Pacific Books

This cookbook is absolutely gorgeous. It is a wonderful guide to the Pacific Northwest for both locals and visitors. The recipes are fabulous (try the Chipotle Chocolate Cake) and very easy to do at home, while still elegant. And the wine pairing suggestions are spot on. Outstanding book that would make a great addition to anyone's cookbook collection - and one that you will actually use.

This book offers many exceptional recipes however there are two from Chef Maury Bennett in Idaho that are amazing his passion for local fares radiates through his ideas. I would like to see an entire cook book done by him!!

For the wine and food nut, this book is of epic proportion. Vivid and lively pictures combined with the real people and real stories of the Pac NW illustrates the connection between Braiden Rex-Johnson and her subject. The
wine country traveler's guide to the good life in the Pac NW. Bravo!

To counter the damp and dreary days of winter I surround myself with distractions that promise better days to come. At the top of my pile is Braiden Rex-Johnson's Pacific Northwest Wining and Dining. Just looking at the cover of this love letter to NW cuisine warms me. I imagine myself dining al fresco on the patio of this restaurant or a myriad of others. Then I pour over the interior pages, like a gardener pouring over a seed catalogue in winter. I indulge in the descriptions of familiar restaurants and wineries as well as intriguing new ones. I plan our next excursion into Eastern Washington or the Willamette Valley or the always promising Vancouver area, while noting the recipes from these areas that we want to make today and the wines we will want to serve with them. I smile at the quotes from favorite and unfamiliar chefs and feel as though I now know something of what makes them who they are. And then I remember another friend who I want to share this book with and I'm back online to order it. What a perfectly luscious way to wile away the winter days.

I was given this book as a gift and after sitting down with a cuppa joe and browsing through it, I feel like I've had an eye-opening close encounter with the Northwest--and I live here! With our busy lives, who has time to track down the crème de la crème of cozy inns, tucked away vineyards and to-die-for bistros? Rex-Johnson has done the work for us, with a literary roadmap of the best of the best. She entertains with quick little snippets about the lives of chefs and growers, then helps us bring the experience home with their best recipes. I've just ordered another copy to give a chef-friend, and I'm going to keep one on hand for visitors coming to the area. Whether they like to cook or not, there's gorgeous photography, a travel guide, a bit of history, and inspiration for anyone whose pulse quickens in the face of beauty, bounty and harvest.

He kept a diary contrary to regulations. In it, he mentions that the U.S. Navy had broken the Japanese Navy Code. This information would have been valuable to the Japanese, if it had fallen into their hands. Thus, inadvertently, his diary affirms the wisdom of the regulation he ignored.

How could he have known that the Code had been broken, in only the second year of the war? (1) from an officer; (2) from his close friend in the radio shack; (3) or by guessing. The first is most likely, as his diary seems replete with information broadcast over his ship's loudspeaker. But (4) maybe information was added to his text after the war. Samuel Eliot Morrison wrote the introduction; did he edit it, too?

This diary is unique in that it views the Pacific War from the perspective of an ordinary seaman. Some things come through that aren't mentioned in other biographies or official histories. Swabbies were hungry, most of the time. Vermin infested stores. Sailors got less than two hours sleep per day for long periods. They slept on decks in the tropics: no air conditioning. A match left on the deck would ignite. Firing five-inch guns deafened sailors near them, permanently. Loading stores and thousands of shells was exhausting. Boredom, fatigue, typhoons, accidents assailed them. Fahey's personal phobia was sharks.

He documents how sailors suffered. To keep going as they did, they needed assurance that what they were doing was worthwhile, that they were appreciated, and that they had a chance for surviving. His diary shows that he received all three. The proof is that he repeated what his officers told him.

