Australia Books

I bought this book as a guide before my honeymoon. I had already looked around a couple of eco-tourism web sites and booked a couple of hotels; in one case, I changed my mind because of this book and ended up canceling a booking. It's a well-organized guide with astonishing clarity and frankness. Some off-hand tips include who to talk to (first names) at travel agencies/resorts/etc. for tips and deals, what times of day and/or days of the week you should avoid certain activities, what environment to expect at a hotel or resort (Partying backpackers? Couples only? Family-oriented? Rich lazies?), which buses leave early/late or stay overnight, how to deal with hagglers, general Fijian pronunciation tips and cultural guidelines (including an apparently conservative dress code in the villages that I would have regretted not knowing beforehand), where and how women will feel safe, and of course, which restaurants and accommodations offer the best deals. You're probably also well-off to visit www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree for first-hand travel tips, but the Moon guide book is a great buy.

Awesome book, well written and very insightful.
South Seas Photography uses all these Moon South Pacific books and the Fiji Book for all our travels throughout Polynesia.
Easy to use, perfect for detailed information, easy to carry and share.

Karl Meinhardt
www.SouthSeasPhotography.com

The 8th. Edition of David Stanley's Moon Fiji handbook continues to be the essential guidebook for travelers to Fiji. And whether you are a seasoned Fiji traveler or an eager first-timer, you will find Stanley's book critical to getting the most of your Fiji visit.

Compared to the earlier editions, this one is totally revamped and redesigned. It's compact, attractive, and very usable. Information is easily located and details are ample. Every section is updated and expanded to include current relevant information, insofar as any destination guidebook can be anyway.

Each geographical region of Fiji is fully detailed covering related visitor attractions, accommodations, dining options, activities, recreation and more. Specific recommendations make each section extremely valuable. Stanley pulls no punches in both his criticisms and compliments to vendors of accommodations, restaurants, activities and others. Descriptions and explanations are quite trustworthy.

Detailed maps and interesting photography makes for a well laid-out book. Placement of the Background reference section to the back of the book make the tome usable. The opening section with such things as "The Best of Fiji," and "Island-Hopper Special," plus "Culture and the Real Fiji" and others get the reader quickly immersed in Fiji and offer practical ideas for getting the most of a Fiji visit.

The book's regional Fiji sections provide all the detail and information needed for planning a visit to these storied and historic South Pacific islands. Whether you see one area such as Nadi and the Mamanucas, or take in Suva, the Coral Coast, Lomaiviti, the Yasawas, Taveuni, or the "Friendly North" of Vanua Levu, you'll find Moon Fiji a fine and very useful traveling companion. Like the saying goes, don't leave home without it! As a veteran Pacific Island traveler, I'll have my copy of Moon Fiji along on my next Fiji stop.

We've been talking about going to Fiji for years, and have looked at other books, but this book trumps them all. It's very thorough, with excellent descriptions that make us wish we could pack our bags and go today. Author David Stanley obviously loves Fiji, and his passion comes through in his writing. We also appreciate the way he doesn't sugar coat the less than perfect. This seems like a book you can really trust. And the history sprinkled throughout (great stories of Capt. Bligh, for instance), the interesting boxes full of fun information, and the very useable maps make it easy to get educated in all things Fijian. We also love the beginning section with beautiful color photography. It would be nice if all photos could be in color, but we'd happily trade the excellent info in the book for color pictures.

This book provided us with our new dream adventure vacation: A stay on the Yasawa Islands, where there are no motorized land vehicles or roads. You can stay in a thatched "bure" and make a vacation exploring the island chain via a catamaran line that offers a kind of "Eurail Pass" for island hoppers. Who knew such a place still existed?!

This book IS Fiji. Even the people who live there should own a copy for themselves as a guide to their islands' resources.

The indispensable information and guidance within Moon Fiji about trip planning, transportation, dining, lodging, entertainment, recreation, tours, events...will save the traveler the cost of the book many times over.

I've edited other publishers' guidebooks and am most impressed with the excellent composition and layout of this book, the perfect refinement of seven previous editions. It is amazing that: so much information has been included; the type size is big enough to be easy to read: and yet the book is small enough to carry everywhere.

Don't waste your time searching the Internet for information about the Fiji Islands. It's all in this book, including reviews, maps, photos, telephone numbers, schedules...and, if you must, a list of the top twenty Fiji websites. There is too much more info to mention.

