Oceania Books

Noted historian J. David Markham has made a significant contribution to our understanding of Napoleon's time in exile on the South Atlantic island of St Helena. Published in its entirety in English for the first time, Verling's journal offers fresh insight into the theater of the absurd that was life on St Helena. Add to that Markham's insightful commentary and a collection of important letters involving Verling, and you have a book that should be read by anyone interested in the subject.

Having sent the fallen Emperor Napoleon into exile on the isolated, wind-swept rock of St, Helena, the British needed to provide Napoleon with a doctor who could attend to the exile's medical needs, as well as provide testimony to Napoleon's good care and healthful situation and, preferably, serve as a source of information on what occurred in Napoleon's household. There was good reason to be concerned that Napoleon was treated well. Journalist and reformer William Cobbett announced that sending Napoleon into exile at St. Helena "would stink in the nostrils of the world for ages to come." Another critic saw Napoleon's exile as "a death sufficiently slow to be apparently natural."

Napoleon's first doctor in exile was the Irish naval surgeon Barry Edward O'Meara. Sir Hudson Lowe, the British governor of St. Helena and Napoleon's gaoler, had O'Meara removed from his position in 1818 for essentially becoming in his eyes an homme de l' Empereur and specifically for repeating conversations he was privy to among the British to Napoleon and his party. Dr. James Roche Verling, born in 1787 in Ireland and graduated from Edinburgh University, had served as a surgeon with the army during the Peninsular War and was sent aboard the Northumberland, the ship that transported Napoleon to St. Helena, as surgeon to the Ordnance. It was on this long voyage that Verling first made the acquaintance of members of Napoleon's party. Verling was picked by Lowe to replace O'Meara.

Napoleon refused to see any doctor sent by Lowe who would not agree to certain stipulations, which included, within the limits of the doctor's honor (by which Napoleon specifically meant his physician was free to report any talk of an attempted escape by Napoleon, but was to keep other conversations confidential), not to act as a spy for the governor. Count Montholon, in making proposals to Verling explicitly stated that Verling "would not be required to do anything which might compromise [Verling] before any tribunal." Verling for his part felt that "the only mode I know of obtaining [Napoleon's acceptance], and of which the governor was aware, seem now to throw a shade of suspicion upon my character."

Dr. John Stokoe, another naval surgeon, was chosen instead. Gov. Lowe instructed Verling to accompany Stokoe on his visits to Napoleon, a situation, which would undoubtedly further raise Napoleon's suspicions of Verling as a creature of the Governor. Stokoe, agreeing to Napoleon's stipulations, quickly fell afoul of the governor, was court-martialed and forced to leave the service. Interest turned again to Verling to serve as Napoleon's physician. Verling had continued to serve as doctor to the Bertrands and Montholons.

Verling could not have been too pleased to be tapped for such a sensitive and apparently dangerous position. Obviously no good could come from taking a position that would put him between the rock and the hard place of the Governor and Napoleon. In the end Dr. Verling never did serve as Napoleon's physician though he did continue to serve those around the former Emperor. Eventually Dr. Francesco Antommarchi, a Corsican anatomist selected by Napoleon's mother and uncle, was sent to St. Helena to serve as physician to Napoleon, freeing Verling from an untenable position. Of Antommarchi, Napoleon opined, "I would give him my horse to dissect, but I would not trust him with the cure of my own foot." With Antommarchi's arrival however, Verling was able to quit St. Helena and return to Britain, continuing his medical career.

The original journal had passed down in the Verling family until it came into the possession of a nephew who was a naval surgeon. This nephew left the journal on board a ship shortly before he died. The journal was later presented to Napoleon III. In 1915 a transcript of the journal was made and a copy deposited in the Bodleian Library, where J. David Markham first read it. According to Markham, Verling's journal is the last major document concerning Napoleon's exile on St. Helena that remained unpublished.

Dr. Verling's journal reads more as an aide-mémoire against the possibility of some future legal proceeding that might arise in consequence of his duties than as a record of his inner thoughts. One gets the distinct feeling that Verling would rather not have been placed in this circumstance at all. Verling doesn't record much of his own feelings or impressions but records instead what was said or written to him by those in the British administration on the island and by the French at Longwood. Verling was painfully aware that being physician to Napoleon held "more prospects of ultimate injury than benefit." The journal doesn't include any great revelations, but gives the reader another impression of Napoleon's final days.