This is the way it was. James Fahey was an ordinary "Joe" like the millions of others who dedicated everything they had to win that terrible war. His book is an on-the-spot account of the real happenings and not memoirs or interviews of others who were there. Fahey writes with simple honesty and clarity. He was not a trained writer. But his simple honesty is what makes this such a great book. As I read it I couldn't help relate the everyday hardships that he and his shipmates accepted with the complaints of the bleedings hearts who today complain about the treatment of the Taliban/Al Quida prisoners in Cuba. For three years on Fahey's ship, bed time was "hitting the steel", or sleeping on the hard steel deck because it was always too hot in the sleeping compartments. A good night's sleep was often not much more than 45 minutes, and even though the Navy tried it's best to provide good food, that was often nearly impossible under battle conditions. But the esprit-de-corps never faded and Fahey and his brothers on the cruiser Montpelier couldn't have been prouder to serve. They were great men in sailor's clothes. I really enjoyed this book. Anyone who forgets what real heroes went through to preserve our freedom should read this before they worry about the comforts of those who want to take it away.

I picked up this book from my local library because my own father was an ordinary seaman in the WWII Pacific navy but refused to say more than a few words about it before he died over 25 years ago. He hated the food. He served in the Pacific near China at some time. But that's about all I know. In searching the net for books about the naval war in the Pacific this one popped up, and it was a revelation. It shatters the myth that serving in the navy meant three hot meals a day and sleeping on clean sheets and a soft mattress every night, not to mention getting any sleep at all. It also shatters the myth that serving in the navy was safe. I just cannot imagine being in a battle where I was literally surrounded by fighter planes, dive bombers, torpedo planes, and kamikazes from above. Then there were the 5 and 6 and even 8 inch guns from land, enemy warships on the sea, and subs under the surface.

As as been said, Mr. Fahey is no Hemingway; but the further I got into his narrative the more it seemed that I was hearing my own father's words. I wasn't, unless of course it turns out that, by some miracle, he served on the U.S.S. Montpelier with Mr. Fahey. But in his straightforward prose he reflects the no nonsense approach my dad always took towards whatever came his way.

Reading this book has obvously been a very personal experience for me. So I do highly reccommend this book for anyone whose father served in the navy during WWII but refused to talk about it. But I also give it 5 stars for anyone who just wants to know what the day to day life of a seaman was like during that time.

I couldn't put this book down. His stories reminded me of my days in the Pacific and Persian Gulf only a few years ago. You will understand the patriotism that our veterans felt and their perspective toward the enemy. I have an understanding of what our veterans went through and also the war they fought. I think everyone would benefit from reading this book and I recommend it highly!

This is the way it was. James Fahey was an ordinary "Joe" like the millions of others who dedicated everything they had to win that terrible war. His book is an on-the-spot account of the real happenings and not memoirs or interviews of others who were there. Fahey writes with simple honesty and clarity. He was not a trained writer. But his simple honesty is what makes this such a great book. As I read it I couldn't help relate the everyday hardships that he and his shipmates accepted with the whining of the "bleeding hearts" who today complain about the treatment of the Taliban/Al Quida prisoners in Cuba. For three years on Fahey's ship, bed time was "hitting the steel", or sleeping on the hard steel deck because it was always too hot in the sleeping compartments. A good night's sleep was often not much more than 45 minutes, and even though the Navy tried it's best to provide good food, that was often nearly impossible under battle conditions. But the esprit-de-corps never faded and Fahey and his brothers on the cruiser Montpelier couldn't have been prouder to serve. They were great men in sailor's clothes. I really enjoyed this book. Anyone who forgets what real heroes went through to preserve our freedom should read this before they worry about the comforts of those who want to take it away.

Loved it - especially the photo's and of course the 'story' - makes it easier to understand what the people went thru just to have a home.
have always been interested in this period. Hubby and I are members of a western club - main period is 1875-1890, but knowing more about the whole period 1800 onwards helps to get the clothing and the attitude right.
looking for more books ...
bye for now
Jacqueline (alias Ruby)

Pioneer Women-The Lives of Women on the Frontier is a must for collectors of western lore-whether as used for reference or just for reading pleasure this book delves into little covered issues and answers the questions previously unmentioned regarding women on the frontier. From traveling west to every day life, from cooking to birth control, women domestic pioneers to women entrepreneurs; if you have a question about the lives of women in the 1800's this book probably has the answer in its pages.