Let me be succinct and direct: Anyone who is planning to visit the Fiji Islands must have this book--they will be handicapped there without it.

I read all of these "Mr." books to my 5 year old son and he loves them. He likes this one alot but really loves Mr. Funny the best. These are great bedtime books for kids!

Mr. Mischief loves to play pranks on the other Mr. Men characters. In this book, he does sneaky things to Mr. Happy, Mr. Greedy, and Mr. Funny. But of course, Mr. Mischief gets a taste of his own medicine! A hilarious story! I had this book as a child and rebought it as an adult. I still laugh when reading it today at age 27. All of the Mr. Men books are superb, and Mr. Mischief is one of Roger Hargreaves' best works.

I have used the Mr. Men series for many years in the classroom. It was always a highlight for the children. I would read one each week, and they always looked forward to it.

I had this book when I was a child and I still enjoy reading it. I purchased it so my daughters can enjoy it as well.

Back in college I got a job as a summer janitor at the local elementary school. One of the things I had to do was clean up in the library. I took this time as an opportunity to catch up on some reading... in the form of the Mr. Men series. Mr. Mischief is about a guy who enjoys causing trouble. It makes him laugh. It will make you laugh. But then something happens to him, and he learns a lesson.

it is amazing that with all the hardship that these guys went thru, human nature can still make the best of an awful situation.

One of my first introductions to Australian and Far East reading of WW11, thoroughly enjoyable, could not put it down until it was finished. Would recommend this book to all generations. Has given me the taste to find out more about the Far East and familiarise myself with further Australian literature. Thought only John Pilger could write riveting literature, I was wrong!

The author went through some really horrific situations but at the same time can describe the strength of the human spirit. The author also has a great sense of humor. I think books like this are rare these days in our politically correct world. Well worth the read.

The Naked Island

The autobiography of a young australian soldier who spent long years in captivity as prisoner of war of the Japanese.
The first part is the description of the military life in Malaya before the attack of the Japanese with many ironical notes on that tedious life from the point of view of a soldier.
The second part is the description of the useless fight of the Australian and British troops against the overwhelming enemy and then the attempt to escape the capture.
Then the third, and most interesting part, is the description of the life during three long years of captivity in the different prisons where the writer was imprisoned and in the jungle camps where all prisoners were forced to work without food, facing malaria, beri beri and death for starvation.
A book I would really recommend.
Are you looking for another absolutely interesting book about a similar experience?
Read the famous "Behind bamboo" by Rohan Rivett

This is an unforgettable book: informative, educational, poignant and often delightfully humorous. It is a tribute to the British and Australian Forces used as slave labour in the construction of the Burma/Siamese Railway and their ability to live with dignity, compassion and decency under the most deplorable conditions imaginable. This book leaves an indelible impression on the reader and should be required reading for each successive generation.

Jannette Turner Hospital's awesome lyrical gifts are once again on full display in this moving story that explores the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as seen through the prismatic shift of Post-9/11 sensibilities. The characters are complex and fully realized as they play out ancient themes of love and loss and family history in a world where religious and political conflict pervert all human intention.

Other reviewers have hit the nail on the head with their reviews, so I will just add that this is a beautifully written novel that I found hard to put down. 2 weeks after finishing it, I find myself still thinking about this thriller.....It is a great thought-provoking read . Highly recommended !!

With each book, Janette Turner Hospital amazes the reader with her unique ability to write thrillers that expand the scope of possibility as well as illuminate. In haunting prose, she sets her tales in diverse locations and incorporates detail that stretch a reader's comprehension. This book in particular challenges one to make a connection between mathematics and music in a way that makes it impossible to never look at, say, a violin in quite the same way again. She weaves a story on methods for coping with unimagniable pain of loss on so many levels, seamlessly incorporating the war on terrorism and the Holocaust, and makes it work through the magic and healing properties of music. Her following is far too small to account for the prodigious talent on display on her every page.

