Oceania Books

This travel guide is one of the best, detailed books on Sydney. I have many Eyewitness Guides for other locations around the world. The detailed maps in the back of the book are very useful when in an unfamiliar place.

Just spent a week in Sydney and found the book helpful in terms of the downtown area and Sydney proper. But I really wished it had more in the Outskirts section. There isn't a ton to see in Sydney proper but lots to see on the outer edges, an hour away, etc. Perhaps they need a New South Wales guidebook since the Australia guidebook tries to put too much into it. Anyway - if you're going to spend your whole trip right in downtown, this book works fine. If you get a little antsy for a little more color, keep looking. (And, btw, I usually LOVE Eyewitness travel guides. I have at least 10 others.)

I just got back from 10 days in Sydney, and I took this book and also the Rough Guide to Sydney. This book is vastly superior to the other.

The book has a lot of good information, and I really like the format. Every page is color, and full of illustrations and excellent maps. Call me a child of the media age, but it's so much easier to flip through this book, compared to reading through long blocks of text.

The maps are really worth emphasizing. I used the maps to follow various walking trails through different parts of the city, and they were excellent in terms of mentioning things to look out for.

The only disappointment I had was that this book hardly covered North Sydney, which is where I was staying. Now, granted, there aren't really too many tourist activities in North Sydney, but it is an interesting area, and the entire north side of the harbor is worth exploring, in my opinion. The restaurants are great, the neighborhoods are beautiful. Also, there are really some incredible views of the opera house from the north shore.

Best of all, this book fits (snugly) in a back pocket. I highly recommend this book.

I must say I am pretty impressed by this travel guide to Sydney. And I can doubly assure you of that it is excellent because I live here in Sydney! The reason I got this book was because in my experience the best travel guides are generally the ones from DK and this one didn't dissappoint. A travel guide like this is great for people who come to Sydney and stay with me. I can lend them this book to get around town during the weekdays while I am at work - but that said, even I find it useful.

I do a fair bit of travelling around internationallly and tend to take Sydney for granted. Reading through this book there are great little accounts of it's history as well as interesting suggestions for good restaurants and bars. When you've lived in a place for a long time you tend to frequent the same favorite spots over and over so it's nice getting tips for 'best restaurants and bars' that differ from those from other sources. One of the best things here are the walks at the back. I know most of the areas on them modestly well but I must say they are brilliantly planned. Also, as always, the maps of every suburb listed here are excellent for the novice to navigate around this city.

As for shortcomings, these are few and far between but even then it seems you can't please everyone. You can easily list things that could have been covered in better detail - but then again most people who visit here just won't have enough time to cover them all. Chinatown for one gets covered rather superficially. Also there is excessive coverage of St Mary's Cathedral - you can find plenty of far older and architechturally grander churches in any town in Europe. Churches of this size are rare here in Australia so for Australians it is considered worthy of mention but otherwise don't even bother going there. Ditto for the Art Gallery of New South Wales - compared to Boston, New York or any major European city it is laughable, except of course for the wonderful Aboriginal section there. As for the rest of it, I find it an embarrassment that the authors insist on dwelling on it.

Lastly, as for budget restaurants, there are plenty of them listed in this book. There is a book here in Sydney called 'Cheap Eats' if you really wanted a book that listed the best budget restaurants in town. Also if you really think about it, an exceptionally expensive top notch restaurant here is regarded as costing around $70-100 Australian per person, which is around $50-75 US dollars. By European and especially by UK standards - this is pretty damned cheap. Reviews I have read of the finest Sydney restaurants in the international press have all been glowing as well. The ones listed here are pretty good picks although the Sydney Morning Herald guide provides a more up to date view of Sydney cuisine. It's all also a matter of taste and opinion too.

So if you are thinking of visiting this beautiful city buy this book with confidence. Even I learned more than a thing or two from it.

this got a lot of good reviews and I was a bit disappointed. The format is easy to read, and there IS a lot of good information in the book. This book isn't going to help you find good cheap restaurants. Most of the restaurants and bars listed are expensive. This book is far better than the Rough Guides or Lonely Planet for sure BUT I'll be ordering Frommers to take with me when I go to Australia...