This book will open your eyes up to the way things were a century and a half ago. Back to the basics is an understatement. Imagine raising 8 children on a farm that you had to establish yourself because your husband and other family members perished on the trip west to get to an unknown territory far far away from immediate family? These women did it. They survived and thier children either a: lived and learned the life or b: died from illness or accidents. This is very graphic and very personable to the very core of many women's souls. Women who kept diaries on the Oregon Trail in 1850 and onwards. Women who were always "in the background" keeping the family fed, clothed, silent and schooled. Women are most definitly the most gentle and most strong of the sexes.. Why? Because they have a continuous human spirit and one that gets them through the toughest of times of all.
Please read this book and with that said.. the pictures in this book are a historian's dream!

This book is nicely divided into different phases of western life, like traveling the trail, family, homelife, etc. The pictures are fantastic. It's a fast read and perfect for anyone interested in this time period. Higly recommended.

This book is very informative on the pioneer womens' behalf. It shows their hardships and their strengths. The fortitude and endurance these women had is amazing. The photos are excellent too.

I found this book valuable for identifying plants associated with the lichens I collect. It is easy to use, the photos are good and I really appreciate both the range maps and phisiographic map (on the inner back cover). Dana Ericson

Over all this is an excellent field guide. Two minor complaints: some of the plants have no accompanying photo, just a line drawing detailing their seed pods or flower. Also, some have very brief descriptions and say things like "Indigenous people used to eat this". Okay, why'd they stop? Is the plant considered toxic? Did the Indians get sick from it and stop using it?

This is simply an outstanding text. I used to work outdoor school in the pacific northwest, and this book ranked space in my day pack every day of the week. Very clear photos show you exactly what the plants look like, and text is clear and interesting. Highly recommended.

For anyone interested in Northwest Native Plants, this is an essential reference. Arthur Lee Jacobsen's "Wild Plants of Greater Seattle" is another useful book, although not as detailed. "Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest", by Charles Leo Hitchcock, in 7 volumes for $300.00, is much more detailed but not as handy. I have used my "Pojar" so much that I wore it out and had to get a second copy. I found it useful when I was just beginning to learn about native plants, and now that I can identify over 200 species on sight, I still use it to learn about ethnobotany, which plants are edible, and where to plant them in my garden.

Another reviewer complained that the book does not list common names in the index. This is just plain wrong. You can look up plants in the index by common name or scientific name, or you can browse through the photos until you get a match. You can also use the keys, which is the best way to learn about the relationship of one species to another, but I'm usually too lazy to work through the process. The way the plants are grouped, it's easy to narrow it down and find your plant.

My one complaint about the book is that it is sometimes difficult to pin down whether or not a particular plant is actually a native. This is usually implied, especially when they tell how indigenous peoples used the plants in everday life, but I wish the plants were clearly marked Native and Non-Native.

I'd actually give this 4.5 stars if I could. This is a great all around guide for the west side of the Cascades. It doesn't include every plant, particularly in the sections towards the end on bryophytes, but most plants you'll want to see are in there. I'm torn on the aboriginal use data tht is presented throughout the book. On one hand, it really is quite fascinating, but on the other hand, probably several dozen more species could have been covered if these data were omitted. The maps can be a bit difficult to decipher given the range this book covers, and although most of the photos are good, a few are pretty poor. Still, it is a must-have for any nature buff in the PNW.

This is a travel guide with an attitude. And Bonnie Stone's attitude is, "How unique is this?" I've lived in the Antelope Valley eight years, and Bonnie has unearthed destinations and facts that I've never heard of. We have out-of-town guests coming from New Jersey, and I bought a copy for them, too. Who can resist a guidebook that lists "the world's only drive-through earthquake fault"? (Yup,it's the San Andreas.) This book's a keeper!

Years ago while in high school I would bus to Lancaster to play basket ball and run track and always thought, "Who would ever want to live in this burning desert with its torrid heat, high winds and blowing dust." I now live in the Antelope Valley and am enjoying it immensely because of Bonnie Stone's new book about the Antelope Valley. If you enjoy history, like finding new nearby places to visit or just learning everything about the area around Lancaster, Palmdale and Mojave this is the only book you'll ever need.
The other day I looked for interesting places to take my 8 year old grandson and settled on The "Milestones of Flight Air Museum" listed in the book. It was a great trip. I am looking forward to visiting many other interesting places mentioned in her book. It would make a very nice gift for anyone living in southern California.