I always think the novel I've read last by Janette Turner Hospital is her best, but her latest, ORPHEUS LOST, may indeed be the one. She writes again about what she has covered before: fanatical religions, global terrorists, the relationship between music and mathematics, a story that takes place in many locales-- in this instance, Boston; Promised Land, a small town in South Carolina; Queensland; Sydney; Beirut; Baghdad. Ms. Hospital takes the Orpheus myth and turns it on its ear. Leela (Leela-May Magnolia Moore), the child of a widowered crazed Pentecostal from a small town in South Carolina who is now a graduate student in math at MIT, one day hears Mishka Bartok, an Australian, who is also a graduate student but in music at Harvard, playing otherworldly beautiful music on the violin (the aria "Che faro senza Euridice" from Gluck's opera ORPHEO ED EURDICE) in the Boston subway. They become lovers that day. "He has the eyes of Orpheus, Leela thought. He has the eyes of Orpheus at the moment when Eurydice is bitten by the snake or perhaps when he has lost her for the second time, when she is pulled back into the underworld, forever beyond reach." For a season these two characters enclose themselves in their own cocoon, but their world is soon shattered by suicide bombers who now are blowing themselves up in Boston and other major U. S. cities.

With the first line of this novel, "Afterwards, Leela realized, everything could have been predicted from the beginning," Ms. Hospital, joining the likes of Camus, Melville and Toni Morrison, all masters of brilliant first lines, sets the tone for this finely wrought and suspenseful story, describing characters and situations with sparse but evocative language. The character Cobb as a boy had "skittish intensity" while Leela is full of "controlled intensity." She tells her former dissertation supervisor that Southerners are "unfailing courteous, especially when angry." One character's laughter "rose like a dandelion puff."

Ms. Hospital writes eloquently about three different characters, Leela, Mishka and Cobb, all so different but ultimately so much alike. Even though they wander far away from the places of their childhood, they are never really very far from those spots. In their memory, homing they forever go. Ms. Hospital has written previously of her own love for Queensland, where she grew up, in the short story "Litany for the Homeland"-- "Wherever I am, I live in Queensland." When she writes about Australia in this novel, her prose literally sings. The novel for all its bleakness-- and there is enough of that to spare-- is ultimately about hope, reconciliation, forgiveness, the power of both music and love.

ORPHEUS LOST has to be as good as any novel I've read this year, perhaps the best. Since Ms. Hospital now lives in the U. S. in South Carolina, can't we claim her, along with Peter Carey, another brilliant transplanted Australian writer, both as an American and Southern writer?

Set in Boston in the near future, terrorism come to the states in random bombings of innocent citizens, paranoia has increased exponentially. Suspicion replaces curiosity, those of Middle Eastern descent of particular interest. Terrorism stalks the national stage, infecting cities, although Harvard Square teems with students and life goes on, albeit more circumspect. Applying her lover of numbers to music, MIT mathematician Leela Moore has escaped her southern roots in Promised Land, South Carolina, sister and Pentecostal Bible-quoting father left behind. Entering the subway under Harvard Square, Leela is arrested by the haunting melody played by a young violinist, a classical interpretation of the Orpheus legend ("Che faro senza Euridice").

Michael Barton is lost in his own world, his music piercing the air. Hypnotized, Leela follows. Their meeting is electric, Michael (Mishka) and Leela enraptured lovers, music the language of their love, the mournful notes of his violin and Persian oud rich with tenderness and passion. They live together, but Mishka's frequent absences are troubling- there is much Leela doesn't know about her lover- but he leaves notes, gone to the Music lab or the Café Marrakesh.

A subway bombing sets everyone on edge, none more so than Cobb Slaughter, ex-military turned mercenary who monitors suspicious activity in the city. Bonded since their South Carolina childhood, Cobb has embraced his obsession with Leela, who seduced and taunted him all his life. Now Cobb has intimate photographs of Leela and the violinist, Mishka entering the Café Marrakesh, in the company of a radical student. Much has changed in this brave new world, isolation and interrogation part of the modern lexicon. Leela is warned, shocked to see Cobb after all these years, refusing to accept the coldness in his eyes.

Casting the intimate relationships of these three protagonists on a stage crowded with politics and war, Hospital injects paranoia and danger, real and imagined, creating conflicts that seduce the reader to complicity. The past reaches out to each, Leela and Cobb's long history and troubled relationships with their fathers, Mishka's unusual childhood, magical, poignant and filled with music, his father a far more complicated issue. In chapters filled with the grieving chords of Mishka's violin and dream sequences that explore the characters' deepest fears, the world intrudes, harsh and swift, Mishka lost in a netherworld where honor bows to expediency. Reliving the Orpheus myth, Leela is the anguished traveler, from Boston to Australia to Baghdad.

