Oceania Books

A loverly book; however, the indication that it is a pre-teen book is off the mark. While children between 9-12 could indeed enjoy this book, it would be more correct to label it for ages 9-adult.

Sue Cowing's anthology offers gorgeous affiliations. Each double-page spread pairs remarkable poems with stunning visual works. So marvelously diverse are the images that it is hard to keep in mind that they are all drawn from the works of only one museum, The Honolulu Academy of Arts. The editor's deft choices give this lovely book its distinctive excellence. The volume in its entirety is a wonderfully composed and elegantly orchestrated picture poem. It is a collection to savor and to return to often for refreshment.

A buffet of poetry--not the tired old poetry we've munched again and again, but fresh ideas from fresh poets, mainly from the Pacific area. A meaty soup of eclectic art, as diverse as a Grecian urn and an Eskimo seal sculpture. A book to relish from time to time, too rich to be eaten at one sitting. A book to ponder, to chuckle over, to dream... I especially enjoyed the wise folk sayings such as, "Water..needs no feet..heals itself," from the Philippines and "One dog barks at nothing, ten thousand others pass it on." from Japan. The Chinese, speaking of butterflies, say, "Lives one day..what does it know of the seasons." Ancient wisdom, modern applications. This is a book for all ages--of people and of times. In Hawaii, it won the coveted Po'okela award.

Good parties should introduce us to someone new and worth meeting. This lovingly put-together anthology of poems and visual art is The Party for the End of the Millenium: John Keats and Kobayashi Issa talk fire and water with an Australian aboriginal bark painter and an Inuit sculptor. Sue Cowing, an award-winning author herself, hosts an exhilarating party, having invited poets and artists from New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Hawai'i and other Pacific lands to join more well-known guests like Marc Chagall and Elizabeth Bishop. It's a pleasure to see what connections are made, but the true rewards come when you begin entering into conversation with these dazzling sensibilities yourself. And though there's no "children's poetry" here in the conventional (condescending) sense, the poems have been selected so that the lucky child who stays up late and wanders down into this celebration will feel included and full of wonder. Highly recommended

Get this book--you won't be sorry. This is a "creme de la creme" anthology. It's poetry and art chosen with an (educated) eye toward appealing to children, but it's NOT "children's poetry," and doesn't have the treacly quality that category implies. Instead, it's like a gorgeous bouquet of various blossoms; both kids and adults can get sustenance from each bloom. The work is grouped imaginatively by themes, such as: "i couldn't think straight so i thought crooked," a chapter of poems and art on creative imagination; "the minute i heard my first love story," about friendship and romantic love; and "the afternoon swam by," about trying to capture valuable moments in the fleeting rush of time. The editor's broad knowledge of--and love for--poetry is manifested in the care with which the work is presented. The relation between the poems and art is fruitful and interesting. Both art and poetry have been hand-picked from a wide variety of cultures and centuries, but all of it is accessible, and thought- and feeling-provoking. I will use this book in my teaching, and also refer to it with pleasure, regularly, in my alternate vocation, as a lover of art and verse. Bravo

This review concerns the new (revised) Doubleday edition of the book, published in 1999.

Here is a book that is quite unique in my experience. I don't think I have ever read a book that has offered so much initial frustration, which has ended up turning out quite so well. In the first couple of chapters I was sure I was not going to be able to finish it. I put this down largely to poor editing, but I think there may be the added factor that this edition involved a major revision of an earlier work and that the two were not married very happily together. Yet the book soon strikes out on a new path, and on another level, as we leave the Manx and Cumbrian origins of Fletcher Christian behind, and begin to learn some of the details of that murky event known to history as the "Mutiny on the Bounty." One thing is obvious and it is to the author's credit, as he is a direct descendent of Fletcher Christian (and, something which will appear obvious given the nature of life on Pitcairn at the time of the first settlement, of several of the other mutineers): he makes a very bold attempt not to hoist Bligh on too high a yardarm, in spite of the man's obvious and well-established shortcomings. Indeed, he allows Bligh to hang himself in the book, which is something he seems to have tried very hard to accomplish in real life.

The book's last section of three concerns the personal odyssey by author Glynn Christian back to Pitcairn in search of traces of Fletcher and a greater understanding of some of the legend which grew up around him and his fellow conspirators of over 200 years ago. It is well done, and if we are a bit frustrated by the results, it's not because the author didn't try hard enough. In fact, this is a very successful project from every point of view, even if I did think at first that it was going to be "another island book," like the one on St-Kilda I read many years ago and still haven't digested to this day. Anyone interested in the Bounty story must read this and all those interested in the history of the Pacific, or even just plain family history, will probably enjoy this very much. After initially wanting to almost burn it, I now find myself giving it my highest recommendation. It's quite unique. By the by, it's interesting to reflect on the book's title. Ordinarily, one would think it referred to Pitcairn, the ancestral home as it were; but I rather fancy it refers to Tahiti instead, that fabled place from which some of Glynn Christian's other ancestors sprang.