As a mom of five children, I'm always on the lookout for things to do in our area. I came across this book and feel that I found a treasure trove of information. We've already seen the Vasquez rocks and an Air Museum based on her recommendation and the kids are really loving it. This is a good book for family fun.

For the many people new to the Antelope Valley of California, this book should be a "MUST HAVE". It is a humorous, accurate guide to the many unusual things to see and do within a short drive from home and available at low cost or free. You think there is nothing to do in the desert north of Los Angeles? Yes, there is, and Stone shows you how to find those things. People who have lived here for years will also find much information they may not have known. This book will be especially useful for families.

An interesting, informative, and practical guide to the Antelope Valley and High Desert Area of California! Provides a delightul mix of historical and contemporary information. Highly Recommended!
--Steve Michiels
(Antelope Valley native)

ok, ill admit, ive yet to purchase this...im ashamed or myself for not owning it yet.
i dont have an intimate knowledge of Arts collection of works, but the man is a goddamn genius.
i know this personally, since i was privileged enough to experience a several hour long presentation by the man himself, about a year ago.
my idea of design will never be the same, hell my life will never be the same.
whatever anyone else here says, BUY IT.

Nothing can beat the "raw power" of Art Chantry. This book is a must in every graphic designer/student bookshelf!...

i really wasn't too familiar with Art's work before getting this. i've only seen mentionings in random other books about how influencial he is. but after seeing this i can see why. he combines the rough aesthetic of punk and shows that it can be acceptible in mainstream graphic design. it shows that there's hope for punk rock artists like myself.

In a similar manner to Paula Scher and Charles Anderson, one of the main themes of Art Chantry's work is to take old images and give them a twist. While you can see an echo of this look in almost every graphic design award annual today, Chantry has been working in this style since the late 70's. And while many have borrowed his approach, few have been able to imitate it with the same sense of grit, humor, color and power.

True to the title of the book "Some People Can't Surf" there isn't one website design to be found, but that may not be a bad thing as Chantry is a master within his medium. A very large body of work that spans three decades is showcased which includes everything from his very first poster design for a school concert to promotional work for major Hollywood record labels. One pleasant surprise is seeing quite a bit of logo design work which involves the charm and craft of hand lettering. In end Chantry reminds one of a later day Milton Glaser with a punk rock point of view.

At some points the book can become too crammed by trying to jam several posters onto a page by shrinking them down to matchbook size, however the work holds up pretty well under the strain. This volume would be valuable to any graphic designer looking for inspiration or anyone who is a fan of the Seattle music from the 90's.

...is that Art Chantry's groundbreaking artwork (and yes--unlike some snooty traditionalist art-weenies--I DO consider graphic design to be "art"!) is more often than not gobs more compelling than the work of the people who have directly benefitted from his work (i.e. most of the so-called grunge bands from the Pacific Northwest). Yet almost nobody outside of Seattle, Tacoma or underground graphic-design circles knows who the hell he is, even though almost everyone has seen his work in one form or other (The Sub Pop logo is one example that immediately comes to mind).

In early 1991, I discovered and became obsessed with underground garagepunk & instro-surf music, the most exciting of which was coming out of the Pacific Northwest, and specifically Estrus Records, in Bellingham, Washington. It was the Estrus label that started my appreciation, and later, reverence, for Art Chantry's ir-reverent style of graphic design. When Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released later that year, the wall that previously kept mainstream riffraff from crashing "our" underground party came crumbling down, and as a result, grungy Northwest music had become suddenly (and inexplicably) marketable. The sudden onslaught of new bands inspired by this alleged "rebirth" of punkrock quickly caused the quality of Estrus' releases to assume an inversely proportional relationship to the quantity of records they put out (well, that's MY theory, at least...). Simply put, the really good music on Estrus soon became a rare commodity. Thankfully, what didn't change was the brilliant package design that thier slabs o' vinyl and silver frisbees were encased in. Art Chantry was responsible for the bulk of these designs, and is the only reason why a big chunk of my record and CD collection isn't fermenting in some used-record store somewhere. His artwork transcended the actual product it was emblazoned on, and made it worth keeping even if the music it promoted was supremely lame.