In a tragic opera of obsession and unfettered passion, Leela bridges the troubled psyches of the two men, tortured by unbearable possibilities: "What will I do without that which I cannot do without?" Hospital's wonderfully nuanced characters stumble through a terrifying landscape, retreating to the past for comfort, finding solace in music, in love and in redemption, Orpheus at end of his quest. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Everything you need to know about travelling around the South Pacific is in the 8th edition of the Moon guide to the South Pacific, yet another informative and comprehensive guidebook from the number one South Pacific expert. This edition covers all the islands of your dreams, from well-known holiday destinations such as French Polynesia to lesser-known places such as Pitcairn Island and Niue. It is full of thoroughly researched and practical information on travelling to and around the Pacific, covers everything from where to stay to where to eat, from background history to contemporary culture and traditions, and is a delight to read regardless of whether you are planning a trip to the South Pacific or not. It is the definitive guide for everyone, from the luxury traveller to the backpacker to the adventurer to the armchair dreamer.

Even though I travel often to the South Pacific, I can always rely on David Stanley's guidebooks to introduce me to some new area of interest, a different place to hang out, or an idea for an activity or excursion I hadn't previously thought about. It gives a whole new meaning to "don't leave home without it."

A new edition of this handbook is now available and it can be found by searching for "Moon Handbooks South Pacific" on this site.

As president of Sea For Yourself Snorkeling Tours, it¹s my professional obligation to remain attentive to both the world¹s best snorkelingsites and the logistical infrastructure that facilitates our group visits. For thesepurposes, (as well as my personal travel) David Stanley¹s travel handbooks have been a valuable and trusted ongoing source of reliableinformation. For travel planning, it¹s critical to use reference material that is accurate, up-to-date, and complete. The South Pacific Handbook satisfies all these criteria, and more.I was especially interested in the description of coral reefs. David does a superb job condensing this complex biological system ­ revealing it¹s essential ecological ingredients in the context of how we can responsibly interact with the fish, coral, and resident human communities.David¹s book is filled with the practical (and accurate) nuts and Bolts information so essential for planning your trip to the South Pacific. The extensive section of general advice (currency, health, food, recreation, visas, etc.) is then followed by detailed regional descriptions of virtually every inhabited island group in the entire South Pacific, including evaluations of restaurants, accommodations, and transportation issues.If I had to pick a single book, either to use in planning my South Pacific Odyssey or to take with me on the journey, it would be David Stanley¹s South Pacific Handbook.

David Stanley writes the best guides for the Pacific region. Whatever you want/need to know, you'll find it in his guides. His depth of research and knowledge is astonishing. Check it out.

South Pacific Handbook Review ... By Garry Hawkins

If you're thinking of travelling to the South Pacific (and go you definitely should), then David Stanley's `South Pacific Handbook' is THE travellers bible for the region. It's the only guidebook that covers every single inhabited island in the region in one single volume, yet at 908pp remains sufficiently comprehensive to give you all the background information you could ever possibly ask for.

My first odyssey to the South Pacific came in 1991, at the end of a round the world trip. While total war was raging in the Gulf, here was I, languishing at the Royal Hotel in the old Fijiian capital of Levuka. But what a place to languish! I'll let David Stanley describe the scene to you:

"For the full Somerset Maugham flavour, stay at the 15 room Royal Hotel... In the lounge, ceiling fans revolve around the rattan sofas and potted plants, and the fan- cooled rooms upstairs with private bath are pleasant, with much needed mosquito nets provided. At US$8/12/14 for single/double/triple the colonial atmosphere and impeccable service make it about the best value in Fiji.... Everybody loves this place."

Well, I can vouch for that! Meanwhile however, cruise missiles were performing flybys past the Baghdad Hilton, but outside the Royal Hotel it was merely raining cats and dogs. Well - it was the wet season you know! But while I sat soaking up the colonial ambience, I had plenty of time to delve into my trusty South Pacific Handbook.

I began to realise that were so many different places to go in the region. You may have heard of Western Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga or even the Cook Islands? But have you ever heard of Tuvalu, Tokelau, Niue or Futuna? No? Well not many people have but from Solomon Islands to Easter Island - you'll find them all in David Stanley's book.

Even if you never get to visit some of these far flung and exotic sounding names, you can learn an awful lot about this splendidly diverse region of different cultures and customs. Plate tectonics, Darwin's theory of atoll formation, the greenhouse effect, French nuclear testing, fauna and flora, economics, politics, conservation and the environment. I could go on....