This is the first of two books written about this couple. The second book is called Crossing Divides: A Couples Story of Cancer, Hope, and Hiking Montana's Continental Divide. You might enjoy reading about what happened to them after their marriage and their encounter with cancer and hiking the Continental Divide.

This book packs in a lot as Scott and his partner, Kate, cover several thousand km of NZ bike touring, racing storms, pedaling up grueling roads, meeting all sorts of locals and travelers alike, and exploring natural and beautiful New Zealand.

Parts flew by too quickly for me, but other parts were described in fun, insightful detail. I feel I gained some good knowledge and insight into NZ after reading this book, especially in the areas of NZ weather (lots of rain, wind, and sun), how NZ treats foreigners (mostly good), and what bike-touring is like (tough and rewarding but mostly tough). Oh, and as a bonus, it really perked my interest in fly-fishing!

The book won't knock you out of your chair, but I doubt that is it's intention. A great read if you are planning a trip to New Zealand or planning a bike-touring trip; especially with a significant other! I hope to report soon as to how accurate this account is. The trip occurred in the late 1980s so I imagine NZ might have changed a lot since then, but maybe not.

This was a great read - especially if you are interested in biking as an adventure. I just returned from New Zealand and agree with most of what he wrote!

AUSTRALIAN CYCLIST--"Here is an engrossing tale...Scott writes entertainingly and perceptively of the idiosyncrasies of the population and areas he and Katie passed through...If you have ever wanted to go cycling in New Zealand, you could do far worse than to read this book first. If you never want to go there, don't read it-it will probably change your mind!"

KLCC PUBLIC RADIO, Eugene, Oregon--" Today I have the pleasure of reviewing a marvelous book for you...The avid bike rider will be thrilled with the detailed and fascinating descriptions...TWO WHEELS AROUND NEW ZEALAND reads as if you were sharing travel yarns with old friends. Scott Bischke has a very informal tone, and he really brought me into his confidences as he shared his moods, fears, and hopes before and during this incredible year...Wouldn't this book make a great film!"

BACKROADS CYCLING-- "I did enjoy the book....the tone was nice, there were good illustrations, the descriptions of the difficulties encountered added to the story without resorting to the whining all too common in literature these days."

BOOKLIST--" ...Bischke offers insights into the pleasures of biking, fly-fishing, and just living."

BILLINGS GAZETTE--"Bischke has a fluid, chatty style..."

As the author of TWO WHEELS, I'm more than a little shocked at the first review posted. That I did not connect with that reader is apparent, though I have never heard the book described as anything but light-hearted and enjoyable (if the first review engendered a rating of 2, I'd hate to see his or her 1!). Wishing you happy pedaling, Scott Bischke

Cover describes book as a "light hearted adventure story", should have been "a travel ordeal". Showed how lack of training and improper equipment can turn what should have been fun into drudgery. Choose biking as a cheap mode of transport rather than doing it for the pleasure of cycling which effected narrative. Constant whining and complaining made it hard to enjoy. Use of local NZ slang got old and author trying to force his personal views on locals seemed inappropriate. I have biked in NZ and it was nothing like the book described.

Congratulations, Mr Carey, on producing the only boring book on Sydney I have ever read. The stories you relate are, apart from the climbers dying in the Blue Mountains, mainly boring. You do not capture, in my opinion, the essence of Sydney. Your book is essentially about a group of your closest friends, who, frankly, could be living in any city in the world. I am not interested in what your mate thinks of Parramatta bleedin road? It may have had some historical significance in the 19th Century, but its just a road now, which leads through some pretty decrepit suburbs. I expected some really penetrating anecdotes about Sydney and Sydneysiders (I was one of them, having grown up on the North Shore). As for your politics - why oh why oh why do you liberals think that ordinary folk in the street should apologise for atrocities committed against the Aborigines? You are just another one of the `sorry' brigade, which gets a kick out of seeing young white children paint the word `sorry' on their foreheads. Disgusting. Mr Carey (and please stay in New York), there is no such thing as Inherited Guilt. You should never apologise, or force other people to apologise, for something you haven't done. If you want Inherited Guilt then I suggest you go live in North Korea.