I found FRAGILE PARADISE to be one of the best biographies I have ever read. The amount of research GLYNN CHIRSTIAN gathered about his famous descendent was just mind blowing. I often wonderd about FLETCHER CHIRSTIAN'S life before his days on the bounty. Having seen all of the movies based on the mutiny I never really felt that hollywood told his story with any accuracy at all. We never really get to know who CHIRSTIAN was and why he did what he did and the price he had to pay for his actions. Also I discoverd while I was reading this book the information about his family in ENGLAND and thier roots which hollywood often chooses to forget about when telling the story about the bounty muntiny. All in all if you like the story of the mutiny on the bounty you'll love this book.

This is by far one of the best books about the infamous mutiny on the Bounty. Glynn Christian is a descendant of Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutiny. His researches into the family history is fascinating (if a bit overwhelming at times), but it's the new information about the voyage of the Bounty, the behavior and character of Captain Bligh, the nature of Tahitian society, and the mutineers on Pitcairn Island that makes this book a treasure trove for fans of the Bounty story. While it does not replace any of the previous works on the subject, I can say that if you have read those but not "Fragile Paradise," you are missing out on a very important piece of this amazing story.

As someone who has a great interest in the history of this strange adventure, I ordered the trilogy book on The Bounty and loved it . Afterwards, I ordered this one and I'm really glad I did. As informative and well written as the original book was , this one seemed to fill in some important insights and details about the personalities and the everyday life of the sailers plus a lot of the Tahitian customs . It started out pretty dry and dull to be honest but once it got going, I couldn't put it down. This guy has done his homework and then some ...it truly is an impressive book. Totally recomended !!

A new edition, by the same author, is due out in 2000. New research gives a clearer picture of the tension aboard BOUNTY after sailing from Tahiti, there is more evidence about Bligh's method of captaincy and, for the first time, a full chapter on the Tahitian women, who they were, how they thought and how, even though overlooked for two centuries, they are crucial to the survival of Christian's remote settlement on Pitcairn Island.

This book presents an illuminating look at the nuclear testing and it's aftermath. The cavalier attitude towards radiation is pretty amazing. There are also many fine pictures of the wrecks underwater, including some shots of the world's only exisiting diveable aircraft carrier.

My Dad was there (USS Reclaimer) - swimming in the atoll the day after the blasts, cleaning refuged ships, etc. It's amazing he's still alive.

Nice photos; good summaries. This isn't a full-blown account of Operation CrossRoads but a nice summary of the ships. If you are interested in OC, this is a good book to have on your shelf.

I found this book to be most interesting, with a very accessible writing style.

This is a great mini-coffee table book (get the hardcover if you REALLY dig this stuff!) offering hours of information and photos of the famous atomic bomb tests on naval ships at Bikini Atoll. The 190 page book is broken into nine chapters and has excellent notes on sources. Background information covers the first half of the book while the second is focused on recent dives to many of the famous and lesser known ships that were sunk here. The writing is very informative and the photographs are absolutely haunting, particularly the ones of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga! Several color photos are included in the center. The author pushes no agenda in this book. He merely reports the facts available both "good and bad".

James Delgado does a very good job of reviewing the sunken ships of Bikini Atoll and telling the story of the 1946 atomic bomb tests. I read this book after diving at Bikini Atoll and found it to be a good treatment of a topic that has received too little attention. As far as wreck diving goes, Bikini Atoll is the best in the world, and my only disappointment with this book is that it does not fill the need for a coffee-table-style photographic survey of the incredible shipwrecks at Bikini. That being said, Delgado's book is a nice compromise between such a coffee table book and the more comprehensive historical treatment in Jonathan Weisgall's superb book on Bikini Atoll.

Greater Nowheres is truly a remarkably entertaining travel book, informative and extremely pleasurable, a wonderful way to escape your own mundane life and travel to one of the most desolate yet beautiful places in the world that few have seen. David Finklestein and Jack London,, long time friends and travel companions take us into deep inside the Austrlian Outback where they had originally planned to study the deadly "Salties", the crocodiles that had recently regained its reputation as a man-eating reptile. But the two intrepid explorers soon found the inhabitants of the Outback infinitely more interesting, strange and exciting than the crocs. Leaving the comforts of the modern world, these very different individuals who had originally immigrated to the Outback to seek, wealth, fame, or leave behind family ties, found instead a simple life that most came to prefer. A life, that without its luxuries, or even basic necessities, suited them better. For a journey through an Australia thaat few have seen, I enjoyed this trip with a pair of guides who became my own friends and companians as they made their way through the hazardous yet beautiful land befriending Outback people who obtained peace of mind and a unique way of life in one of the most exotic terrains in the world.