Verling was obviously reluctant to place himself in any situation where he could be accused of favoring the Emperor's party or acting in their interest. Verling knew it was in his interest to avoid both sin and the near occasion of sin. At one point he sends back to Madame Bertrand a tea service she had given him, going at once to Gov. Lowe to inform him of the gift and that he had returned it. Verling would not accept a blanket pass from Lowe to attend to the inhabitants at Longwood, requesting from the Governor specific orders to attend his patients.

What ever Lowe's opinion of Verling, which at times seemed strained and at other times formally correct, he at one point was writing to Lord Bathurst, the British official responsible for Napoleon's captivity, of his concerns that Verling was Irish and Catholic. Lowe described Verling as not only "fully competent" as a physician, but "activated by right principles." Lowe praised particularly "the resistance [Verling] has shown to all design on the part of the persons at Longwood." While Verling did not quite act the spy, he made sure to keep Lowe informed of any relations he had with the French. Verling's intentions seem to be to protect himself and he was quick to report all matter of things he heard while treating the Montholons and the Bertrands. Verling apparently had the expectation of returning to Europe after three years serving with the Ordinance and by March 1819 that period was almost at an end. This light at the end of the tunnel might well have been a deciding factor in his reluctance at that point to become Napoleon's physician.

Markham includes with the journal a number of letters concerning Verling on St. Helena from British archives. Some of these letters are versions of letters Verling transcribed in his journal. Frequently there will be differences between the letters themselves and the versions given by Verling, which makes for interesting comparison. To the journal and letters Markham has added an introduction discussing Napoleon's last days in France, his journey to St. Helena and information on his doctors on the island. Also included are capsule sketches of the chief individuals mentioned in the text, as well as the principal locations on the island. Illustrations of many of the principals, as well as scenes of St. Helena are included.

I'm in agreement with the reviewer who wrote that this book is mostly about traditional not modern architecture and design. When I got this book, I was hoping that contempory would mean modern and upscale. This book does not deliver any of that and the book cover photo is not the type of designs that are found in the rest of the book so I was terribly disappointed. Eventually, I grew to tolerate the traditional design photos ( which are mostly of churches, huts, cane worker houses and store shacks), but if you're looking for upscale design ideas, select another book and relegate this one to a fond look at old, dilapidated island style.

In Pacific Island Style, Glenn Jowitt and Peter Shaw collaborate to showcase contemporary Pacific styes lending cultures from the many islands of the South Pacific with their various colonial influences. Jowitt and Shaw explore both the traditional architecture and crafts of the region as well as contemporary design concepts. the use of attractive and natural materials, environment-enhancing designs, indoor-outdoor living arrangements are all trademarks of the Pacific Island style and to be found world wide. Pacific Island Style covers Samoa, Niue, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. Pacific Island Style admirably serves as a source of architectural and interior design references and ideas for anyone seeking to incorporate the islands' peaceful, natural style amidst modern surroundings. Pacific Island Style is a highly recommended addition to any personal or professional design library collection.

128 pages of pure JOY.

Mr. Allward has given Pitcairn/Bounty fans something to treasure and refer to again and again. This book is loaded with illustrations and photographs. For me, the photo of beloved Pitcairner Reynold Warren was worth the cost of the book many times over.

Buy one for yourself and another to share with your local library.

I love Pitcairn folklore as much as the rest of us, but this book is primarily filled with pictures. If you are looking for a historical account of Pitcairn and The Bounty, I would keep looking.

After one year of travelling around Australia, I returned home to Ireland fascinated by Aborigine, Mauri and Polynesian culture. A friend gave me a gift of Bewick's book. I like art, but when representing a culture so far removed from my own I always think that photography is liable to be a more loyal medium in representing the culture in question. Bewick surprises me, she manages to imbue the whole atmosphere of a foreign culture through her paintings. There is something subtly sensual about her work. It is bright, alive & alert. She does not appear to be one of those artists that tries desperatley to throw her spectators into the depths of psycho-analysis. What you see is what you get. A great book, a real 'sit back and let the South Seas flow through you'. A must on any coffee table !