Chantry's work led me to notice and gain an appreciation for artists such as Stealworks' John Yates, Frank Kozik and even Roy Lichtenstein. But as great as those artists are, Chantry's work is the perfect amalgam of irony, humor, subversion, obnoxiousness and kitsch, and no one that I'm aware of has yet to outshadow him in this regard, even though he is without a doubt a man with many imitators. In fact, many people directly point the finger at him for popularizing the now passè movement in "grunge" design and layout. Whether this is actually true or not is debatable (although it certainly makes sense), but "Some People Can't Surf" is interesting in that it showcases a non-"grunge" (god, I hate that term) side of Chantry that most people would be very surprised to see. The same man responsible for some of the most outrageous and iconoclastic posters and album covers in music history was at the same time designing nondescript logos and brochures for boring, faceless corporations--biotech companies, architectural firms, airlines, etc.--and it's extremely interesting to see this real-world dichotomy brought to light in this book.

Another notable section of the book recalls the time when Art creatively attempted to get around a draconian 1994 Seattle anti-postering ordinance by posting up 'zine-like tabloids to telephone poles instead, ostensibly daring the city to attempt to fine him for what is fundamentally a First Amendment issue. As someone who firmly believes that graphic design and traditional "art" are not mutually exclusive, I found it refreshing to read this shining example of how designers can use their talent to actively influence and challenge the cultural status quo, instead of simply generating pretty pictures for passive consumer consumption.

When I first saw Art years ago in the documentary film, "Hype!" (which I also HIGHLY recommend), talking about the early Northwest music scene, and then proceeding to chop up his super-rare (and super-expensive) posters with a paper cutter, it completely validated what I always thought--this man is an ironic and wonderfully irreverent genius. "Some People Can't Surf" bolsters this fact even further, and I enjoyed reading this book's narrative at /least/ as much as looking at all the cool, full-color images of his brilliant work. I highly recommend this to any graphic designer who is tired of all the c.r.a.p. that tries to pass itself off as "cool", "grungy" or "retro" nowadays.

Within these pages lies the truth about good and evil. As you read this book be prepared to be amazed at the volumes of information that is related to the reader in such a short time. This is the most compelling compact book of the century being around one hundred pages, but within those pages are inspired words that will touch the very heart of any reader. This is an awesome book and a must have for any library.

This is one of the best Biblically-based books that I have read on the lift of Jesus! I absolutely love it and would highly recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about Jesus Christ. It's a must buy, in my opinion.

Of Ellen G. White's many astounding books, this is probably her best seller. Literally in the tens-of-millions. A beautiful guide to understanding and personally accepting Jesus Christ and His Grace. The perfect gift for anyone even considering following the Son of God. And despite false accusations from many, after reading her inspired works you'll better understand why she is America's all-time best selling female author, and most widely translated of any gender. A beautiful light to the real Biblical Jesus.

"Steps to Christ" is a wonderful book! If you could just read one book, this would definitely be the best one to read indeed! It brings God's love closer to you than you could ever imagine. It opens your eyes to just how much God really loves you, a love that none of us deserve. This is a must-read classic! I would highly encourage anyone to get this book and read it and pass it on! You'll never be the same. It opens to the heart the great impact of the Gospel and shows the way, the only Way, to salvation-Jesus Christ.

This is by far the best book on religion I have ever read. The case for Christianity is stated in simple language and the basics of this religion are explained very well. Everyone should own this book.

I consider myself a WW2 buff, I never really got into Submarines until as another reviewer pointed out, til I got the Silent Hunter 4 PC Game or simulation.Submarine life in WW2 must have been rough to say the least.
I wanted to educate myself further as to what these men went thru in WW2 and the Submarines they dedicated there lives too.
Submarine by Captain Beach was a great start as he introduces its readers his own Adventures aboard Trigger,Trante and the Piper. Throughout the book in different chapters he tells it readers about the Great WW2 American Subs such as the Wahoo, Tang Etc.
It set the stage for me at least to continue reading the books dedicated to each boat such as the Wahoo, Batfish, Tang..
Nothing but respect for these fine men that Served.