I will, however, give you plaudits for reciting the story of Mr Eternity. But Mr Eternity was a quintessentially Australian character, Mr Carey; you are not.

Enjoy the Big Apple!

Any attempt to girdle a city within literature is doomed by the complexity and expanse of the topic. Carey delays this admission until the end, although by then his feelings are clear. Living and writing in New York City, only a deep inland residence could give him greater setting for contrast. His comparison with his current home is limited to the cramped quarters he endures there. Yet this limited contrast imparts the theme and import of this personal summary. Little of this book is about Australia's key city. Instead, the majority of Carey's essays here describe the Harbour, the Blue Mountains, the Pacific Coast, the Bridge and rivers. The characters are a melange of his personal friends and historical figures. There is a mystical episode on the Harbour Bridge and a passing critique of the CBD [Central Business District] and the values of those working there. The theme remains that the City is but one location in a region of contrasts. No other city is placed so uniquely. Perhaps no-one is better suited to attempt this unique task.

Many cities rejoice in their history, but in this, too, Sydney is special. Founded as a convict colony, it grew into a major Pacific port. Survival was a struggle with poor soil, vagaries of rain and wind and the presence of the Aborigine population - issues that urbanisation hides but cannot eliminate. Sensing its importance early, Sydney girted the Harbour with forts, something Carey lightly applauds when old forts become new parks. Carey conveys the sense of struggle, but time has transformed equal starving of convicts and guards to ideals of social equality - so long as that society is white, he reminds us. His "distorted view" imparts his dissenting view on relations with displaced Aborigines, among other topics.

However booksellers classify this work, it's not a travel advisory. Tourists will be unlikely to join the Sydney to Hobart race. Even more unlikely when they read Carey's account of the disaster of 1998. Nor will the casual visitor find themselves in a capsized racing skiff in the teeth of ten metre waves and forty knot winds. If you do visit, be careful hiking in mountains. If your visit occurs in the Southern Hemispheric summer, be extra cautious with matches or campfires. What can happen if you aren't Carey imparts with stunning clarity. Having lost his own house to fire, a telephone dialogue with a friend fighting to save one is a gripping read.

Carey's many awards are well deserved. His descriptive writing skills and characterisation are well demonstrated in this book. It's no matter if these are real people, mixtures of many into one or wholly invented. Their own stories are from real life and deserve attention. Carey snags your attention from the first page and you give it willingly to the rest of the book. An essay string that may be enjoyed by anyone, this book provides entertainment, education and excitement. Try it and see. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Peter Carey spent 30 days in Sydney in 2000 and we readers are the lucky recipients of his account. He clearly loves Sydney and demonstrates this love in every page of this little volume. His love is contagious. For example, on viewing what he calls "the great Pacific Ocean," he writes: "It is one of a hundred places you will find in Sydney which take your breath away, and I, familiar but disoriented, was in a state of constant amazement that any metropolis could be so blesssed." He also obviously cares deeply for his friends who still live there. About his friend Jack Ledoux he says: "I have lived in more than one house Jack has designed and would be a happy man if I could wake up in one tomorrow morning and live in it all my life. Every time I walk into one of his constructions, it makes me happy." What an extraordinary way to describe a friend!

Mr. Carey sets out to describe this great city in terms of earth, air, fire and water. He does this by having several zany friends of his-- some of them friends of thirty years-- tell their stories. Any one of these characters ought to be found in a novel, at least one of Mr. Carey's. In his hands they become flesh and blood and as interesting as the city they describe. Good stuff jumps out on every page. Mr. Carey admits that he cannot drive over Sydney's famous bridge without having a panic attack, a fact that is particularly significant to me since I suffer from the same problem with high bridges. Then there is the delicious account of the word "Eternity" and the little man responsible for writing the word everywhere or anywhere he felt his God called him to write it. Carey's handling of the "Aborigine problem" is particularly poignant in his discussion of Vicki, who was taken from her parents and raised by a white family.

Carey, now living in New York, did not move to Sydney, the city his mother said was just like Liberace, until he was almost forty-- ". . . even then I carried in my baggage a typical Melbournian distrust of that vulgar crooked convict town." I for one would love to see him write similar books about both Melbourne and New York.

