Oceania Books

Longtime denizens of Perth can appreciate how much the metropolitan area has grown in recent decades. This up to date map gives all the major suburbs and highways. Useful for outsiders.

Note the inexorable spread of the perimeter. Once, suburbs like Bateman were at the southern edge of town. Now they are squarely in the interior. In fact, going south you can see suburbia marching towards Mandurah and Bunbury. Also take a look at how Yanchep to the north is coming within focus. And whereas once, decades ago, Freo was its own self, now it's just another suburb. Greater Perth is not one filled urban clot, yet, mind you. But the trend is unmistakable.

If you love marsupials, check out this book! It's fairly comprehensive, with photographs for nearly every species.

The only thing I dislike somewhat about this book is it's small, narrow "field guide" format which means that it's a little awkward to actually sit down and study, and many of the photos are too small to be used as anything but a basic visual reference.

Nevertheless, anybody who collects photographic field guides, likes good pictures of animals, or wants to learn more about Australian wildlife should pick up a copy of this book.

Hardback, 11.75 x 9.25 " , 152 Pages, 110 Objects which were at one time in the collection of Pablo Picasso. Of great historical influence in modern art, these tribal art pieces are generally well illustrated in full-page color photographs. Well-researched and informative text, with every object individually descibed.

This book covers the three Pidgin languages of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu - three of the most diverse, fascinating and unspoilt countries in the South Pacific. While English is spoken by many people in all the three, the Pidgins described here are the lingua franca in each, and I found that locals were very happy to hear me speak them. Each of the three languages is introduced by a good description of its grammar (don't worry, easy and similar in all three) and pronunciation, followed by useful phrases arranged thematically.

And here comes my only complaint - I would have preferred more phrases, and perhaps short dictionary listings for all the three languages. Space for that could have been found by omitting what seems a waste here to me - descriptions of two obscure pidgin languages of Australia, which are also included in LP's Australian Phrasebook (where they logicaly belong) anyway.

Still, within the confines of its limited space, this little book is excellent.
If you are lucky enough to travel to these charming archipelagos, don't leave home without it!

Interesting book but a little out dated (the Challenger disaster being the big news of the book). The book is divided into themes for chapters. There are chapters on what it's like to be in space, how much better the human eye is than the camera, how basic human needs are taken care of in space (and what is done with the waste), etc. The writing is a little choppy, cutting between eras as needed for the thread of the theme, rather than smoothly segueing through eras or different missions to space. I found that style of writing the most difficult piece of the book. By about chapter four, I was finally in synch with the book and able to read more quickly.

My fiance and i were fortunate enough to holiday in the Cooks for 2 weeks in January 07. In the lead up to our trip i purchased this guide and studied it carefully. All the sections were well written and comprehensive. The history and environment section made for interesting background reading and helped to get an idea of life back in the old days as well as the current situation.
The section dealing with Rarotonga and its capital Avarua, as a whole was useful and the information (sights, accomodation, where to eat/drink and shop, other amenities) for the most part (95%) accurate - even prices more or less. We did a daytrip to Aitutaki and that section was also quite good. There were also sections on all the other Southern & Northern group islands but i cannot comment as we did not go to any of these. Still made interesting reading though. The maps were also accurate and well detailed.
One thing i would disagree with is attemting to do the main cross island hike on your own. It is possible but there are no signposts, and the trail itself is quite difficult to find and follow in places, not to mention quite treacherous and hard going in the wet season. We went with Pa a local guide and it was a wise decision as many people have been injured or worse attempting this hike.
Other than this, my main gripe is with actual construction of this book. The plastic coating on the cover started to peel soon after purchase and the pages are starting to come loose from the spine. All this without any heavy duty wear and tear. I think Lonely Planet need to increase their quality control and improve the construction of their guides so that they do stand up to more rigorous use, after all that's what they are for.

The Rest of Us isn't really about the 'rest of us', it's mostly about the American Jewish experience through the lives of those Russian immigrants who became famous in America. This emphasis can be forgiven, because the famous are the people that most of us want to read about and identify with. You get a peek at the turn of the century Lower East Side community, and gain an understanding of how very reformed Jewish traditions and entrepreneurial opportunity for Jewish immigrants got a jump start in a free country. I would have liked to have heard the author debunk the myth that all Jewish immigrant families wind up rich in this country, however. Enjoyed the insights regarding the clash bewtween German and Russian Jewish comminities and influences.

This is simply a map of Australia and a good one. With all of the interest in Australia due to the Olympics, it is helpful to be able to locate the places frequently refered to in the media. Easy to read with some city center maps. Good legend. Thanks!

Robert Menzies was a conservative Australian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1939 to 1941 when he surpringly resigned. At this time the Australian Labour party won office and dominated politics for the next eight years. Menzies built up a new party to regain power which he called the Liberal Party. He also developed an ideology to appeal to the forgoten people. That is he positioned his conservative party to appeal to the middle class rather than having it to closely aligned with big business.

Volume one of this biography concerns his early years and his career up to 1941. He was born in a country town and came from a poor family. He was able to get a university eduction and became a succesful lawyer and state politician before moving to the federal sphere. He did not serve in the first world war although his brothers did.

The book is actually by an author who has more sympathy with the labour side of politics rather than the conservative. Never the less it is a reasonable portrait of the man and also the period. One of the better Australian political biographies.

Romancing the Islands is a thoroughly delightful read. Kim Gravelle has a great deal of regard for the people and the islands of the South Pacific, and it shows in this book. For those who have travelled the Pacific, his stories of island encounters will bring back wonderful memories. His tales, of warm and hospitable people, beautiful but sometimes harsh, landscapes and incidences and lifestyles quite unlike any encountered at home, are told with humour and affection. It makes one want to head out right away to experience the adventure of a lifetime. I thoroughly recommend this book to traveler and armchair traveler alike.