tubular beadwork. The techniques are simple, the results are beautiful and stunning. I recall someone mentioning to me that this book is an English translation of Dutch, and there are a few minor awkward grammar remnants but nothing that would inhibit a beader from figuring out how to do the techniques. I give this book a high rating because it is the seminal work on the "Dutch spiral" use of seed beads and inspires you to move your own seed beadwork in a new direction.

Down under, in Australia, there is a creature who doesn't know who he is or where he belongs. His friends, Bushtail Possum, Wallaby, Blue-Tongued Skink, and Kookaburra kindly try to help him, but he just keeps falling "KERSPLAT!" Old Bandicoot says he's a Platypus, but where does he belong? Young readers will enjoy following Kersplatypus' adventures as he searches the Australian landscape for his identity.

Author Susan K. Mitchell has brought some of the animals and the geography of Australia alive for children in a most delightful way. The illustrations by Sherry Rogers highlight the story, plus give an extra depth and richness, so that you feel as if your are right there with the animals. The story is not only fun to read, but also informative. The activities in the back give children and classrooms added fun in animal recognition and geography. This book is highly recommended for children ages 3-7.

Sherry Rogers has done it again: another beautifully illustrated children's book that teaches a little about wildlife, this time in a unique ecosystem that not many children are lucky enough to visit: Australia! Her drawings are infused with a joyous energy.

Kersplatypus is a children's picturebook about a young platypus who doesn't know where he belongs. Other Australian wildlife try to introduce him to climbing trees, flying the skies, or bounding along the ground, but the platypus just doesn't take to it. At last he discovers his natural home - in the water with his beloved mother. Additional pages of fun facts about the platypus and other animals native to Australia round out this delightful, enthusiastic, and educational picturebook.

Sylvan Dell Publishing publishes the best in children's literature. Their books are entertaining, tell a grand story, educate children (and adults) and are oh so appealing to the eye with their fun, quirky, colorful and delightful illustrations.

Kersplatypus is the exciting adventure of a strange little creature that suddenly appears after the big rains in Australia. The animals wonder what `he' is (even the little creature doesn't know what `he' is). But the animals do know he has fur, a tail, feet and a duck-like bill. With the clues they have, the animals band together to help the little creature discover who he is and where he belongs.

Sometimes good friends, tenacity and spirit go a long, long way in finding the answers to the questions that don't seem to have answers.

I love Kersplatypus. He's the cutest little platypus. And I love the cozy, caring feel of the story. The illustrations add tremendously to the flavor of the story and are so beautiful that children and adults will be drawn to them.

I also love that the book contains some fun facts about the platypus-and that there are activities for the children.

This book is also a great gift to give those special little ones in your life. I suspect the kids will wear out the book from use. It's that good.

Armchair Interviews says: Kersplatypus is a must have!

a great read of this do or die battle that helps form part of the Australian pysche - as it says at the kokoda/isurava memorial 'mateship-courage-sacrifice-endurance'. Well woven together, with a good appraisal of the large-scale context for the battle that is bought to life by numerous anecdotes and vignettes of the men fighting and dying along 'the track'. This is my favourite read for the kokoda campaign and in my opinion much better than the similarly named and dated competition

The research Peter Fitzsimmons undertook to produce Kokoda brings one as close to the realism of brutal war as one could possibly experience from the printed page. Yet in all his expose of such brutality, suffering and carnage, Peter brilliantly exposes the courage, the comradeship, the inner spirit of what made the unbreakable wills of these nondescript under dogs, into the unbreakable men of iron they were. Kokoda is not as such a book about war, though it does cover the activity in vivid idiom, but about a small vastly out numbered and out gunned group of men, commandered by inept arm chair superiors, who through sheer guts and humour faced unbelievably crushing odds and won. Forever will the free world be in their debt.

This book is an archive of little known WW11 history. Guaranteed to provoke emotions of those who know the Kokoda track. A classic in the true sense of the word.

Indisputably worth the time it took to read and reread it.

Knowing nothing about the war in New Guinea, I was engrossed by the powerful story of the Kokoda trail and the battles of the small group of Australian soldies who fought there.

This is a well researched and written account of the battles and the people behind the scenes. While less than flattering to the myth of Douglas McArthur, it puts into stark perspective the courage and steadfastness of the Australian soldier under terrible conditions.

Well worth the read!

It is perhaps very timely to be writing a review of Peter FitzSimons "Kokoda" only days after Anzac Day. This is the day when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate war dead in general, and the Gallipoli campaign of 1915, in particular. Although "Kokoda" covers events of World War II in Papua New Guinea there is still an eerie resonance with Anzac Day and all that it commemorates.

Peter Fitzsimons is a well regarded Australian journalist who well covers the events of 1942 when Australia was under direct threat from the armies of Imperial Japan. Indeed, it can be argued that the events of Kokoda are far more important to Australia than the Gallipoli disaster of 1915. In Gallipoli, Australia was simply falling in line with Britain by waging a war against Turkey which represented no threat to Australia on the other side of the world. By contrast, in 1942, Australia was well in the sights of Japan as it moved ever further to the south. The Kokoda campaign is thus a story of great efforts where a handful of Australian heroes defended their homeland against a seasoned army that significantly outnumbered them. And, of course, they won. Japan was turned on its heels and eventually driven back across the Pacific. Gallipoli, by way of contrast, was a bloody mess and Australia and its allies were defeated.

The style of "Kokoda" the book is truly Australian. FitzSimons is a wonderful exponent of the Australian vernacular. This may confuse or even offend foreign readers. Do not, however, let this put you off. The book is a majestic tale.