So much good writing-- so many marvelous stories in 248 pages. A great read!

This is a good read for Aussie expats, not least because the author is one of Australia�s more prominent contemporary literary figures, staging a return visit to Sydney from his current home in New York. Aussies living in America will probably be tuned into the way observations of one country are used to shed light on the other, the extra explanations he is obliged to include for either culture, as well was the exercise of reacquainting oneself with one�s place of origin and trying to come to grips with its history and character. On occasion the author�s own brand of cronyism (men relive their exploits or otherwise act out their mid life crises) is a bit irksome, but then he is well aware of such potential gripes and fends them off within the book (�Mate, you�re making a big mistake talking to all these men. You�re ignoring the women��). In all, he spins a good yarn, and the final pages will have you heaving on the open seas at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River.

I've had a fascination with shipwrecks since my grandpa showed me an encyclopedia painting of the Lusitania sinking when I was about 3 years old. I'm also a #1 fan of Clive Cussler and his NUMA adventures.

This book gives a little story about each ship, then goes into the results of what is there now, or was when the author visited each site. There are some fascinating bits and pieces here. His attitude about access to the ships didn't bother me as much as the poor editing and lack of substantial photos. I'd get this buildup to each vessel, but the carrot at the end of the stick was nothing but text. Maybe his publishing budget didn't allow for more photos, but I really think it would've sold better if he added a little more pizzazz to it.

Still, for anyone interested in shipwrecks, I highly recommend this one, despite the flaws.

I have been thinking about what I wanted to say in a review of this book as I finished it up over the past few days. Then I read the review by "Scotty Mon" and he says it all. I agree with him 100%. I got real tired of the attitude that Delgado constantly pushes that only archaeologists should be allowed to dive on these wreck sites (because everyone else is a treasure hunter who steals all the artifacts without studying the history). He echoes the opinions of Dan Lenihan (author of Submerged), founder of the NPS SCRU, and actually credits Lenihan with instilling this attitude in him. I want to read about the history of the wrecks and what they're like on the seabed now; the professional archaeologists do precious little to present that info and observations to the general public in an interesting and accessible manner.

There are very few pictures in this book and nothing that significantly serves to illustrate what Delgado saw when he was diving. Actually, most of the back half of the book is a promo for his Sea Hunters TV show. I guess you have to buy the series on DVD or watch it on TV if you want to see anything insteresting that he describes in his dives.

However, with all of the previous said, I still recommend this book as he presents interesting historical info on each wreck and then gives a brief writeup of his dives and digs. His brevity leaves you wanting so much more though! He does a good job sharing his observations and makes you feel like you are there; and his writing style is well-paced and enjoyable.

This book wouldn't be so disappointing if the title wasn't so midleading. The author simply writes about previously discovered wreck sites and offers mundane accounts of his visits. His enthusiasm and historical perspective are commendable but reeks of a bureacrat trying to justify flying around at taxpayer expense.

The book merely offers the author's assessments of these wreck sites. No major new discoveries. He actually found a 150-year old peanut on one wreck and tries to get the reader excited about it. The title should be " The Follow-Up Visits of a Sea Janitor".

It gets old reading the ongoing proclamation by the author and his bureacratic archaeology brethren that these shipwrecks are sacred gravesites and should only be accessible to his kind. These sites are accident scenes and none of the victims were properly laid to rest.

If you are looking for true adventure try "Shadow Divers" or any Robert Marx book.

Personally, I found this book fascinating and intriguing look into underwater archaeology. Having been on archaeological sites myself this type of book is like candy for the mind. It's like a real life Indiana Jones. Besides, a lot of archaeology is getting excited about something as mundane as a peanut. It allows us to see how people ate, farmed, etc in the past and to draw parallels into how we live now. Also, to rebut the previous commentary about the book sounding like it was written by a bureaucrat spending tax payers dollars let me enlighten you about how this works. 1) It can be very hard to get tax dollars to do archaeology. 2) A lot of work researching in books and archives goes into a site before it is even excavated/dived on. 3) Depending on the type of site determines how much excavation is done. 4) Private funding went into some of the sites mentioned in the book.
Clive Cussler, who wrote the foreword, pays for, and does, a lot of research without ever tapping into the governments piggy bank. Same with how the Vrow Maria was discovered, etc. So, a word to the wise, before you trash something down and harshly critique it understand just what you're talking about. Uninformed commentary just sounds ignorant. Shipwrecks are sacred gravesites, and accident sites in some cases, but they do need to be treated with respect and care. Would one have so callous an opinion about the pyramids in Egypt? Or perhaps an American Civil War battlefield? You tell me.

