Oceania Books

I have two copies of this book in paperback.
It is an outstanding story by one of the participants.
I call this event, Australia's Alamo.
The outcome was different but the results were the same.
Basically the small guy fighting for his rights against the big guy.
The fight for Freedom!
This is a must for all such libraries.

This is the only book needed when travelling around Europe.

My son loves all of the Magic School Bus books, I think he has read all of them now. Joanna Coles new Adventures with Ms. Frizzle series is also a big hit with him.

This book gives a good overview of what the Soviet space program learned about the inner planets. One table, showing the pressure and temperature readings of the Venus surface from all the Venera and Vega landers, plus the elevation of each landing site, is alone worth the price of the book. If you want to understand the inner planets of the Solar System, this book is a tremendous help. (Note that the author actually headed the programs in question!)

A charming book about Queensland. It presents 71 driving or ferry tours for 1 or 2 days. Each tour is described on two pages, together with a chart and about 4 wonderful pictures. The text is well balanced with the pictures, informative and concise. A really fine book to give you a first inspiring view of Queensland.

European kings in the 16th century dreamed of finding spices and gold in a mythical land mass in the Southern Hemisphere called Terra Australia. Incognita, or Unknown South Land. The search for it was only part of the great exploration by white men of the vast 10,000 mile watery expanse that Magellan so incorrectly named Pacific. Primitive canoe wanderers had already found homes in Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia, but now came Portuguese explorers seeking the Indies, Spaniards in great galleons that were floating treasure houses of plunder, British privateers, and seamen from all over Europe.

Mendano, who found the Solomons; bold Francis Drake; the Dutch Tasman, who blazed a sea trail to Australia; Selkirk, the original Robinson Crusoe; Captain Bligh of Bounty Fame; and Captain Cook, perhaps the greatest of them all...these are just a few of the names emblazoned across the canvas of this thrilling saga. Here are the shipwrecks and castaways, the cannibals, the coral reefs and lush islands of breadfruit and coconut, the mutineers and Yankee whalers, in an all-inclusive adventure story of epic proportions.

180 pages with index.

I found this book very helpful in planning my Oz holiday. It provides useful recommendations on places and things to visit. The plentiful color pictures add much to the book's appeal.

While the book is good for planning your vacation, it does not provide detailed information on accommodation, transportation, or other essential information. Get another guidebook (such as The Rough Guide) to complement this book.

After an 11 page introduction in which the author's skilfully set the scene, they collectively go on to explain the Great Barrier Reef in the way it should have been explained all along. With chapters on; Evolution, History & Exploration, Marine Life, Nature & Art, Life above, Diving, Fishing and finally Staying & Seeing, these two authors have covered all bases in an interesting a readable way.

Not all visitors to the greatest reef on earth are either divers or fishermen and there are few books which cater for those who are not. This one caters for all tastes.

Superbly supported with colour photographs on every page - some of which will make your eyes pop right out of your head, this is a book to please all those who read it.

Altogether a very exciting book!

NM

The stories are so well told, I found it hard to put down the book. They are full of warmth and are rich with authentic detail. This book is hard to categorize because it works equally well as interesting stories of the islands and as a cultural insight into two cultures meeting. Would recommend it to anyone interested in Pacific life, cross-cultural themes, or just warm stories of human sensitivity in a foreign setting.

Noted military historian / writer Martin Middlebrook has excelled himself with this fastidiously researched & tightly written account of the short lived, but bloody, 1982 war between Britain & Argentina over the tiny Falklands Islands in the South Atlantic. The author has effectively covered both the British & Argentinian perspective's of the campaign, and gives a fairly unbiased approach to the subject matter at hand.

Middlebrook provides a comprehensive, historical background to the issue of how the crisis developed in the Falklands, and the political climate in Argentina prior to the ill fated invasion. Middlebrook additionally illustrates how the British Lion then roused from it's slumber, swung swiftly into action and assembled a formidable task force, and sailed them thousands of miles away into the South Atlantic to battle against a numerically superior force.

The book provides detailed and intriguing insights into the naval aspects of the campaign including the loss of the Argentinian cruiser, General Belgrano and several English ships such as Sheffield, Sir Galahad & Atlantic Conveyor. The author examines the constant threat & fear that the Excocet missile posed to British shipping & their crews, and a bold plan to land SAS troops at Rio Grande to destroy Argentinian Super Etendard jets, the only jets capable of air launching the deadly Exocet. In addition, Middlebrook paints a gripping picture of the air war between British Harriers & Argentinian Skyhawks & Daggers, and the fight for supremacy of the skies over the Falklands. Finally, he covers the land campaign and the hard fought battles by Britsh Paratroop & Commando units against a dug in opposition & bitterly cold weather for key points including Goose Green, Tumbledown Mountain, Darwin Hill & finally the capital of Stanley.

A key aspect of the book that maintains the readers interest is the many, enthralling first hand comments by participants in the war including serviceman & politicians from both sides, Falkland Islanders, and the relatives of those involved in the crisis. Middlebrook combines details on the military technology that are easy to follow for the layman, with a fluid and well paced writing style that make the book compelling reading. Middlebook has written numerous other titles on military history, and this is another fine addition to his line up. Highly recommended for those seeking a concise, intriguing & well written book on the Falklands War.