Australia Books

The Sacred Earth and The Spirit of the Land are now available in paperback. If you enjoy Courtney Milne's books, his prairie books are also back in print and readily available.

As a photographer I am always looking for new ways to expand my creative awareness of the world around me. In Milne's book I found insight into a subject that is of great interest to me; places and experiences on the earth that take on a sacred quality. The subject matter of sacred sights is definitely not new, but Courtney expands our awareness and defition of what is a sacred sight. A great book for the soul traveller or photographer. I know the book definitely fired up my strong travel bug, as well as adding new insight into my photography. Anyone know when the plane leaves for Cuzco or Tibet?

A tremendiious story about the complexities of creativity. As a retired architect, I bought the book because I realized that I was a little fuzzy about the details of the competition/design/construction. I knew the story of Saarinens pivitial role in the architect selection process, and I knew that Utzohn (the architect) resigned under pressure and did not finish the project. What I did not know, and the book makes clear, is that Utqon did not know how to finish the project, and the completed project does not meet the owners stated requirements. It is nevertheless a masterpiece that has served Sidney well and inspired millions. Strange stuff!

Everytime I see a picture of this building it never ceases to take my breath away: just a spectacular building. This book is fascinating, I really had no idea all the controversy involved in building this building, it just seems so perfect for its harbor perch. The images in this book are wonderful and the text is very interesting and easy to follow. I find it amazing that the architect has never actually seen his masterpiece, how does that happen? The design is brilliant and totally original. Every city wants an icon and Sydney is lucky enough to have two, this building and the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and though each building is totally different in style, they are perfect foils for each other and they make the Sydney Harbor one of the most beautiful places on earth. Wonderful book on a spectacular building.

Anyone who has ever considered taking a trip to the beautiful island of Sicily, should not even pack before reading this book. My friend and I just returned from a trip to this remarkable island and during the trip, we coincidentally stayed at a few of the places mentioned in this book and had an incredible time. While at one of the locations, I spotted the book. After only a few minutes of perusing, I knew I HAD to have this book. The Donovans, Simon and Robert had pretty much experienced a similar trip and I knew their vivid recount would help us remember the breathtaking land, the proud, gracious, full-of-life people who live there, and the indescribable food they produce. Their travel tips are right-on and a must for any Sicilian traveller. It has also inspired me to compile a travel journal of our trip. As a graphic designer myself, I also compliment the incredible layout and design. A wonderful coffee-table book for anyone to cherish.

Molto bene.
Grazie tanto Gail, Kevin, Simon and Robert!

When you read this book - should I say 'sample' it - and see the wonderful photographs of Italian landscapes, architectural features, and mouth watering food, have your 'plastic' ready, and a telephone nearby so you can book your own adventure.

This book may just be the best combination touring/cooking/picture-taking guide to Italy that you will find. And hats off to the book designer who made it into a wonderful travel scrapbook. The design alone is the definitive guide to producing your own travel journal/diary/photo album. You will want to make a book like this for your own journey(s).

For [the price], this is as close as you can get to being in Italy. In fact, if you play some of the Cieli di Toscana CD by Andrea Bocelli, drink a nice dry Italian red wine, and eat a little Bruschetti as you browse the pages of this coffee table book, you may be magically transported.

Salute!

This is a Volume I of a two-volume set.

I saw this two-volume book first time in Apia, the capitol city of Samoa. It was the hard copy edition presented in a show case of the Rainforest Restaurant, whose owners were two historians working passionately on a creation of a small museum of Samoan Art and culture of Samoa. I was astonished about the amount of details in this book. The more astonished I was, as I saw how many well situated Samoans were visiting the Swiss/German couple to consult this book regarding their genealogy and heritage! This source might just as well prove predecessors in old Samoan ruling nobility or even... a divine origin!

For a contemporary reader Krämer's book might be a difficult lecture though. Krämer brings together facts and legends. Parts of the text are written in Samoan, and sometimes I could not find out any specific rule for the switching between the German and Samoan languages. Fortunately, mostly one page is in Samoan, and the opposite page is in English, like a Roseta Stone of a kind! The translator of the book, Dr. Verhaaren, remarks in his foreword that Krämer was somewhat inconsistent in his spelling of Samoan words.

In my opinion Krämer created a great documentary, but he was not a good writer. The great amount of details, which Krämer by himself often calls just a hearsay, have probably a great value for scholars or lovers of Polynesian mystique, but they might only confuse casual reader. Nevertheless he seems to be very careful about differentiation between facts and rumors.

One of the interesting aspects of this book are the details about the travels, marriages and wars between Samoans, Tongans and even the Melanesian Fijians. Many contemporary families on Samoa know through these reports that their heritage reaches hundreds of miles apart from Samoa. Samoans were splendid navigators and they undertook numerous long distance voyages. There was a good reason that Samoa earned the name "Navigator Islands" after being discovered by Europeans. Unfortunately, the contemporary Islanders lost solely their ability to navigate on the open Ocean over such distances.

The book contains a large number of beautiful photographs of Samoan people, and of the entire Samoa from the colonial period, in which Great Britain, USA and Germany were still quite friendly nations "negotiating" their spheres of influence in the Pacific. As you might know, Samoa is still a divided country and the American sponsored government in Pago Pago tries to deepen the differences between the Samoans on the neighboring Islands. They feel very cozy in their present arrangement, and so they try to prevent a reunification. It is fascinating to see in this book the Samoa as it once was, a one entity.