The story is interesting (almost the same as the movie). However, some of the language was difficult for me to read--when the old sailors were talking. This read was contenting, but nothing spectacular.

Basically, this book is about two shipwrecked kids who grow up together on a deserted island and fall in love without any interference from the outside world. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?
This is one of a very few books where the reader almost wishes they could trade places with the characters. The book is much better than the movie.

I thought it was fabulous. I am often intreged by "based on the book by..." anywhere in a movie and often make it a personal quest to find the afformentioned book.
I like the movie Blue Lagoon well enough, and went in search of "In the Garden of God" - original title and searched for years. I found it on an on-line library of sorts and read it. I found it facinating. Stacpoole goes into lush detail describing the island and the character of Paddy becomes more endering and his death is truly tragic. But the miracle of the children's survival as well as Dick's father's survival and their seperate quests is truly worth reading.
The book itself is very plain. Softcover, white, title, author and that is about it.
I am in search of an original, and perhaps someday I'll find it.

This edition contains quite a few typos throughout the book. It also feels like eternity has passed before anything really happens (of course I'm not a big fan of any survivor/travel-type books aka Robinson Crusoe or Gulliver's Travels). The story feels sluggish as everyone (a pair of cousins and the superstitious sailor tossed out to sea after a terrible shipwreck) is carefree and no one worries about the obvious dangers. Ideallic...until death finally strikes. Whoot for death! It's the catalyst to start everything in motion. Once the children finally grow up, the story finally begins to become interesting...although it takes 3/4 of the book to get there. Yet, it might be all worth it for that last fourth and the ending. Love the ending...although I'm still unsure of exactly what happened. Ultimately, the book makes you consider love and death and what we know instinctively about both.
All in all worth reading in a week of rainy days with nothing better to do.

This is the 3rd dive travel book I have purchased writen by Lawson Wood. He covers all the information you will need to plan a dive trip to Cozumel, Cancun and the Mayan Riviera. Besides the 160 dive and snorkel sites there is a brief history of the area and lots of travel tips. If you are a diver you will like the dive site discriptions and underwater photography. This is one of the best books of its kind on diving in the Mayan Riviera area.

The dive sites of COZUMEL AND THE YUCATAN, the comprehensive coverage of diving and snorkeling by Lawson Wood is a decent generalist travel guide covering the history, climate, maps, travel tips, basics of diving and snorkeling, brief rating of selected dive sites, nice photos and descriptions of underwater marine environment and animals, ..etc...Four regions are covered: Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy, Cozumel, the Caribbean coast (Cenote dive sites described)in 176 pages. There is some basic travel info(places to eat, stay, and play) however, no reviews are provided to base a decision...lots of phone numbers though.

The book rates dive sites by the following factors: Location, Access, Dive Conditions, Min. Depth, Max. Depth, Average Visibility, Basic description of what you may see at the dive site. There are 55 dive sites rated for Cozumel, 14 for Cancun, 12 for Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres, and 72 along the Caribbean Coast. Each review is about 120 - 150 words.

Page 3 of this book acknowledges all the organizations used for the info in this book and the photograph equipment used for the underwater pictures...a good source of contacts.

This book is great if you are thinking about traveling and diving for the first time to the Yucatan and want to know what to expect when you get there. Advanced divers looking for more dive site descriptions and dive maps may be disappointed...therefore 4 stars for a GENERAL Travel guide and dive guide together.

