Oceania Books

Very helpful for plotting the northern safari circut and understanding the distances between the game parks.

Used this guide book for a one-month biking trip in Tasmania. Other than differences in price listed (expected), the information provided is very accurate and I appreciate the author's personal touch in this book, particularly those blocked text introducing ordinary locals doing extraordinary things. In fact, I had one of the most memorable excursions following the author's footstep. Looking forward to using other Bradt guide for my future travel.

This anthology is my "deserted island" book. All the wisdom of the entire universe is contained within. It's the I Ching of anthologies-toss it in the air, let it fall where it may, absorb the wisdom within.

This was a very interesting book, written by an Australian, giving us an idea of what it felt like when the Americans came to Australia.

It's an unvarnished account, taking General Douglas MacArthur to task for being a prima donna -- leaving his men to fight to the death or be captured and face the Bataan Death March. In an interesting touch, the author uses popular song titles of the era for his chapter headings. The one for MacArthur is very appropriate: "Too Marvelous for Words."

The cultural differences between the Australians and the Americans is, at first, something that both sides can learn from. After a time,it becomes apparent that the Americans are better paid and more popular with the Australian women, and skirmishes begin to break out. Then, a full-scale riot happens (The Battle of Brisbane). It takes some time before things calm down, but Australia was changed forever by the presence of the Americans.

There are accounts of the different services, and how they performed in battle. I was glad to see the U.S. submarine force received an entire chapter, and even more surprised to find that one of the boats that my father served on in the Korean War was active in the fleet off Australia (I knew they had been in the Pacific, but had not known it had been that far south!).

In all, a good read, and the only book that I've ever found on this subject.

I had been trying to get my son to read for months, trying out different authors and styles, and FINALLY, he read this book in three days, couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended.

"To the Outskirts of Habitable Creation" by Stuart Scott is a very readable, and scrupulously researched account of the actual armed invasion of Canada by Americans. The story covers events leading up to the Rebellion of 1837, as it is known, through to the capture and punishment of both the Canadian "patriots" and American combatants. Following their capture, trial and numerous executions, ninty-two US citizens and Canadians were transported to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for a life of penal servitude. The story ends with a recounting of the efforts undertaken by many to secure the release and repatriation of the US citizens, which was accomplished after 4 long years.

Events during this period actually began along the Canadian/American border from Michigan in the West to New England in the East. Specific military action took place along the Great Lakes in Western New York. Having lived there myself for quite a few years, it was fascinating to read the story, considering many of the places, and buildings are extant. This account contains a wealth of information about the participants, including family relationships, names, and their final resting places. As such, I believe this book is a valuable resource for anyone from the Great Lakes region interested in geneaology. "To the Outskirts..." contains copious footnotes, references and explanations that allows the reader to find out more information and sources on particular situations that may be of personal interest.

I enthusiastically recommend anyone interested in this eventful period of Canadian/American history to read Stuart Scott's fine work.

I cannot speak highly enough about the writing style of this author. From the very first page he had captured my interest and held it raptly throughout. I picked up the Pantheon Books hardcover edition of this book just before I left for SE Asia, because it had been withdrawn from the Worcester (Mass.) Public Library. A criminal shame because this author deserves much better, but a spectacular find for me! This book is a thoroughly unromantic review of the state of the South Pacific islands he wandered through, written with "passion, biting wit, and lyrical sadness" to quote from the review on the dust jacket. Because it was first published in 1992, I will keep a sharp eye out for an update, revision or subsequent books by the same author. Here is but one example of the excellence of his prose in his confession on page 23 for why he undertook this journey:

"The consolation of travel is the control it offers to cowards: you get up and leave; you abandon people; there are fresh winds and fresh places for faulty egos to dilate in; there is a sort of enjoyment to the fear."

So true!

Not only does this collection of essays inspire one to travel to Australia, it inspires one to come back and write about it. The quality of the pieces is top-knotch and the selections hone in on specific and surprising aspects of Australiana. Stories of travellers who spear-fished with Aboriginals and trekked through the desolate Red Centre ignite a sense of adventure and offer appealing travel alternatives. The material is always vivid, clear, and exciting, but is not just a travel brochure. Authors certainly portray the bad with the good (although good usually prevails) and the mixture of sources ensures a good variety of serious, humorous, and romantic styles.

For anyone interested in the history of travel or of the early contacts between Europeans and indigenous peoples, this is a wonderfully stimulating book. Liebersohn brings together a deep knowledge of European intellectual history and a very perceptive reading of travel accounts written by some of the lesser-known early voyagers to Tahiti, Hawaii, and other Pacific islands. The real success of the book, in my view, is how he situates these accounts within networks of patrons, local island collaborators, and a reading audience.

He writes beautifully, in prose that is never cheapened with too easy judgments or clogged up with jargon. His book would be difficult to summarize, but suffice to say it will make you want to go back and read early travel literature.

Very highly recommended. I am going to track down Liebersohn's earlier book, "Aristocratic Encounters," in hopes that it will be as good as this one.

For a long time we thought that the Australian Aboriginals almost
vanished because of their inferior culture compared to ours. Treading
Lightly convincingly demonstrates that the bad fate of this indigenous
people had nothing to do with the superiority of our culture or
knowledge. On the contrary, the Aboriginal culture has existed much
longer than the Western civilization. The battle was mainly fought on a
biological level, where our diseases proved to be stronger. Having
realized that the Aboriginal culture is the most sustainable that has so
far existed on Earth, Sveiby asks himself and Tex Scuthorpe what are the
elements of sustainable knowledge. Being an expert on Knowledge
Management Sveiby goes forward to suggest how modern organizations could
become truly sustainable. Treading lightly is obviously a path breaking
argument in a discourse that has just begun.