Pauline Bewick, an Irish artist who has travelled all over the world and is inspired by what she sees, living in Ireland with her husband, and lives in the heart of Tuscany during the summer. Pauline has shown intrest in art since she was two, her mother, Harry, also an artist, kept all her work since she was two, and Pauline had a retrospective exhibition of her works from when she was two until her late forties. This retrospective exhibition took place in The Guinness Hop store in Dublin. In 1988 Pauline went to the South Seas with her two daughters, also artists, to work on her next exhibition.She went home to Ireland and began working on her south seas book.Pauline returned to the South Seas for another year to work on the book.In this book you will see Paulines unique paintings and read about the Maouri way of life and learn about their legends,- very interesting.Definitely a book to buy if you can't afford to buy her paintings. In 1995 Pauline had a large exhibition, called the 'The Yellow Man', Pauline created this creature while doodling in Italy, and went on to create hundreds of pieces based on this creature includind 75 ceramic pieces which she painted in Rampini Studios in Tuscany. Pauline is now preparing for an exhibition in Dublin on September 1999.The exhibition includes her very colourful series of 'Laughing Women" and her series of African Eve's with their babies, inspired by both her daughters becoming mothers,and Charles Darwins theory of the human race beginning in Africa.

This is a fantastic book. All very useful information, hard to find all in one place. I don't know of any similar work for the general reader.

Nothing compares to being able to know that an animal you rarely or never see actually lives in an area and has passed by recently. The descriptions of footprints and the drawings were clear enough that I was able to determine an exact species from macropod (from a good set of prints) on the basis on the footprint alone. This also matched up with the expected distribution for this species (also shown in the book, next to its scat picture). I haven't come across any random bones in the bush yet to be able to identify from the descriptions given in the book, but the section on bones is as clear and concise as the rest of the book.

The coverage of other sorts of signs (scraping, scratch marks, etc) is also quite handy and clear.

There are some improvements I would like to see in any future editions. I would like to see a scale marker in *every* single scat picture. This would be preferable to taking all the photos at the same scale (which they mostly seem to be) because at that scale the droppings of the bats become very hard to distinguish. The *ideal* I think would be to have all the pictures at 'life size' from a particular distance, with a zoomed-in picture with a scale marker.

*All* the pictures should be in colour (except the skeletal pictures). Each scat should have a description, and a picture of an unbroken and a broken pellet. Some are like this, but not all. The description for the scat could describe the changes in the scat throughout the year as the diet of the animal changes. This could at least be done for all the common and well-known animals.

The other problem with the scat pictures is that they are of varying ages. The colour changes greatly with age (very fresh = very green, aging to various shades of brown). Some of the pictures are of semi-fresh scats, and the others are quite old.

However, these issues do not detract from the usefulness or quality of this edition - I just hope to see some extra features in any future editions!

It is a massive task to collect all this information and pictures, and even though this book is the only one of its kind that I know of for general readers, I am sure that if there were other books on the same topic, this would still stand out as a high quality and invaluable resource for australian naturalists!

This is an extremely useful field guide for lovers of wildlife in Australia. Many animals are nocturnal and leave only small clues to their presence. With this guide I have been able to sleuth out a number of previously unobserved species. The descriptions of tracks, scats and traces are clear and thorough and there are many useful photographs, illustrations and distribution maps.

My familiarity with architectural studies stems from 3 years as a graduate student. Most architectural studies are "biased" to western history an organized in chronological order. Traditions in Architecture takes a fresh approach by focusing on a rich source of architectural precedence in the early America, Asia, Africa and the far east. The organization is thematic, rather than chronological covering such diverse topics as fixed versus mobile living spaces, vernacular materials, construction methods, sacred spaces, and so much more.

The only reason that I did not give the work 5 stars is that many of the pictures (all black and white) lacked clarity. I do not know whether this was due to poor originals or poor reproduction; however, the details often are necessary to untderstand the full impact of the works.

As UCLA professors, Crouch and Johnson give much credit to their students' work and input. This appears to be a work that has been a culmination of years of study with much independent input. I highly recommend it as a "first" to take this approach and to cover such a wide breadth of topics in one volume.

