Oceania Books

Very complete overview of Australia, which is not realy a country, but an entire continent, with various climates and landscapes. Phillip Mathews has done a great job describing the history, the people and nature of this country, and the accompanying photos are excellent. Some of the fold-out panoramas are nearly three feet wide, and vividly sharp. The book also includes a large number of areal shots, which give an unusual view of some of the remote areas, which are still impenetrable for the regular visitor.

Going through the book, you're realy tempted to jump on a plane to this great country down under...

This is an academic text, mostly, not one of those picture type books. Vamplex looks critically at the role of sport in Australia, and why Australians are so interested in it to start with. He deals with sex, race, class and the history from the start of various sporting contests of all types, from individual to team, and also those including animals. Very interesting.

Reading the Red/Green/Blue Mars series of fiction from Kim Stanley Robinson led me to Zubrin's excellent 'Case for Mars' on what is needed to start colonizing Mars. The set of papers in 'Strategies for Mars" is an excellent and readable view on the current research and the reality of getting to Mars. Well worth the price!

This book provides an excellent overview of critical issues prevalent in the Pacific Islands. An easy to read book that explores a variety of themes, all the time analysing the issue of sustainable development and its implications for the Pacific.

The book is a compilation of essays by a number of Australian and New Zealand Academics. The writing is a bit dry. However I believe it would be of use to students who are studying Asia-Pacific security issues and/or US Servicemen who are deploying to the region who wish to understand the Australian/New Zealand points of view regarding defence issues. (They are not the same!)

This book is a mix of great advice for rookies and regular adventurers. It gives you all the info. you need for roughing it in the Outback. Wilby is a well-known adventure and writer and knows her stuff. It is not a "tourist's guide" and is somewhat like that book about Extreme Survival tips where they tell you how to escape a submerged car or killer bees, but not as outlandish.

The first page is hilarious though.

I like Howarth's books and this is no exception. In this particular book, Howarth details the destruction of the true paradise of Tahiti. First the British and later the Spanish and French come and in essence destroy the island paradise of Tahiti. How did the Western powers do this? By imposing their morals and attititudes on the islanders who were already a generous and friendly people. First rough sailors invade the islands and give the islanders sexual diseases. The islanders were generous in both providing the sailors foods and any sexual favors they desired. Then missionaries came and tried to impose their morals on an already generous and good people. These morals also led to the destruction of the people. Introduction of materialism also hastened the end to these people.
The results of all this change was a drastic reduction in the islands population and a complete change in the people's attitudes. Later colonialism by the French and tourism destroyed whatever remained of this fabulous culture. One of the reasons few native cultures now exist in this world, is colonialism and tourism destroying the essential aspects of the natives. Tahiti changed because of the actions of the British and French.

Jan Prince really knows French Polynesia. She has lived and traveled there and it shows. Her descriptions of the resorts and restaurants is far beyond that which you find in most travel books; much more detailed and personal. However, I have the previous edition and felt it actually contained much more information (indeed it was a larger book). Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this for anyone thinking of traveling to French Polynesia. It's great for both planning your trip and using while there.

The bombastic, triumphalist tone of the title is meant in sarcasm. The author describes in impressive detail how Australia was settled by the British. But instead of following the standard path of focusing on the growth of the cities, he looks instead at the farming sector. Along with how water and other resources were harnessed to feed the cities.

Much of the original environment was drastically altered, at least in the coastal regions where farms could be established. The non-native livestock and crops thrived. So too did species like foxes and rabbits and cane toads. The narrative is almost one of a war against the land.

The Lonely Planet city guide to "Tasmania" is a very useful travel guide authored by Carolyn Bain, Gina Tsarouhas, and Paul Smitz. With 19 national parks which cover over a third of the territory, it will come as no surprise that a good portion of this guide is focused on outdoor activities. However, if you are headed to Tasmania for other reasons, as I am, there is still plenty of good information about sites to see, places to go, things to do, and places to eat. This review is based on the 4th edition of this particular travel guide, which was published in October of 2005.

The book opens with several sections about the state as a whole. There are sections on the history, culture, environment, the outdoors, national parks, and food & drink. It then follows with 12 more specific sections covering the major cities and different regional areas of the island, including a small section covering the Bass Strait Islands. The book then has a very useful section titled "Directory", which covers a large assortment of odds and ends which are useful for a traveler, such as business hours, climate, customs, embassies, festivals and events, holidays, insurance, money, and so on. There are then two more sections which cover transportation and health. The book then closes with a glossary, some information about the Lonely Planet books, a section for some notes, and an index.

I am fortunate enough to have friends there, so the main thing I used the guide for was to look at the descriptions of things to do, and to see what looks interesting. That blended well with my friends' suggestions, and I think it will prove to be useful to me in my trip. In particular, the "Directory" section is good to go through, as it can often serve as a checklist for things to think about and to take care of while you are planning your trip.