Here's what newspaper and magazine critics have said about GREATER NOWHERES:

"Delightful... Finkelstein and London write well. Their account is filled with engaging descriptions of beautiful, forbidding landscapes, the tough bush boys they meet and the lore of the Godforsaken town...[Their] trip is not for every traveler. But their book is."
-Chicago Tribune

"The reason to read this book is the myriad brief encounters, many of which are hilarious."
-Los Angeles Times Book Review

"...a fine volume in the literature of unpleasant but enlightened travel."
-Outside Magazine

"Always exciting, sometimes hilarious... The perfect gift for the armchair traveler."
--Travel & Leisure

"The book is laugh-out-loud funny. [The authors] have a good ear for looney pub chatter...and a deft touch for characterization."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Authors Finkelstein and London earn a resounding wow! 'Greater Nowheres [is written] with such engaging observation, detail, style, humor and occasional salty language that readers can experience the Outback without leaving home, while laughing out loud."
--Ridgecrest (CA) News Review

"Most of this entertaining and well-written book consists of conversations with vivid characters: stockmen, aborigines, 'roo' hunters, bushrangers, pioneers, escapists, and lunatics. The humor, the resilience and 'mateship' of these free-spirited frontiersmen is evident throughout the book: unforgettable people in an unforgiving land.''
--Library Journal

"A vivid book...bound to attract attention."
--Toronto Globe and Mail

"... gives us a rare view of the bush and its extremes of weather, of distance, and of character. You'll enjoy it even if you don't get there yourself."
-New York Post

"A pleasure."
--The New York Times Book Review

And here's how a press release described it:

Talk about classic returns. Dave Finkelstein and Jack London's immensely popular, wildly funny, and critically acclaimed book GREATER NOWHERES: WANDERINGS ACROSS THE OUTBACK, which was first published almost two decades ago, is back-this time in paperback and with a new introduction by Dave Finkelstein-to give delight to a new generation of readers.

The book is a must for those with a penchant for exciting adventure tales, as well as for armchair travelers and lovers of humorous "on-the-road" stories--in this case, off-the-road, "bush-bashing" stories--here brilliantly and poignantly told by two oddly compatible traveling companions, one the Irish romantic, the other the Talmudic rationalist.

Driving a Toyota 4-wheel-drive truck and armed with snake boots, an "esky" full of beer, and an insatiable appetite for adventure, intrepid journalists Dave Finkelstein and Jack London set out into the Australian bush in pursuit of the fearsome saltwater crocodile, a huge, notoriously dangerous reptile with an equally insatiable appetite for humans.

Though the "salties" prove elusive, in their travels the authors stumble upon a diverse and outrageously entertaining cast of dinki-di Australian characters-sun-hardened men and strong-willed women--eking out an existence in the croc's hardscrabble, primordial habitat: stockmen, aborigines, "roo" hunters, bushrangers, latter-day pioneers, escapists, and outright lunatics.

In ramshackle pubs along desolate stretches of dusty track, shantytown settlements in the middle of nowhere, and million-acre cattle stations hundreds of miles from their nearest neighbors, they experience an Australia rarely seen by the average traveler: dwarf-throwing contests, cold spaghetti sandwiches, even a regional rash called "Karumba rot"-the inevitable souvenir of a visit to the forbidding Gulf of Carpentaria, with its swelteringly oppressive tropical climate.

Yet, like no other observers before them, in their celebration of the Outback and its inhabitants, the authors (described by one reviewer as "at least as amusing as the extravagant characters they meet") get to the heart and fiber of the Australian soul, to the very essence of what makes Australia the unique and marvelous country it is.

As author Jim Harrison says, "GREATER NOWHERES is an absolutely wonderful book... a classic of travel literature. It's unthinkable that anyone would go to Australia without first reading this book."

Rich in the history and geography of a vast, fascinating continent, GREATER NOWHERES is also an exploration of solitude, mateship, contemplation, and adventure.

As for bio-data on the co-authors:

DAVE FINKELSTEIN, a graduate of Harvard Law School, had a legal career distinguished only by its brevity--one month. Fluent in Mandarin, he went on to become a Chinese interpreter for the U.S.Department of State--the first language student of his generation to qualify for that position--then the Ford Foundation's first China specialist. Now a freelance writer, he has written about political and wildlife issues throughout the world. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, New York Times, and Washington Post. A flamenco guitarist and avid fisherman, he also holds an 8th degree in Okinawan karate. He lives in New York City.

Until his death in November '06, JACK LONDON lived in Key West, Florida. His work appeared in Audubon, Sports Afield, the Miami Herald, and The London Observer.