Although the book was written as a textbook for a course in non-western traditions in architectural history, it may be of considerable interest to anyone traveling to parts of Asia, Africa and Oceania. The authors' approach is largely descriptive, and the illustrations both plentiful and very good, so one may be a little impatient that the verbal descriptions rarely provide much information that is not apparent from the photos and drawings; but this is, after all, a textbook, and if you will grant that allowance, it is well-worth your time.
     The architectural traditions covered are contemporary as well as ancient, grand as well as domestic and, throughout, the authors treat the sacred and symbolic traditions of the culture, insofar as they are known or may be inferred, as they bear on the built environment. The book is organized thematically, rather than chronologically or geographically. Among the themes: moveable, stationary and underground dwellings; the impact of colonialism on native structures; the transfer of traditional architectural knowledge; and spatial organization, from courtyards to the axial alignments of cities. The focus is on three categories of structures: professionally designed and built monuments, houses erected by traditional building tradesmen, and structures that ordinary people build for their own use. The overarching theme is that architecture expresses cultural values as well as technology, and it illustrates that theme with an exceptionally wide range of examples.
     In the single area of the book where I have a fairly solid background, the Anasazi/Puebloan architecture of the Southwest, the scholarship is current and sound. Interesting and highly informative.

The amazing journey of the ill-fated Dutch VOC ship, Batavia, in 1629, is painstakingly researched and realized in this fine historical epic. History, like this, is unimaginable in the modern sense, though it is evident today in ethnic purging and ruined cultures. The tale of Francisco Pelsaert's incredible survival through adversity where mutiny and massacre would be the rule of the day is high drama. Ms Brockman became the leading investigator in solving the whereabouts of this lost and infamous shipwreck off the coast of West Australia.Her information is gleaned primarily from eyewitness accounts and the diary of Pelsaert to conclude a fascinating chapter seafaring history. Truly, there is no story quite like it anywhere.

Henrietta Drake-Brockman, an Australian novelist who died almost 40 years ago, wrote this book in the late 50s and early 60s - before the Batavia's wreck site was discovered, and the bodies of the men and women who became the victims of a subsequent bloody mutiny were exhumed. It was also a time before email, cheap intercontinental phone calls, and every day air travel. In such circumstances, the fact that the author was able to correctly identify where the East Indiaman was wrecked, and arrange, via letter, for so much detailed research to be conducted in the Netherlands, India and Indonesia can only arouse great admiration. Voyage to Disaster presents the fruits of that research: the first complete English language translation of Francisco Pelsaert's journals (the orginals are in the main Dutch staste archive at The Hague), with supporting material from repositories in Amsterdam and Leiden.

The book divides into two parts. The first consists of a series of thematic chapters covering what could be discovered of the ship, its voyage, and the principal men and women on board. The second comprises a complete translation of the journals, with several supporting appendices. What is missing is any real connecting story - surprisingly, given Drake-Brockman's career as an author, the book has no real narrative and fails, really, to convey the unprecedented drama of the Batavia's wreck and the appalling events that followed it. Drake-Brockman failed, in addition, to uncover any new information concerning Jeronimus Cornelisz, the principal villain of the piece, and he consequently appears as something of a subsidiary character in what should really be his own story.

Voyage to Disaster, then, is an invaluable source book and an important work for anyone interested in the development of the Batavia's story. It is not a narrative history, nor an easy book to read. Recommended for serious students of the subject rather than casual browsers.