This book is a fascinating "must have" collectible for scholars, passionate off road travelers, and everyone else looking for island nostalgia. The publisher, Hawaii Press, made a great effort to provide splendid quality of typesetting and print.

My only regret is that we wait for so many years for a matching release of the Volume II!

The price is right. Get this book!

This is a comprehensive and interesting exposition on the history of Samoa.

It is a privilege that it is now available in English so that the information can be more widely read.

The British Special Air Service is one of the most highly trained military forces in the world, but they shroud their training, team selection and operations in complete mystery.

The book mentions a lot of acts of terrorism incidents in the 20th Century, from plane hijackings, bombings, embassy takeovers to the massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. The book also shows one of the favoured weapons of the SAS, the MP5 submachine gun.

I really enjoy military handbooks, because I believe conflict can change the world. Look at the Vietnam War: the conflict made the country better than it was after the Second World War. Vietnam now has good food, beautiful countryside that is safe to travel and many enjoyable activities like cross-country tours.

Check out the website: vietnamtourism.com

Robert Franck

This book is the best book I have ever read on special operations and includes a indepth analysis of the selection, training, weapons, lands, water and air roles, counter terrorism, hearts and minds and operational tactcis. This book is about the SAS but has a overall review of the world's elite. It's excellent

Sydney Morning Herald: Headline: "Black deaths, black lives" "... unless there's something I don't know about, Philip McLaren's excellent Scream Black Murder is still only the second crime fiction novel by an Aboriginal writer." "Some of the incidents had me thinking, 'this couldn't possibly happen in Australia', then when I thought about it a bit more, I realised how naive I was being. "... Scream Black Murder is a superb novel that's both tough and tender. In it we're presented with a straight-from-the-shoulder novel of criminality that's as evocative and powerful as Walter Mosley's series about the black ghettos of Los Angeles. High praise but McLaren deserves it."

The best books are the ones that after you read, you realize you've learned a great many things you didn't know before. Such is the case with Scream Black Murder, by Aboriginal writer Philip McLaren.

To begin with, this is a suspensful, white-knuckled thriller. The author does an amazing job getting in the head of a deranged killer who targets aboriginal women in and around Sydney, Australia. Assigned to crack the case is Gary and Lisa, the first aboriginal detectives in the history of the force. Not only must they compete in a thrilling game of cat and mouse with the killer, but they must also perform under a prejudiced police department, many of which would like to see them fail.

Apart from a superb story, McLaren also succeeds in illuminating the social and racial issues of Australia--a history of a people oppressed that isn't included in most high school textbooks. It is a relevent, realistic story that will give you a glimpse of a culture suffering from many of the same prejudices as our own.

I highly recommend this book; and I am looking forward to "investigating" the other WorldKrime books put out by the publisher, all of which apparently offer similiar multi-culured views of different countries.

I loved this book. It has a dream-like feel. I grew to like F.J. The last few pages holds a surprise. Read "The Grisly Wife" for a (brief) mention of F.J.

I loved this book. It has a dream-like feel. I grew to like F.J. The last few pages holds a surprise. Read "The Grisly Wife" for a (brief) mention of F.J.

In my first visit to Sydney I covered more ground and learned more about the city than my Sydney-veteran companion had seen in numerous trips. The maps and directions were accurate, and the tidbits were a great combination of history and quirky facts and folklore.

Sydney is a beautiful city and this books gets visitors out of the usual tourist spots. Many of these sites truly are hidden...I found myself searching a graveyard for a unique tomb, walking down a lizard-populated path of rainforest reserve hidden in the middle of a residential area, investigating the mystery of a missing heiress, and scheduling a shiatsu massage (the author was right...getting scrubbed, stepped on, and kneaded was an ideal finale to a day of touring).

For all those who think they know Sydney- be prepared to be amazed!! Interesting facts and local tales enable the reader to rediscover popular tourist areas such as Bondi and Kings Cross. Detailed maps and directions will see you discovering new and beautiful areas known only to locals. For those who love Sydney and those wishing to discover it, this book has something for everyone. Extremely easy to read and immensely enjoyable, see your city with new eyes!!

I really enjoyed this book, because it was humourous, a bit silly and it rhymed. i would recomend this book to anyone who liked to have a good laugh. i can't wait to read the next book:
Sister Madge's Book Of Nuns: Part Two.
i liked this book so much that i wrote my very own powm about a nun,
if you read on you will be reading my poem:

This is a story of Sister Mary, who one day found a tiny fairy.
she said to the fairy
"How do you do?"
"What makes me think that i know you?"
the fairy looked with such dismay, that Sister Mary ran away.
that was strange the fairy thought, it must be this new dress i brought.
"The shopkeeper said it would be alright,"
"But i think i gave Sister Mary a terrible fright?
i wonder what is so bad,
i actually think that Sister Mary is mad.

But what the fairy did not know, was that her dress let her underwear show!

THE END

This is a short collection of stories in verse about very colorful and fanciful Nuns and thier antics and idiosyncracies.

Most of my friends have enjoyed it a great deal and want to have a copy.

Great book with good quality pictures, demostrates their best works during those good years, way better than the other new books on the market. I don't regret to pay the price for it!

A great collection of SOM's projects. Each page is painstakingly arranged graphically. A must buy for any architectural professional who loves great photographs of built work. The amazing talent that has passed through SOM is apparent.