I could not put the book down once I started. It read much like the great classics Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. In fact, Dave Finkelstein's writing resembles Mark Twain's, with his colorful and vivid sense of humor. The book is must reading for those planning to visit Australia, and for adventurers in general. It is easy reading, too, and clearly defines mateship and the meaning of friendship.

Leon Day, New York City

I don't get time to read books. I'm one of those people that takes years to finish them. However I finished this one in a week. Has some hilarious moments, and provides a great insight to outback Australia. As an expat West Australian, the book made me homesick for the desolation and space that I've only found in Australia. The authors' wit and sense of humour enhanced the description of the experiences they "endured".

Anyone with the least bit of wanderlust in them will find this book thoroughly enjoyable. And even those who have never wanted to travel to far distant places also will find this an excellent read. The Outback of Australia is intriguing by itself and the alternating sections written by the authors is a clever way to get separate views of their experiences across to the reader. The history of each area blends in smoothly with their living experiences and their sense of humor adds immensely to the enjoyment of the book.

For those who are about to visit New Zealand & love waterfalls, this is the book for them. It gives good descriptions of the Waterfalls & their locations with details of how to reach them. A must have book for Waterfall-holics.

I am part-way through the production of a Hi Def Video on "Waterfalls, Brooks, Creek & Streams" that has taken me all over the US and Canada and another shoot comes up which required me to travel to Australia last month. What an opportunity! Just hop over to New Zealand and shoot some more waterfalls for my video! But how do I find them? I Googled "New Zealand Waterfalls" and up pops Johnny Cheng's beautiful book. It arrived in time for me to take on my flight. I would only have a few days to shoot in New Zealand, so needed to choose the waterfalls carefully. With all the great photos and detailed maps and directions in the book, I found it easy to make my choices. I selected my base near Fiordland on the South Island and during the limited time I was there, got terrific footage of some beautiful waterfalls. The directions, maps and distance measurments in the book were spot-on, so I didn't waste any time "searching". The shots I got of these New Zealand waterfalls are stunning in High Definition. My thanks to Johnny Cheng and his book "New Zealand Waterfalls" for helping to make my DVD even more beautiful!

I found the book "A Guide To New Zealand Waterfalls" to be one of the best waterfall books I have seen. The book is packed with color photos and maps. The layout of the book is very user friendly and well thought out. The writing is very clear and concise.

This is a must have for all waterfall lovers and anyone living in or visiting New Zealand.

Scott A. Ensminger, founder of the Western New York Waterfall Survey.

This is a very well produced, very well rounded guidebook. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of coverage of the South Island (considering how many waterfalls there are on the South Island), but given that the author lives in California, and conducted this research over a few trips to the other side of the planet, this is a commendable book. I own many books on the subject of Waterfalls and this is simply one of the best ever printed.

Nature enthusiast Johnny Cheng presents A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls, an absolutely stunning trail guide written especially for nature hikers desiring to see the pristine beauty of New Zealand's glorious waterfalls firsthand. Packed with gorgeous full-color photographs, maps, extensive text directions, an at-a-glance rating system for the different hikes categorizing them according to scenic value, hiking difficulty, and driving difficulty. A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls is very tightly focused on its subject matter and does not have any information about hotels, restaurants, and the like; little more than a brief glossary, a one-page summary of English in New Zealand, and an index round out its coverage of waterfall hikes. A truly stunning guide, unmatched in its coverage of waterfalls and filled with breathtaking photographs for the armchair traveler.

For those of you entering 'political science' as an academic major, you must read and re-read S. E. Finer's magnum opus, his three-volume set THE HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES.

You will learn how foolish our system of government is for the Twenty-First Century. It is the purpose of government to make human life tolerable and survivable. The usual nitwits in military, religion and business conspire to destroy the principle of enjoyability of life.

Since Dr. Finer has a lucid mind, he will teach you things that your own physical laziness or mental sloth would preclude you from learning. He will empower your mind. Will you use his knowledge to hurt your fellow man or to help your fellow man? A work of this genius is read more by fools and scoundrels (who wish self-enrichment at the expense of the common good or group), rather than humane, sensible minds concerned about the well-being of their society.

If you are a Political Science student and/or teacher, and you do not own a copy of this three-volume treatise---by cold logic you are a pauper, a miser or a dunce!

Respectfully,


John E.D.P. Malin, M.A. (Literae humaniores)
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
Informatica Corporation
Executive Division
P.O. Drawer 460
Cecilia, Louisiana 70521-0460

Contact: InformaticaMalin@gmail.com

Ever so often you find a book that not only deepens your insight on the topics you expect it to cover, but also gives you a wholly different perspective in a much wider field. This is such a book. This book covers the whole field of development of government. The first part gives a referencemodel for descibing government, its most important uses and the powers limiting it. This part would be a satisfying book in itself. The most fascinating parts come later. The rest of the book discusses all the governmental systems that where in some way innovative.All you ever wanted to know about goverment and but never knew that it could be so interesting. But it als gives insight in the mechanisms of power. The description of the signifcance of access to an chinese emperor and the importance that gives to humble titles as royal cupbearer etc. lets you see patterns you can see in everyday life and more important lets you enjoy them. I found the book to be full of these gems, and at the same time it maintains a clearity of focus that is amazing. The only drawback is it's size and the time it takes to think about what you have read.