If I could find a fault in the book, there are two. Firstly, FitzSimons uses the term "native" far too freely. It sounds very condescending when he talks of the tribesmen of the Papua New Guinea highlands. Secondly, the book would also have greater clarity if maps were included. The reader would then gain a greater appreciation of the course of the various battles.

Yet, in finding these faults, I am being churlish. Peter Fitzsimons has written a great book that I recommend highly to all those readers seeking knowledge of a vital piece of World War II that needs to be more widely understood.

Geddes' book, A Labor Of Love, is truly inspirational. There's a softness to her tone that is warm and inviting; like having a cup of java with a friend. She talks a little bit about her life, but mostly this is a journey about her rise to fame as a renowned baby photographer. She talks a little about her struggles, a little about how she achieved certain looks, and why she chose the path she chose. The photos, of course, are phenomenal!

I truly enjoyed the Labor of Love: An Autobiography by Anne Geddes. I have always been fascinated with the pictures of the babies in the yearly calendars. It is so great to read the stories about the babies and to see how some of them have grown over the years. This booklet is a treasure to have and it sits on my coffee table in my living room to be easily accessible to my family and friends. I purchased the book as a Christmas gift to myself and it was truly worth it!!

Anne proves she's not only fantastic with a camera, but now with the written word. Throughout the book she offers insights into how she's been able to accomplish the incredible photos; while even sharing photos from her own childhood.

...you will love this book as you recall your first experiences with the craft. You will appreciate her openness, lack of pomposity, and willingness to share her doubts, passions, and how-tos.

Simon Nasht's book is like an icebreaker charting a course through the Antarctic and revealing one of its greatest explorers. It is hard to believe that one person so "aggressively modest" could have done so much with so little. Up until now, few had remembered him. What a pity. Thanks for bringing him back to life. Now, when is the movie coming out?

This true account of one man's lifelong exploration
of the polar regions makes history come alive. Yet for some reason Hubert Wilkins amazing exploits have faded from public memory.
This biography about a far-sighted adventurer who understood the importance of polar ice caps on global climate. It is a page turner that deserves a place on every bookshelf,an inspiration to the youth.

THE LAST EXPLORER: HUBERT WILKINS, HERO OF THE GREAT AGE OF POLAR EXPLORATION tells of the most successful explorer in history: a self-taught farm boy from the Australian outback who became a cameraman, reporter, pilot, spy and adventurer. His surveys were captured on camera, he helped map the Canadian Arctic, and his amazing life has only not received much in-depth coverage in past because he avoided publicity. Author Simon Nasht discovered Wilkins' journals, records and photos and used them to recreate his life and achievements: any library interested in adventure biography will welcome this vivid account.

The fact the Sir George Hubert Wilkins is a virtual unknown against the supposed greatness of his contemporaries, Hurley and Mawson, is due mainly to his "aggressive modesty".

Now Australians are rediscovering this truly remarkable man's life and Simon Nasht does him an immensely great service.

Simply a 'must-read'!

This is one of the best travelogues you will ever find about any place, anywhere!
Not to mention about countries as obscure as Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands - two rarely visited, but fascinaing archipelagos indeed.
The author does in-depth research about the history and culture of these places before setting out on a personal voyage retracing a route that was taken by his great-grandfather who had been a missionary in these parts. His homework pays off very nicely: not only does he succeed in getting everywhere he wants to, but also writes a book rich in background info in addition to his personal impressions and adventures. And he certainly does get to some remote parts of these remote countries: the Banks Islands and Maewo in Vanuatu, or Temotu province in the Solomons are out of the way places visited by very few.

Why only 4 stars then?
Well, even though the author claims to be an atheist and thus tries to examine the role of religion in local cultures objectively, he soon becomes obsessed with the idea of finding "magic" ("true" magic, that is) in these islands. He is hoping to find it performed by everyone and anyone from traditional medicine men to the local Anglican clergy, undeterred by the fact that he himself admits every single incident he has managed to observe was either a very obvious trick or at best the result of what could well have been a natural coincidence. This change in focus of the book became a bit annoying eventually.

But all in all, an excellent, amazingly well researched account.
Definitely recommended if you are interested in this region at all.
I read the book just before visiting Melanesia, and it was as good a reading as any to prepare me for my trip there.

And a tip: the book is still available in new copies on Amazon's Canadian site - have a look there if you can't find it here.

This book is a fascinating journey that explores the power of simply believing in something, whether it be religion, myth, an icon or people themselves. It presents facts without prejudice yet reveals fascinating details of the author's personal, emotional and geographical journey as he follows his great grandfather's footsteps to the other side of the world. It combines stories of academia, theology, history and contemporary issues in a non-confrontational yet intriguing presentation of generations and cultures colliding in our ever-shrinking global community. I highly recommend reading Charles Montgomery's "The Last Heathen". It is an exceptional story which deserves a captive audience.

Fabulous book. Part travel, part history, part meeting of two cultures, the author lays it all before you with a delightful sense of humour, a discerning eye, and a sincere respect for the people of Melanesia. It opens up a window to a world most people know nothing about and are unlikely to ever encounter. For me, as a frequent visitor to that part of the world, it was wonderful a trip down memory lane.

By the time a little packet of sand gets opened on page 2 of the book, I got swept up in a tale much grander than the postcard idyll of the cover seems to suggest. The narrator travels tough terrain and has adventures of the kind best experienced in an armchair; he tells them eloquently and passionately; but the real magic of the book is how these experiences are woven into larger and deeper ideas that elevate it past almost all travel writing.
It is beautifully written, it is a great book and like all great books, it transforms the reality of the reader; in the end it is their world that has changed, that has become less familiar, less certain, and strangely more alive.