Judith Clarkeýs most recent book, Wolf on the Fold, depicts an Australian familyýs life-time of struggles over a period of seventy years. Clarke, being born and raised in Australia, portrays life in this country most accurately. In the book, she accounts for how this nation was affected by the trials and tribulations of events such as the Great Depression all the way to current problems with Iraq. Clarkeýs amazing style of writing and fascinating stories will keep the reader intrigued till the end.
The story progresses from generation to generation. Clarke begins with the familyýs struggle to stay afloat during the time of the Great Depression. After the childrenýsý father dies, the oldest son, Kenny, is responsible for getting a job and supporting his family at the age of fourteen. The story then jumps to the 1950ýs; Kenny is now a father with two girls of his own, Clightie and Frances. The girls live through a typical summer in the 1950ýs while caring for their mentally insane Aunty May. The girls follow their crazy aunt on hilarious outings throughout their home town. Clarke continues this style of writing all the way up until the 1980ýs.
The story then begins telling of more recent events. Frances moves to Israel at the age of thirty-six during the time that Saddam Hussein is in total power. She teaches English to children and soldiers and has a son by the name of Gabriel. One day at the market, Gabriel begins yelling, ýSaddam Hussein is a loony.ý At this point, Frances is terrified for both of their lives, and is thankful when they are not stoned to death. Clightie remains in Australia and gets married.
The books then jumps to a story of Clightieýs grandson, James. James hears his mother and father arguing every night, and try as he may, he cannot hide the fighting from his younger brother, Davie. Jamesý greatest fear is that his whole family will fall apart around him; that one day they will all be gone. Clarke does an amazing job tying serious problems, such as a family on the brink of extinction, with everyday family problems, such as a ten year old listening to his mother and father argue.
Clarkeýs amazing style of writing is intriguing and humbling. By the end of the book, the reader sees how many struggles that they personally may or may not have had to go through. She shows life through a perspective of just how many trials one can overcome. Clarke uses similes such as ýthe air was as whole as milký to allow the reader to feel the severity of the situations. Through Clarkeýs vivid descriptions and realistic accounts, the reader feels as if they are actually part of the story.
Thus, the story is a vivid account of one familyýs difficulty to survive. The title, Wolf on the Fold, is to symbolize a wolf attacking a flock, such as the problems that attack this family. The storyýs title comes from lines in a poem that Kenny is forced to memorize. One day, when Kenny finds himself in trouble, the lines of that poem are the only thing he can think of. ýLines of a poem heýd learned at school flashed into Kennyýs mind: ýThe Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold; / And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold.ý The situations that occur in this book are real, serious and crucial problems, just like a wolf on attack. Clarke does a wonderful job portraying the harshness of these peopleýs lives, and how they strive to overcome.

So many beautiful images in this book. Kenny's mum waving goodbye as her 14 year old son sets off to look for work after his father has died... The words of the poem that flashed through Kenny's mind that kept the stranger in the firelight from hurting him... Vonny Cooney trying to teach Daffy Kevin to read... Gabriel's luscious figs in a basket of green leaves in the market in Jerusalem... And the power of Kenny's words, coming down through 70 years of time, "Ride on James! Just keep riding on"!
This book gave me goosebumps. The Aussie's never let me down!

I got this book as a gift and loved it so much that I bought the others in the series (earrings, rings, bracelets). The photos are gorgeous, full-page color beauties and the detailed notes that correspond with each photo are easily found in the back section of the book (where they don't interfere with the photos). If you love jewelry and love learning about ethnic pieces, you'll enjoy this book.

In my opinion, this book was much larger than it really needed to be and therefore more expensive than it really needed to be. I felt like I was seeing some of the same pictures over and over again. I actually looked back a few times to make sure it wasn't the same necklace. The best necklace is actually pictured on the cover, which i guess would make sense. However, I was hoping for more necklaces as interesting as that one on the inside. Many are very nice and have excellent detail, but it actually got boring seeing so many similar items. I wish it would have contained less of the same stuff so that it could have been more reasonably priced. Overall it is a nice book (beautiful photography, nice paper and binding) as long as you don't mind spending that much money. After spending as much on the book as I did, I did not feel I got my money's worth. I can't imagine paying full price for the book. I expected much more for that price.

I find it interesting that nobody has posted a review of this book. Perhaps they finish the book and immediatly leave for the South Pacific, they are all nibbling on lobster somewhere in the Marquesas, waiting for global warming to wash them to higher ground. Well, the South Pacific certainly conjurs up a picture in most minds of palm trees, scantily clad natives and warm tropical breezes. These stories will enforce some of these beliefs and dispel some of the others. Paradise is fairly elusive and the lack of civilization that is much of the draw of paradise can turn around and bite you in the posterior.

I admit that I hand picked the stories initially reading some of my favorite island commentators, so I started with Laurence Shames, Thurston Clarke, Eugene Burdick, J. Maarten Troost and P.F Kluge. My favorite story was Eugene Burdick's "The Black & The White" an engaging tale of lessons learned in paradise. I will reveal nothing of the story, but it is a surprising tale from a different perspective.

All in all the book relies on Islands magazine for a lot of the stories, so if you are a long time reader of the magazine, you will have read the majority of the stories. The stories are engaging and well constructed, hopefully your interest will be aroused and you will further investigate the region. The South Pacific is a wonderful place, much of it has changed very little in the last fifty years. My hope as a travelwriter that covers this region, is that the stories work as kindling, wetting your appetite to read more and eventually visit the region.