This book is one of those rare works that is so very good, that you cannot really describe it: language is not rich enough to do it justice. I can do little more than quote from the review of the prestigious The Economist:

"If there were a Nobel prize for political science, Sammy Finer would deserve to win one for this extraordinary trilogy--a work of scholarship so broad in its sympathies, so ambitious in scope and so elegantly crafted that it leaves the reader gasping, literally, with astonishment and delight...[L]ikely to be read as long as Aristotle. No finer work of political science...has been published in this century."--The Economist

Finer's triumphant work of comparative government history is a rare gem. It is not often that a historical study is both deeply informative and perspective changing. This book is both. Finer does not simply outline the devolopment of government, but constructs an entirely new intellectual system for viewing, interpreting, and discussing government. From there he moves on to trace the evolution of government from Sumer to the Industrial Revolution. Every major development is explored, and many minor ones are also included.

Finer shows a mastery of every time and place in history. It is amazing that he can conver accurately and informatively Han civilization and then switch to an excellent discussion of Roman civilization. The same skill with which he reconstructs the governments of Sumer and Egypt is applied later to the constitutional monarchies and revolutionary governments in modern Europe.

Finer's masterpiece ought to be read by anyone interested in an objective study in how societies orgzanize themselves. It is a highly useful reference that should be owned by anyone who works with history on a regular basis.

This three-volume set constitutes the most stimulating and thought-provoking item I've read so far this century, and it is likely to remain so. I stumbled on it by chance in the Bookshop at the British Museum in early 2001. I read it in the United States later that spring and since then a day doesn't go by but what I remember some insight that I gleaned from it. It is history in the grand style, but with a message that is simple and powerful: people are pack animals. They will be governed -- sometimes in a haphazard or mediocre manner, often appallingly, once in a while really well. Not least among its many virtues, the set shows better than a thousand stumps speeches just what is so distinctive about the tradition of liberal democracy, and how it came into being (for more detail, pop over to the separate Amazon page for Volume 2 of this set and read the instructive comments of "Amazon Customer").

A motivational message to prospective readers who are dismayed by the prospect of a three-volume set. You don't need to read all of it to get value for your money. You don't even need to read it in sequence (I did not). Perhaps the most accessible parts are in Volume III, especially Books IV ("The Re-creation of the State in Europe) and Book V ("Pathways to the Modern State"). From there you might want to go back to Volume II, specifically Part III of Book III, more precisely still Chapter 7 on "The Republican Alternatie: Florence and Venice," followed by Chapter 8 and its magisterial discussion of "Representative Assemblies." From there a natural course is back to Volume I and its discussion of Athens and Jerusalem (Finer is particularly good on the distinctive contribution to governance from the tradition of the prophets). This is a Western-centered view, and should not be read to distrct attention from Finer's extraordinary treatment of the Chinese, the Indians and the societies of the Middle East. But these are in some sense self-contained units and can be addressed on their own terms.

This backwards progression would leave for last the stuff that Finer put first: the "Conceptual Prologue," which is perhaps better understood as a summary and analysis. But whatever route you take, surely there is no end of riches in this extraordinary capstone to a great scholarly life, well lived.

This book is the essential book about Bali. I read it 26 years ago when I first went to Bali and it still ranks as thee book about Bali. If you wish to learn about the Balinese people, their culture and religion and beliefs I highly recommend this book. jim

If you only read one book on Bali, read this one. Believe me, I'm Balinese.

Miguel Covarrubias, and his wife Rose,who were Mexican, went to Bali twice, once in 1930 for several months and again in 1933 again for several months. The first time they stayed in Denpasar, the capital, and the second time in Ubud, where I live.

They stayed with Walter Spies in Ubud,who was an extraordinary German, who had been living there for years, and who totally absorbed Balinese culture. My mother worked for him. He taught the Covarrubias's a lot.

They then wrote their book. It is regarded as the bible and all subsequent books owe a lot to it. Some things have changed, of course, but only on the surface. We are very traditional, especially in the Ubud area. The book is an excellent introduction to our rich culture.

The book discusses family and village life, rice farming, our Bali-Hindu religion, ceremonies, history, drama, art and dance.

It's very readable and the photographs and line drawings are great.