I picked up this book after seeing a recommendation over at the SubSim gaming forums. Being a fan of the Silent Hunter 4 submarine simulation game, I wanted to learn more about how submarine warfare really was in World War 2. Needless to say, hearing the stories from someone who was really there is incredible.

Edward Beach does a great job of describing life on a submarine. Everything from the utter boredom of fruitless patrols to the sheer terror of being depth charged by multiple enemy destroyers is here. I particularly like how the book is divided up. Every other chapter talks about a particular ship's triumphs or tragedies, while the chapters in between discuss the USS Trigger, a ship on which Mr. Beach spent a great deal of time.

If you like World War 2 history, and you want to learn more about US submarine warfare during that time, this book is for you. It's a book that I found very hard to put down.

You could populate a small city with people who were introduced to submarines with this book and an even larger city with those that stuck around for Ned Beach's subsequent works. I have recently re-read this book after who knows how many years and am blown away by all of the aspects that pulled this thing together! The writing is as knowledgeable as it is visceral, it packs a punch like a torpedo's warhead! It is also personal, technical, emotional and (auto)biograhical as Beach weaves his own story into that of the greater "silent service" of the World War II years. The book staggers the experiences of Beach's boats against those of notorious skippers like Morton, Dealey, O'Kane and others. There is a small amount of sanitizing of events (guess which!) which is understandable given the original date of publication. You owe it to yourself to re-read this epic! Lucky you if you are a first-time reader, it won't be your last!

I have read many books on submarines and how they were used in World War II, and this book gives great short stories on some of our best subs, interwoven with stories of the author's own sub. This book will lead you to want to find out more about the other subs in the book, and get the full story of their exploits.

"Submarine!", by Edward L. Beach, tells the story of several submarines of the United States Navy during World War II. The overarching narrative begins in 1942, with narrator Beach "fresh out of Submarine School." We watch Beach rise up the ranks as we learn of his fellow submariners and their ships.

Beach treats the subs as characters themselves; he notes, "All ships have souls, and all sailors know it" early in the book. He develops this theme throughout the book. The interwoven stories of the subs are arranged as chapters, each focusing on one or two ships.

Beach's prose at its best is exciting and action-packed, at times reminding me of an old-fashioned motion picture adventure serial. Yet at times he also attains an epic gravitas, and ultimately the book is quite moving. The one criticism I will make is that at times the book felt like it could have used a more judicious editorial hand; I believe that the book's 354 pages might have been reshaped into a leaner and more efficient text without sacrificing the essentials of the narrative.

I found "Submarine!" especially fascinating for the wealth of technical and tactical details that are interwoven into the adventure; it's a virtual encyclopedia of submarine information. Among the many topics covered are test diving, the use of a sub to plant a minefield, dealing with defective torpedoes, how two subs can work together to attack a target, the uses of the periscope, "silent running," and much more.

Within the book are certain chapters that really stand out, and can even stand alone as self-contained mini-epics. Among these is the story of the encounter between the U.S. sub _Archerfish_ and the Japanese supercarrier _Shinano_, a behemoth 50 times as massive as the sub. This section contains some of the book's best writing. "Submarine!" is an important and entertaining contribution to the canon of American war literature.

Wonderful photos from Seattle's past. Brought back a lot of memories. We had great fun looking at the photo's and sharing our own memories and good times. This book gets a lot of attention from our visitors.

Although I have now been gone longer then the duration I lived there, Seattle will always be my "hometown." This book does a lot to make me wistfully recound the 'small town' city that I grew up outside of (M.I.) from 1972-1986 (yes, my father moved us there when the famous "...turn out the lights?" billboard was up). Anyhow, the book is also a great reminder that while I can go back (and often do), it will truly never be the same. It really is unfortunate that this series is page-limited; I'm certain that more photos of other "vanished" landmarks could have been included (and that is my only gripe).

All of us boomes over 50 that grew up in Seattle loved this book. We took buses to downtown when we were in our early teens and visited the stores and resturants mentioned in the book. In our early 20's we went to the bars highlighted in the book. It was a great trip down memory lanes.

