Oceania Books

This is more of a suggestion for reading rather than a review: read the book from beginning to end because the editors have done a splendid job of organizing the essays to present a coherent and colorful view of Hawaii. I don't know of a better contemporary look into what has attracted tourists to the islands since the first Polynesians arrived. While not exactly a travel guide, it is a map for how one might travel. As a cultural anthropologist, I enjoyed hearing the many voices telling the stories of this Pacific crossroads. The book belongs to the best tradition of the Hawaiian impulse to talk story.

Its really good to know that we have an amazing country with amazing people. I am glad to be living in such a country.

Among the early products of the wonderful Library of America Series were three volumes devoted to the novels of Herman Melville. This volume consists of Melville's first three novels, Typee(1846), Omoo(1847) and Mardi (1849)

Melville's novels are based, more or less loosely, on his life at sea. The first two novels describe voyages to the Marquesas and to Tahiti. They are filled with lush descriptions of scenery, and tales of adventure. Of the two, Typee is filled with encounters with cannibals and Polynesian maidens while Omoo presents a wider canvas of characters and scenes. Both books emphasize the sexual openness and relative simplicity of Polynesian life as compared to life in the United States and both books are critical as well of attempts to Christianize the islanders. These are not unusual themes today and probably were not as radical in the 1840s as one might suppose. The stories are well told and the descriptions alluring. These books made Mellville's reputation as a young writer.

Mardi, however, is the gem of this collection. Its relationship to the earlier novels can be analogized, say, to the relationship between the young Beethoven's first symphony on the one hand and the growth of language and thought in the second and third symphonies on the other hand. Melville prefaces the book with the note that his first two books were fact-based but were received with "incredulity" while Mardi was pure romance and "might be recieved for a verity." (Little likelihood of that)

The book as in a baroque, ornate, and bravado style that Melville would bring to completion in Moby Dick. It is an allegory involving the search for Yillah, a strange, mthical maiden, through the seas of Mardi -- Polynesian for "the world". The narrator is accompanied by King Media, by the philosopher Babbalanja, the singer Yoomi, and the historian Mohi. There are many wonderfully exasperating discussions. They wander far and wide in search of Yillah and in there wandering we here many religious allegories and many depictions of the Europe and United States of Melville's own time. There are shadowy maidens, villans, long scenes in the empty wide ocean, and pages of Melvillian thought and bluster.

The book is high American romanticism and presents a religious and personal quest by the narrator that resounds of similar quests by many in our own day. For example, there is a famous unfinished novel of the religious quest called Mount Analogue by a French writer, Duhamel, which fits quite compactly into just a few chapters of Mardi. Mardi is a long, maddenlingly difficult book but worth the effort.

Americans can learn about themselves by learning about their literature and this book is a fitting place to start (or continue). For those with the patience, it is worth reading these books in order (perhaps with other reading sandwiched in between) to discover the growth of a great and troubled American writer and chronicler of the inward life, as well as of sea journeys.

This book is great, it provided me with the enormous amount of information needed to help me research about Afghanistan and learn more about my country.

College-level collections will find Historical Dictionary of India a powerful addition to the series of historical dictionaries of Asia and the Mid-East: its updated second edition offers over a hundred new cross-referenced dictionary entries, much of which cover the last decade, and other updates add new research, revise the chronology of events, and expand the introduction. Listings do more than provide a paragraph of detail: history and biography embrace pages of detail, at times, and are packed with in-depth coverage suitable for reports.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Historical Dictionary of Iraq begins with the earliest civilizations and covers the periods that followed, ranging from the history of ancient Mesopotamia to the Abbasid Empire to present-day Iraq. Included are a historical overview; a country profile; a review of the economy, oil, fauna, and political institutions; coverage of the Iran-Iraq War, the Kuwait invasion, the second Gulf War, and other conflicts. The major ethnic groups, such as the Kurds, Turkumans, and Assyrians; Islam and Muslim sects, Christianity and Christian sects, as well as other religious groups; are profiled. Dictionary entries also highlight the main political, religious, and ideological parties, groups, and organizations; major historical personalities; languages; literature; and cultural elements. A broad range of topics, both ancient and modern, are dealt with throughout the introduction and the dictionary, and a comprehensive bibliography complements this extensive historical reference.
The general purpose of this dictionary is to cover a number of diverse subjects ranging from the history of ancient Mesopotamia to the `Abbasid Empire to present-day Iraq . It includes a historical overview, a country profile, the economy, oil, fauna, political institution, the Iran-`Iraq war, the Kuwait invasion, and the second Gulf War and other conflicts. It also covers the major ethnic groups such as the Kurds, the Turkumans and the Assyrians, Islam and Muslim sects, Christianity and Christian sects, as well as other religious groups. The dictionary highlights the main political, religious, and ideological parties, groups, and organizations; major historical personalities; languages; literature; culture; a comprehensive bibliography; and other topics. We have also dealt with a broad range of topics both ancient and modern.

College-level collections strong in Asian history and culture can't be without this updated third edition of HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF TAIWAN, which surveys the nation's history, ongoing conflicts with China, and other political and social issues. Here's a cross-referenced dictionary of entries which includes important people, places, events and political parties, surveying the entire country's affairs. Perfect for in-depth reports or as a reference starting point.

The collaborative effort of Norris W. Potter, Lawrence M. Kasdon, and Ann Rayson, History Of The Hawaiian Kingdom is a solidly written and easily accessible reference for readers of all ages and backgrounds concerning the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom from the arrival of Captain Cook in 1775 down to the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by American forces near the beginning of the twentieth century. Color illustrations and informative text make for an excellent general primer and resource. Also recommended is a History Of The Hawaiian Kingdom workbook ..., and classroom teachers using it as an instructional textbook should also acquire a History Of The Hawaiian Kingdom answer key ...

I read this book back in 1995 and am surprised I am the first Amazon user to review it. I found this book tremendously worthwhile.

It is an excellent overview of the history of the Pacific Islands. If you are interested in this topic than you couldn't ask for a better introduction to it than this.

Kirsty Brooks set out to write a book about hitchhiking. She got a car and headed out, looking for hikers to pick up.

She found less than a dozen.

So she went out and collected stories from all over the world of the strangest occurrences that have happened, from drink-driving mayors in France to hitchhiking in Japan, where the drivers will give you their umbrellas when you stop.

It's a great read, interlaced with some wonderful picture-postcards, making the whole book a very attractive package.