I must confess this book is thick but hey!!! It's well worth reading about for those who want to understand a little about Balinese culture as well as it's lovely people. I found it very interesting since it covered almost everything about Bali, however the book was written before World War II and well I still think it's great to have a book that is still resourceful. Even though so much has changed with Bali over the decades this book will never die surely. This is a must and is essential for those who want to have a better understanding of Bali back before World War II and they can still relate it to the present. Nothing much has changed but a few things have altered. It was like stepping back in time when I read this book... I hope everyone will enjoy the book as much as I do too... great book to have...

This is by far the best book available if you want to know about the people of Bali - their unique lifestyle, religion, customs and beliefs. Written in the 1930's, it still holds true today. The classic black and white photos are worth the price alone. The Balinese people still live a magical life that is difficult for a westerner to comprehend, unless you read a book like this.

Mexican painter Miguel Covarrubias set sail for Bali in 1931 on an optimistic personal quest to discover, absorb, and chronicle Bali's traditional living culture. Buy into the romance and seduction of Covarrubias-driven by a feverish imagination-- inexorably pulled towards and teased by the lure of Bali, half a world away. Travel back sixty-four years in time to Bali's unspoiled natural vistas-a happy, peaceful. pristine retreat standing apart from a West mired in crippling economic depression and poised on the precipice of World War II. As a fellow artist on an island with three million artists-in-residence (creativity is considered both a religious and a natural activity on Bali), Covarrubias penetrated deeply into the spirit of the dance, theatre, music, decorative arts, and pastimes of Bali.
Embellished by 114 half-tone photos and 90 drawings by the author and other Balinese artists, this essential, still-relevant classic consists of twelve chapters on the Balinese people and their civilization in the 1930s. Accompanied by painter Walter Spies, Bali's most famous expatriate resident, they roamed the countryside together with eyes, ears, and canvasses wide open, observing the local life. Covarrubias's most notable writing describes the organization of the traditional Balinese village: the markets, social order, etiquette, language, caste system, the banjar, law and justice, the courts, the subak, rice culture, and the distribution of labor. This intimate, insider's foray into every nook and cranny of his own paradise produced key chapters on everyday family life in Bali: the house, cooking, costume and adornment, childbirth, childhood, adolescence, sexual customs, and marriage.
Covarrubias explored the place of the artist in Balinese life and the development and evolution of Balinese art, crafts, sculpture, and architecture. Drama and dance are important components of Balinese life: they come alive through the village orchestras, musical instruments, classical Legong, and the ancient shadow plays. Island of Bali unveils material on priests and religion, temples and feasts, offerings and exorcisms, the Balinese calendar, and the original Bali Aga people. Written from a day when primary forests reigned supreme and witch doctors wielded terrifying power, Covarrubias delves into the cult of the Barong and Rangda, black and white magic, folk medicine, the sacrifice of widows, and death and cremation. The Balinese still lead a magical, mystical, harmonious life that is difficult for Westerners to understand unless they read a profound work like Covarrubias's Island of Bali. With an artist's sensibility and a Bali-lover's eye, Covarrubias paints a complex nirvana with words and easel in this great literary achievement.

Having been a collector, affectionate reader, and on-the-field user of Lonely Planet guidebooks during my numberless and continuous travels, I can indeed witness that this one is one of the best. Some guidebooks try to cover too much, e.g. all of West Africa or all of Central Asia, and don't do the job so well (inevitable and still better than carrying one book for each country, but to the detriment of the quality). Another common problem, is the author's favourable bias towards the country she or he is covering, as if it were the most marvelous place on Earth - I think here of the LP guidebook to Libya. In other books still, some regions are covered more in-depth than others: the Indonesia guidebook only has seven pages on East Timor, which would in fact deserve a whole chapter if not a whole book on its own ! Instead, in covering the fascinating land of Papua New Guinea, this author has done an excellent job, and not much else really needs to be added: this is indeed the Lonely Planet standard, that is to say, an excellent standard. For those who may not be familiar with it, this means excellent, up-to-date, accurate coverage of all areas of the country, with information (primary basic facts as well as further data for perfectionists) about accommodation, getting around, eating, entertainment, etc. Despite the vastity of this land and the difficulty of getting to the most remote areas, the author has managed it. The chapters on history and culture, especially in this guidebook, I find to be extremely well-written and researched. This one is indeed an excellent tool not only for the traveller but also for the armchair traveller who may wish to know more about PNG without necessarily going. It is extremely enjoyable and pleasant to read, thus combining the unrivalled qualities of a guidebook from Lonely Planet, with great information and facts about the mysterious land of Papua New Guinea.