This is a good book for someone visiting the Quintanna Roo Coast and Cozumel who is going to use commercial dive operators for most of their diving. For the true adventurer however it is not really adequate. Why? Well say you need to find a reef on your ocean kayak and you are without a dive guide. This book will not really help you find that reef because it does not go into exact reef location detail, it just says like 100 yards off beach X. Well those beaches in Cozumel are long white strips of sand and are prettty much indistinguishable from one another. Also, no information on where to camp on Cozumel and on the Quintanna Roo Coast. It does however have good reef descriptions, general travel info and helpfull advice for tourists.

This book is very nicely arranged and designed. The writing is clear and concise and well thought out. The sections on the marine environments and diver safety were great. Not so great were directions getting to some of the dive locations. The author may have visited most of the dive sites on a dive boat and never attempted to reach the locations by car. We are snokelers and tried unsuccessfully to reach some of described locations on the Mexican Riviera. The map of the Mexican Riviera was not good. The scale was off by an order of magnitude. A few of the roads listed in the book on the map were not actually there. Some of the actual roads were not on the map. Most roads going from Highway 307 toward the shore are hotel private property. We repeatedly got turned around by uniformed personnel at hotel gates and had to give up reaching dive sites. It might be useful in future editions to tell how to get to a location by car. Giving GPS coordinates would be good too. This is a good book for planning a diving trip to the Yucatan area. But not so great once you get there.

great book with excellent coverage of different dive sites all over micronesia. the only problem i have is that it has not been updated since 2000, but that is only a minor thing.

Diving Micronesia was an easy to read guide book that will not go into great detail , I certainly did not base my travel on it , I would definately recomend the lonely planet guide by Tim Rock , it is much more informative

Throughout the world of diving, there are a few Divers who are able to provide their Publishers with excellent material for their Guide Books and Eric Hanauer is one of these.

"Diving Micronesia" measures 10" x 7" and is another guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. This is a worthy addition to a first rate series of books - throughout which, these publishers have maintained the highest standards in terms of quality of information and photography.

As with each of these guides, this book is clearly laid out with chapters on the overall subject area (complete with all the relevant information required), an overview of diving in the South Pacific and specific detail with regard to the individual countries visited (Guam, Mariana Islands, Yap, Palau, Chuuk (formerly Truk Lagoon), Pohnpei, Kosrae and the Marshall Islands (including Bikini Atoll)). Chapter 1 begins with a précis of the region's geography and history coupled with details of the present day. This is followed by a map and all that essential information such as credit cards, cuisine, currency, dress, electricity, getting there, entry/exit requirements, mail, telephone, time, post - and anything else the prospective visitor wishes to know.

Chapter 2 is an overview of the Diving in general and includes all the relevant information the diver requires - such as: facilities, water/weather conditions, visibility, flora and fauna and lots more besides.

As one might expect, there then follows a chapter dedicated to each of the aforementioned countries within the catchment area of this book. Being separate countries spread over a large area of the Pacific Ocean, these chapters contain a wealth of information on diving and non-diving topics. The diving details commences with a map of the specific island complex where all the relevant dive sites are clearly numbered and displayed. This is followed by a description of each site with adequate narrative, relevant depth and grade-of-diver information.

With everything lavishly supported by underwater and surface photography of the highest standard, the book then concludes with Appendices containing Emergency Information and what appears to be a very thorough list of local (South Pacific) diving contact details.

With a total of 92 dive sites to set the heart racing, the book also includes 3 dive sites from Bikini Atoll. Clearly the Publishers were leaving the very best to the very last by including the USS Saratoga (the only diveable Aircraft Carrier in the world), HIJMS Nagato and USS Apogon which combine to form three of the world's most important dive sites.

For me, it was nice to find a book where some of the world's most historic sites from the WW2 Pacific theatre of War were placed together - rather than allowing, say, Truk Lagoon (sorry - just can't get used to that new name.), or Bikini Atoll to dominate the book.

Altogether, a well-rounded book with everything supported by some pretty stunning and imaginative photography. For anyone considering a trip to the South Pacific, I do believe this is the only book you will require - and it is one for which I have been waiting for some time...

NM

A thorough explanation of the Micronesian islands and what to expect, both on land and under the water, on each of them. The history is fascinating. Our first visit to Micronesia, so we'll see how true the information the book presents is!

