Oceania Books

The American Express Travel Guide of Amsterdam (1992), written by Derek Blythe, has been re-written by Carol Winkelman and re-published as Travel&Leisure: Amsterdam (1997). Travel&Leisure magazine, in conjunction with Macmillan Travel, designed this new version of the book for a larger audience that includes young travelers, budget travelers, babyboomer travelers, discriminating travelers, and business travelers. The new book is a combination of traditional and offbeat travel guide, helping the reader find his/her way to hotels, restaurants, museums, and historical sites while also taking him/her "inside" Amsterdam to experience its cafe culture, lively arts scene, and famous nightlife. The new book, like The American Express Guide, includes an excursion to Rotterdam that leads the reader from the historic to the ultramodern.

I was first exposed to this book six years ago when I was a freshman in high school. As the primary text for my History of Guam class, this book served as a significant resource. The book is full of color (in the words) and life. It is not a dry review of a people, but tells their story. Rather than just stating facts, Larry told about the culture and the people as a whole. This book truly brings back to life an ancient people.

I was given a copy of this book cause I own a bell from this ship.
This book is very good the best part about it is the diary of Sarah Jane which tells of her trip to and from Russia. It gives you a feel of the times of when boats were the way to travel. Plus, Sarah Jane developed a good enjoyable to read writing style. I recommend this book for young and old. Though I would say that younger kids would mostly enjoy reading the diary and not all the other historical stuff that accompanies it. :-) I'm amazed I own a piece of this fascinating history!

The Kluge-Ruhe collection, housed at the University of Virginia, is among the largest and most diverse Aboriginal art collections outside of Australia. This book, the first published guide to the collection, highlights many of the important works held by the Kluge-Ruhe, covering many Aboriginal cultures and regions with a strong focus on Arnhem Land and the central desert. Thought provoking essays by many of the top scholars in the field accompany beautiful color images of many sigificant pieces. Unlike many introductions to Aboriginal art, this guide discusses themes in depth, providing solid meaningful analysis which places the art in its social context, rather than the usual 'Bark Painting of a Bird' type annotation, which provides no insight into the culture which produced it. Highly recommended--you will not be disappointed.

This is a wonderful book - of particular interest to Australians of course, to whom Captain Cook is a prominent historical figure, but also to anyone interested in the grand tradition of the master mariners and adventures on the high seas.

Physically it is a beautiful book as well, with fabulous illustrations and quality paper. Perhaps not a book for everyone, but for serious collectors it is a gem.

This collection puts together various and crucial essays in cultural criticism with poems and polemics; it is a much used and innovative text in Asia/Pacific cultural studies. It calls into question any easy US assumpttion of what "Asia Pacific" means in this paradoxically transnational and local era: this collection opens up the Pacific to new approaches, and shoud be read and used, as it is, from Taipei to Los Angeles,

I have read the old text of an antiquarian book of Atoll's Of The sun. It is one of those magical stories of indeed those places, little islands, scattered like pearls over Oceanica, that one should see before it is too late.
It is travelwriting style that Proust would have liked. Great this has been reissued! Highly recommended!

Shane Boocock really knows his stuff. If your visiting Auckland or just a bedside traveller, this guide is a must.

Excellent job Shane, Can't wait to get the next one when it's ready.

Leadbeater continues to astonish as he speaks on theosophic issues to the lands down under. A true collector's item!

This a great series on different countries and this book on Australia have great pictures and easy to read facts.