And the only one worth carrying for independent, budget travellers, I might add.
While this book was never perfect, and I would only have rated it 4 stars even when it was brand new (because its coverage of certain areas is really sketchy, and it curiously ignores some long-established budget places to stay), the new "PNG & Solomon Islands" guide that was published in 2005 to replace it is so much worse that it makes this guide seem 5*+ in comparision.
While the new guide is almost totally written for those going to PNG to stay in ultra-expensive resorts and see the country on guided tours, this 1998 edition still has the usual, more backpacker-oriented style many readers expect from LP guides. It will tell you about budget places to stay, remote areas to explore, and in general give you ideas on getting off the beaten track and experience some of the best PNG has to offer on your own.
Of course you will find that prices have risen considerably in the past years, but once in PNG, you will quickly figure out quite how much (they are up 2-3 times in Kina terms, which means much less an increase in foreign currency).
There are also a few new (mostly upmarket) places to stay now, and some shipping routes have changed (even since the 2005 edition!).
So if you are obsessed with having the latest available information in your guide, you may also want to buy the new edition in addition to this one.
I have both, but if I had to pick only one to carry along on my next trip to PNG, I would definitely take this one.

Even though this edition is already some years old it is still THE guide for independent traveling in this awesome country.

I was traveling in 2000 for about 8 weeks in PNG and found the book a real help for getting around in a country that is far away from being touristy. Whether you are looking for a bus stop, the next spots for hiking or diving, hotel information or information on culture and religion this book has it all in detail.

Especially in this kind of less developed country every bit and piece of information in this book is worth every cent you spent for it.

We traveled to Mt. Hagen and Port Moresby last March for the first time. What a great and beautiful country, and what a perfect travel guide to orient you. While this book is nice enough to have on the shelf, ours is worn from use... and usefulness. As a bonus, it's also well-written and a great book to read!

Lonely Planet has again done a superb job combining art, graphics, maps and information in exactly the right proportions. There are a collection of excellent color and black & white photos and graphics. The history and cultural background is extensive owing to the three experienced traveler-writers. They make great use of side-bars to highlight special features and information (a trade mark of most Lonely Planet materials).

All the regions are treated pretty equally and include useful maps that otherwise would be tough to find anywhere.

If you could only buy one book in preparation for your trip, you would not have any problem making this your "Bible". It is also a great size at 5 x 7.25 x 5/8's inches and printed on high quality paper.

I will always look to Lonely Planet as my first choice in travel books.

Having spent over 30 days travelling around N. Guinea I found this book to be heaven sent. From the Highlands to the Sepik or Lae to Madang all information re: lodging, transportation,& places to see were correct and found as described in the guide. I refuse to travel abroad without my first buying the LONELY PLANET guide to help plan my trip in that country. Jerry Silverman silverj@nical.com Dobbs Ferry, New York USA

I've been a fan of Graeme Base books since I was a kid, so naturally I started expanding my original 2 book collection to share with my son.

Although the illustrations aren't as gorgeous as some of his other books (more of a scratchy/pencil/diff medium style) and every 2-page split is not colorized, they still work perfectly with the story. Really fun read, especially if you've got an eccentric gran/nana in your family.

This beautifully illustrated book set in Australia's outback has the most interesting animals I've ever seen! The multicultural theme can be used in classrooms and at home to promote an understanding of native animals of Australia, relationships with elders, women of independence, and travel. The story is beautifully written in prose and the illustrations are patterned in pencil/charcoal and brilliant pictures.

This is definitely the best picture i have ever read to my children and i would recomend it to all parents and children alike. It makes you smile and feel so content and happy as you reach the last page. The illustrations, superb, the story, edge of your seat stuff.

Recommend t for everyone, young and old.

My kids really enjoy this book. It was a gift from Grandma for my oldest son because he likes to say funny words. This book is full of funny words and names that all three of our kids love. At the end of the book, my daughter always wants to know "what happend to Grandma", so we come up with all kinds of possibilities. This is a wonderful book and is read often as our bedtime routine.

My Grandma lived in Gooligulch,
Near Bandywallop East,
A fair way north of Murrumbum
(Five hundred miles at least)...

In Sydney and in Melbourne Town,
They all knew Grandma's name,
And all about the animals,
That Grandma used to tame.

THe Australian place names and the premise of the Grandma taming exotic animals (exotic to most non-Australians kids) is as colorful as Grame Base's 11 2-page spreads. The story concerns Grandma (while we're told that everyone "knew her name," we're never told what it is), her taming, training, and befriending of wombats, kangaroos, dingos, goannas and local birds, including kookaburras, galahs, magpies, and coots. The color pictures are beautiful and often wonderfully improbable: A goanna (some kind of reptile) is shown in an easy cair, quaffing some type of drink (Foster's?), while he and a dingo (wild dog) watch a rat balance an Australian coin.

After introducing the animals who overrun Grandma's house, Base's brief plot concerns Grandma's journey (via pelican) over the desert sands and mountins, "until at dusk they reached a place, Where giant tree-ferns grew. There's a lush picture of this riverbank oasis, followed by a dark, fun/scary night illustration of the wombats--their eyes open in fear--"looking nervously around...for a wombat-eating snake." Grandma and pelican journey to next to the sea, where she dons "frilly bathing gear," and rides the waves on a blowup sea-dragon.