The author does an excellent job of describing and illustrating key milestones in the mapping of the Pacific region. He integrates the history of exploration and of cartography in an effective manner that adds life to the plentiful and abundant maps that illustrate the text. The book is an excellent introduction for the serious collector of antique maps of the Pacific. Its a beautiful book and informative book, however, it could be a difficult read at times for those less interested in maps or history.

"The European mapping of the Pacific was at times a mapping of the European psyche," writes Thomas Suarez.
The mere fact that the Europeans did it, at such cost, was an aspect of a unique psychological outlook. The people who lived in and around the Pacific never bothered.
There were a variety of reasons, some merely technical, for that. For whatever reasons, the indigenes were content with local maps. The drive to know the whole world did not inspire them.
The Europeans had crass motivations as well. After 300 years of effort, there were still a few spots unknown to them in 1800 -- and even as a big a place as Hawaii had been found barely two decades earlier. But in the 19th century the quest for "sandalwood, trepang, seals, whales and furs" exposed every last scrap of land to purchasers of European maps.
"Early Mapping of the Pacific" follows on Suarez's gorgeous "Early Mapping of Southeast Asia" and will have even more interest for Hawaii readers. Hawaii gets more detailed attention than anyplace else, and it is easy to see that Suarez has spent plenty of time here.
He writes that "often the mapping and exploration of the Pacific seems the stuff of novels," and his own late entry into the field was, if not novelistic, distinctly unusual.
A classical violinist, Suarez was giving concerts way off Broadway -- places like Moen island in Chuuk in Micronesia -- when he became interested in the places, the people, the stories and the maps.
For a generation, he's been an authority and consultant on old maps.
Even without the detailed text, it is easy and curious to follow the progress -- sometimes regress -- of European knowledge of the Pacific over time.
When the Pacific was completely unknown to Europe, the best maps Europe had already showed close correspondence with the shapes and locations of the Caribbean and Africa, though the Caribbean had been unknown 20 years earlier.
Often -- not always, by any means -- the Europeans in their restless inquisition acquired accurate maps almost overnight. Even in fairly early maps, some parts of the Pacific begin to look quite familiar, though others remain seriously confused. It took a long time, for example, to learn that Australia and New Guinea are not connected.
Even by the time of James Cook, a buyer of maps in Amsterdam or London had to choose between very different opinions about what lay in the Pacific.
One topic that Suarez devotes considerable attention to is whether the Spaniards found Hawaii before Cook did in 1779.
There are early maps that show islands about where Hawaii is.
Suarez is not persuaded that they represent anything more than the other fugitive islands that cartographers in Europe were led and misled to draw on maps even into the 19th century.
There is an even stronger argument against Spanish discovery.
The maps that show "Hawaii" show other islands to the east and to the west that we know do not exist, and the accuracy of these maps for the west coast of America is poor also.
If "Hawaii" on those maps is genuine, it is the only part that is.

The review of this volume suggests that it is a worthy work of some substance (as do comments elsewhere). But only one star? Is this an error?

This is a vast topic and the author has taken on a huge job. He has written a truly excellent text that is technically correct, yet very readable. He has also managed to do somethig very difficult - integrate the text successfully with maps, most of which are illustrated beautifully. So in one work, we have the scholarly interpretation of the history and its integration with the cultural artifacts of such exploration.- the maps. I think one of the chief attributes is that his book has opened so many doors to this subject that it will reman a standard for a very ong time. It is also a beautiful production (although the subtitle sounds like it was written by a desperate English major) and is easily in the fine tradition of Suarez' other books.

This book was just what I needed for a cruise trip around the Hawaiian Islands. Good information in this book. On a "not a birding trip" I added 26 species to my life list at Hawaii.

Still the best field guide to the birds of the tropical Pacific, Pratt's book is now over 20 years old and in need of revision. The bird life of Hawaii is in a constant state of flux, with species arriving and becoming extinct every decade. One of the most common species today, the African Silverbill, was rare when Pratt's guide was published, so is completely missing from the book. Nesting information, feeding habits, and other aspects of natural history are given very little attention. So, while the serious birder will want to own the book and carry it in the field, it is now necessary to purchase a second book to fill in all the missing information that has come to light in the last two decades. For the birder visiting Hawaii, I recommend also carrying the Hawaii Audubon Society's Hawaii's Birds. It is a lightweight supplement that includes all the new species that one is likely to encounter as well as much more information regarding the habits of each bird.