This book not only explores landmarks that have defined Seattle and given it its unique character over the years, but examines many other aspects of Seattle culture that have gone away. This includes businesses, events, commercial products, and radio and television shows. The book is complete in its listing and is well detailed. I can't think of anything that is missing, or any way that it could be improved. I came into the world in the 60's and remember much of Seattle's unique character that has vanished. Those items that are before my time are described in detail and can easily be appreciated by anyone.

I own several of these IMAGES OF AMERICA books and I'm never disappointed.

This particular (picture) book is about Seattle in the past, and shows photos of some past landmarks that helped to create Seattle.

As the book's title stated, this book is about the "Vanishing Seattle", because all the landmarks are no more.

If you grew-up in Seattle, as I did, you will love to look through this book and reflect on some of the famous landmarks that were so wonderful to visit, but that are now extinct.

This book is well-written, displels a lot of strange myths about native Pacific navigation, and provides a lot of interesting details useful to modern navigators when they run out of batteries in the middle of the ocean.

For most of us, sailing across 2000+ miles of open ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti (or vice versa) would be daunting enough even with using every modern navigation device such as a GPS. Consider that in 1927 with compasses, sextants, radio, etc, in the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu (the same distance as Tahiti to Hawaii) 3 out of the 5 planes that started out were lost at sea. Then consider that a thousand years ago the Polynesians in 50-foot twin-hulled canoes were regularly making such voyages without any kind of instruments, and that crossing 50 or 100 miles of ocean was thought almost trivially easy.

That a primitive (by European or American standards) people were skilled at ocean navigation was thought absurd. Kon-Tiki was an attempt to show that Oceania could be populated from South America by drifting on rafts and sheer luck of landfall. But it is now established that there was skilled and purposeful exploration and colonization--including Rapa Nui (Easter Island) which is 1000 miles from the nearest other habitable island. We, the Navigators is a fascinating look at "primitive" navigation techniques, and the author himself sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti using only these ancient techniques.

So you'll see how the Polynesians used the sun, moon, and stars to achieve accurate navigation. They also used the ocean swells (as distinct from waves): islands reflect and deflect swells, so by careful observation, you can get a sense of direction to landfall. Land also changes cloud patterns. Birds were watched intently. New Zealand was one of the last places found and peopled--from 1600 miles away from the northeast, perhaps by watching birds migrate in that direction. Different kinds of birds travel different distances from land--some travel 40-50 miles, others 20-25 miles: by observing at dawn where the birds came from, and observing which direction they went towards sunset, and seeing what kind of bird it was, you could tell that there was land, and what direction it was, and how far away it was as well. On leaving land, backsights would be taken to help establish currents and drift. The book has lots of drawings and illustrations--it's a real treat!

This book is written by an academic. I don't necessarily mean this in a negative sense. The author has done a very thorough research on the topic and presented his findings. The effect is a book that can be called a comprehensive treatment as far as it can be done given that the practictioners are disappearing fast.
The downside is that it can send you to sleep as the author systematically compares how the navigational techniques are practiced in the various island groups.

The strength of the book is not only its thoroughness but also the fact that the author is a skilled sailor who has gone on trips using these techniques. This makes the material so much more authentic, because the reader can relate how effective these skills are and yet how much practice they require.

The author provides commentary on many practices and relates them to our modern day knowledge. An example was their ability to recognize the impact of sub surface currents, something that is today a rather specialist piece of knowledge not available to the everyday sailor.

The most complete study of early navigation I have come across. The author does a fantastic job of comparing the different styles of landfinding as used by the Pacific islanders. Lewis brings the knowledge and experience of an accomplished western sailor and navigator to his studies, and in doing so is able compare and contrast ancient and modern techniques. A scholarly study of primitive navigation, the book is not always an easy read, however for the reader looking for a complete comparison this is the volume to have.

David Lewis has zig-zaged the Pacific in modern yachts and traditional canoes. His broad experience and long resarch, using his own and many schoolars data, has made this a good analysis and documentation of the extremly impressing and interesting phenomenon of ancient and present voyaging in the Pacific. Others, specially anthropologists fieldworking in the Central Carolines of Micronesia, had written about the presently used Micronesian voyaging system, others less throughly about the forgotten polynesian,but Lewis mangage to give a synthesis of the technologies and some of the social aspects of traditional voyaging in the Pacific