HOwever, things take an unexpected turn when Base decides that Grandma will be taken by the tide: "ANnd no-one's seen my Grandma/Even to this very day." This sudden disappearance is tempered by the narrator's speculation that Grandma probably landed on an island and thence to England , Spain, San Francisco, or Tingoor, or (her best bet), that Grandma's "back in Gooligulch, just like before." While the fantasy elements of the book make Grandma's fate less important, and the narrator's speculation more plausible, this turn of events may make the book somewhat unsettling for toddlers, restricting the book's audience to those around the ages 4-9 or so. You'll have to use your judgement. There's no hint that Grandma had a disaster, she pictured (in the narrator's fantasy taming animals "in thejungles of Tingoor" an d heading to San Francisco "On a Western Union train." Still, you might want to consider whrther the ambiguity of what happened to Grandma will be upsetting to your readers. Still, in keeping with the light, silly narrative poem (which is very imaginative and well-written), I think a zanier, more explicit conclusion would have been a better fit.

The other non-color picture are a monochromatic dark brown, made interesting by Base's lined shadings. Unfortunately, these are sometimes too dense, his most effective picture leave more "white space." In addition, Base introduces some of the animals without a nearby reference illustration: You have to go to the inside of the front cover to get the key to the two-page illustration of all the animals located inside the back cover! This is a little inconvenient. Overall, a very good book, with excellent color illustrations, and a clever poetic narrative that will draw engage individuals kids or in group reading.

"POLYNESIAN INTERCONNECTIONS" celebrates the unity of one Polynesian family related to Europeans, Asians and Aborigines Africans through their ancient heritage and genetics. The term Polynesian means 'many islands' or 'many races.' The Polynesians came from an ancient family of intermixed races and today we share our 'ohana' with all peoples of the world. We are one family, the human family, the Polynesian family. To the world we say 'ALOHA' and may the love and spirit of family bring happiness and prosperity into our lives.

Polynesian Interconnections is a mix of the latest scientific information,mixed with Archaeology, Anthropology, Biology, Morphology, Genetics & Linguistics to educate and to analyze the inter-relatedness of the Polynesian people from Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Marquesas, and the Cook Islands. Author, AhChing, looked for the most current research from the University of Hawai'i to write this book; his style makes for easy reading that is both enjoyable and thought provoking. The book also has its share of drama, as it seeks to address topics that those outside of the Polynesian community might not have known were so controversial... like the idea of a Samoan playing the lead role of Kamehameha the Great, if a movie were ever to be made. Polynesian Interconnections addresses this issue along with many others, and Author, AhChing clearly states his perspective. The editorial reviews for his book state, "This book should be read by all school age children & discussed with friends & family. A great education reference book and a solid foundation for tomorrow's generation." Pick up a copy and decide for yourself.

Polynesian Interconnections. 2004 books are now in the Hawaii State Archives 2005. (1) These books were featured on Hawaii State-wide KHON 2, Channel 2 morning news, October 12, 2004. (2) Hawaii State Archives, library collections. October 6, 2004. (3) Hawaii Medical Library, Queens Medical Center, Honolulu. November 1, 2004. (808-536-9302). (4) University of Hawaii Library System Network (808-956-8111). This is a tremendous accomplishment for a well written book which seeks to educate and entertain. Well done!

A delightful read! This book is quite an interesting read for my husband and I. We visit Hawaii every year and we always wondered about the native people of the Polynesian islands who danced and entertained us while vacationing. We have a delightful understanding who the Polynesians are now through this easy to comprehend yet captivating book written by Peter Leiataua AhChing. A great educational piece of Hawaiian and Polynesian literature which seeks to educate about the Polynesian islands and the native peoples. Well the Kamehameha movie should be very interesting for all Polynesians, especially to Samoans and Hawaiians.

I also recommend:?(1) The Legends and Myths of Hawaii. (2) Polynesian Interconnections, 2nd edition at Lulu Press, Inc. Great reading material.

Awesome educational book, wow! This book clearly explains things about the Polynesian islands that were for a long time a blur, a mystery or confused by many people and Polynesians at large, like us in California. We live in San Francisco but we love Hawaii and its local people. We got this book from the Book Publisher: Lulu Press, Inc. and we are happy that it's now selling nationwide for all the world to read about the people of Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Marquesas, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and their connections.

It has drama and controversy that is later resolved, it is a controversy in Hawaii that we never knew about until reading this book. It was definitely an interesting read and a great book for native Polynesians to understand how their islands are related to each other. Great work Mr. Peter Leiataua AhChing, continue the good work. Hope Dwayne Johnson does make the King Kamehameha movie. We would definitely go see it in the theatres. Can't wait to read your next book.