If ou go to Hawaii and you want to go birding, I can recommend this book. It is a comprehensive guide, with clear and accurate drawings, and checklists for each island. The only thing missing is a list of buirding sites.

Pratt, Bruner, and Dickinson have produced a superb field guide completely covering all the islands of the tropical Pacific from Hawai'i west through Micronesia. This is a true field guide: it gives the field marks of every species, notes problems in identification with special emphasis on distinguishing similar species, and wastes no space on matters not related to identification. (The exception is that Pratt, a significant ornithologist as well as an expert in identification, summarizes controversies in classification whre appropriate.)

The text is organized by order and family, not by region, so the flycatchers of Tahiti appear next to the flycatchers of Palau rather than near other Tahitian birds. But the illustrations are grouped by region: Samoan land birds appear together, regardless of relationships. This greatly facilitates use in the field.

The illustrations are paintings, not photographs, which allows the authors to show similar birds in identical poses as well as eliminating the accidental marks which appear in even the best photographs and can confuse the user.

The authors have chosen to include the extinct birds of the region as well as the living ones. This puts a certain amount of "deadwood" on the illustration pages, which may be detrimental. But, considering that more than one "extinct" bird has been found after being missing for nearly a hundred years, it is probably worth the minor inconvenience.

I have used the book extensively in Hawai'i and believe it to be the best guide Hawai'i's birds. I would not consider being without it anywhere in its area of coverage.

This field guide has excellent sketches of birds but the layout is quite awkward. This guide like most if not all guides breaks down the birds by family groups. This works well for most areas but not Hawaii. As an example, on the first page for Crows and Honeycreepers there are six birds listed, three are extinct, the other three birds all exist on seperate islands, so if I am birding on Kauai and I look on this particular page there is only one bird I would have any chance of seeing but I still have five other birds on the page as a distraction. On the other pages there are on average 8-10 birds per page but once again some are extinct (and not boldly labled as such) while there may only be one or two birds from each island on the pages. My recommendation to make it easier to ID birds in the field would be to put all the extinct Hawai'ian endemic birds on two or more pages (since there are so many of them) for emphasis and then have seperate pages for each island. Since there are so few birds to be found on each of the Hawaiian islands versus say the tropical forests of Costa Rica, I beleive my recommended format would be much less frustrating than the current format of the book to use in the field.

I have been very fortunate. I have had the oportunity to visit Hawai'i three times: The Big Island once, and Maui twice. I used a prevoius edition of this Frommer's Guide for a lot of my planning.

I like the listings of inexpensive hotels, B&B's, restaurants and activities in the book. Inexpensive does not mean poor quality. I have never been disappointed when following the advice in the Guide. I also enjoy the recommendations and maps included.

I find the Frommer's Guides to be very helpful, and have used other Frommer's Guides for trip planning: The Canadian Rockies, New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park, Florida for $ a Day, and San Francisco to name a few. They are a good starting point for planning a vacation.

Overall a pretty good guide to the islands. However, I did have a few complaints:
Some of the places off the beaten path were not well described in terms of directions (and if not for helpful locals, I never would have reached them)
Restaurant data was often out of date (restaurant closed or completely redone), and poorer restaurants were sometimes recommended while the better ones were left off.
I was able to find a lot of better deals (or found out after the fact about better deals available) than listed in the book.
If you know nothing about Hawaii, it's a good bood to have. I will look for a different guide for my next trip.

If you buy this guide, don't bother buying Frommer's Hawaii 2006. Most of it is word for word.

On my trips to the Islands, I've found this book to be an excellent source of hotel, B&B, and restaurant recommendations. It is not the best overall guide, but it IS the best source of info for the above items. I've found that by taking this book along with the Lonely Planet (which is the best overall guide but is weak on lodging & restaurants) I have all the info I need to plan & enjoy my vacations to Hawaii.

I've used this book for travel to Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, and have never found any of the reviews to be far off base. Highly recommended!