Australia Books

This book was hard to find or buy in book stores in australia. I found the seller reliable and provided the book in perfect condition and the delivery was quick.

This masterful work by Paul Carter revisits the historical assumptions about the founding of Australia. Carter rejects previous assertions (assumptions) that lay behind a form of Australian history such as the primacy of empirical "facts" and the self-evident rhetoric of cause and effects. Instead, Carter attempts to explain the imagination of a place as somewhere one could be and he illustrates the imperial qualities of this imagination (especially as it pertains to langauge and naming). Early narratives of exploration (such as Capt. James Cook) are used to explain Australian history as a project of European meaning-making and this moves away from imperial history which assert capital-T universal Truth and toward a spatial understanding of Australia as a particular space that Westerners moved through in a particularly Western way.

This book is out of print, but should be near the top of any person's list of must-reads for spatial theory. It is erudite, combining historical analysis with philosophical frameworks, but it is also extremely readable and even poetic in its language. This is only natural as Carter is also a poet. Grab a copy of this book before they all disappear and while it remains a great bargain used.

Another wonderful story by Bob Graham that shows how children can attach amazing imaginings to mundane things, and teaches us to take some time to get to know our neighbours - life can be better when you do!

This is an appealing little book, short and to the point. It is the story of Rose which is told partly in pictures and partly in descriptive text. For instance the first image is clearly of Rose's family moving into a new house, with Mr Wintergarten's sinister house next door. It is a great way of getting children to talk about what is happening, there is lots going on and you can set the scene (along with children playing and kicking a ball over Mr Wintergarten's very high fence). I really liked the message in this which is great for pre-schoolers. Rose loses her ball over the fence of Mr Wintergarten's house, and the children start telling her horror stories of how awful she is - first she asks them not to because the baby can hear, and then she goes in and talks to her Mum who helps her take things over to Mr Wintergarten. Mr Wintergarten is very rude to Rose, but Rose is always polite and leaves when nothing more can be said - but she has made an impression, and Mr Wintergarten comes back and makes friends with the neighbourhood. The last picture is of Mr Wintergarten's fence being taken down.

Populated with appealingly illustrated characters and situations, a great story and an excellent message. It is a fun and funny book and my children love it. A definite 5 stars from me.

This is a nice little story that celebrates our similarities and differences.
The story follows 7 children each involved in the same activity, but in a different way. For example, each child has a different favourite food, they live in different types of home, like to have fun in different ways, etc.

I read this to my kid quite frequently. I'm almost 30 and I think I enjoy it more than she does.

There's just something about it that I really like, but I can't pinpoint it.

Writen by the Head of the (Royal) Naval Historical Branch, The Royal Navy and the Falklands War is quite simply the finest account of the naval war yet written. With detailed access to official documents and widely illustrated with photographs form both official and private sources, the book traces the history of the campign from the naval perspective in a day by day, blow by blow account.
The narrative is easy to follow, either as a cover to cover read or a book to dip into for specific information about key events. There is a seperate chapter dealing with ships taken up from trade, (STUFT), and appendices listing all ships from both navies that took part in the war. An excellent read and a "must have" book for the serious reader.

Writen by the Head of the (Royal) Naval Historical Branch, The Royal Navy and the Falklands War is quite simply the finest account of the naval war yet written. With detailed access to official documents and widely illustrated with photographs form both official and private sources, the book traces the history of the campign from the naval perspective in a day by day, blow by blow account.
The narrative is easy to follow, either as a cover to cover read or a book to dip into for specific information about key events. There is a seperate chapter dealing with ships taken up from trade, (STUFT), and appendices listing all ships from both navies that took part in the war. An excellent read and a "must have" book for the serious reader.

When I first viewed this book in my local library, I was captivated for hours. The wealth of information that can be found in this book is excellent. I've seen some unusual games before on television, but never fully understood the basic rules and what is involved.

This book explains and illustrates (very well) the basics of many professional and amateur games that are played in the world.

I once used this book to create a game that would be easy to play and where no one would get hurt. This book helped, and now the young kids in my family use it make up new games. We combine the balls and rules of many games into one.

If you love sports, or you are new to sports, this book will be of help to you.

I had a version of this same book when I was a kid, and remember pouring over the pages for hours on end. It opened my eyes to so many wonderful sports, that might not necessarily be popular or common in the US. To this day, I still browse through it when I visit my parents house. This is a truly timeless book, that can be passed down through generations.

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