Since my initial visit to Fiji, I've managed to visit Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Tuvalu - and still there's more to see. I'd love to visit the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis, Futuna, New Caledonia, Easter and Pitcairn Island - so many islands to visit and so little time (and money!) to do it with.

Next time I'm headed for the South Pacific, I'll be sure to take David Stanley's South Pacific Handbook with me. Why carry a multitude of travel guides for different islands, when you need only take the one?

This book is a great read, a great workbook and a superior way to start on re-thinking your life! I have bought several copies for myself and friends, and am now buying more as gifts. Laurie Levine really knows what she's talking about, and can really help people now matter what their background or situation! She has a gift and is willing to share it with others. If you are looking for something to get you started on improving your life, reducing stress or just being happier, this one is a must read!

In August this year my partner of five years and I separated. Whilst it was a decision we both came to, it was never the less difficult and hard to adjust to a new life. I was wandering through a bookshop wanting to buy a particular book that I thought would assist me through this time. Then I saw "Spiritual Medicine" and bought that instead. It has been a great inspiration and practical help to me through that initial pain and confusion, and also through some other family traumas that have occurred this year.

Yesterday I was feeling rather overwhelmed by everything that has happened this year, and rather angry, but without knowing how to deal with it. I picked up your book, read the relevant sections, did the exercises, and found myself laughing and playing silly card games with my family for the rest of the evening - having a wonderful time.

I am glad that you had the courage to follow your path, because by doing so you have inspired the courage in me to do the same.

Thank you Laurie,

I have found Spiritual Medicine book to be a gem in the wholistic health field. Laurie covers so many interesting and helpful exercises for the body, mind, and soul. I have been implementing many of these in my daily life and found them most beneficial to my personal development. My spiritual journey feels enriched by the words and philosophy that are shared. Having met Laurie personally and experienced her workshops and healing sessions I am also aware of how much she lives what she believes. This I believe is the sign of a great teacher. Thank you so very much for writing what you know so that others may be inspired and helped along in their own journey. I am truly grateful.

I loved this book. It manages to be both immensely practical and also very soothing in times of stress. I don't believe that you could pick the book up without going away feeling better about your life. Laurie offers so many different exercises that there is one for you no matter how you're feeling; 'Spiritual Medicine' reverberates with genuine and sincere feelings, it's like holding a gift from Laurie in your hand. I highly recommend this book - buy it, I believe that even one sentence could be life-changing.

All I can say is that this is a book that everyone needs to have in their collection. I read it, and read it and read it again, just to get a greater understanding on all of the wonderfully useful and intuitive techniques that Laurie uses. It has made me so much more aware of my own place in this world, but also has assisted me in letting go of so many of my preconceptions about what I thought that I knew about my life. I have read so many self-help books over the past 20 years and this is the best yet. It has given me a new and wonderfully easy perpesctive on a life I once thought was hard, unforgiving and in many ways unloving. I would like to say that anyone who has the opportunity to experience this book will in no small way take with them tools that they will be able to use, share and tell others about for many, many years to come. To finish this review all I can say is if you have ever felt alone, unloved, confused, insecure, unappreciated, guilty, angry, frustrated, overworked, jealous, judgemental or indeed any 'negative' emotional state, then buy this book NOW.... NOT TOMORROW, NOT NEXT WEEK, BUT RIGHT NOW!!! IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE MORE LOVE IN YOUR LIFE THEN READ THIS WONDERFUL BOOK NOW.............

SO i picked up this book to compliment my ever growing coffe table collection and I have to say... its alright. Now this one is strictly from Austrauila. there are other artist who have visited the country... but mainly home town heroes. You can't really go wrong with a stencil art book, but this one has nice pictures and a good, over-all look to the book. Just pick it up... you'll like it.

And by the INFAMY DVD, awesome graff video.

Very good book, very good text copy. Reevo from [...] has already wrote a full review down below, I just want to add to his words, that if there would be a time, when you won't find any street art around you, no "voices" of the people, it's probably a good time to reread Orwell's 1984.

and this book does a pretty good job of covering the city's heavy-hitters, as well as documenting plenty of smaller and anonymous works. if you've followed stencil art in the past few years at all, you'll recognize some pieces, as well as some artists' names (meggs, meek, and sixten to name a few).
there are bios and interviews, and the artwork is divided up into themed sections. all of the photos are color, too, which is a nice bonus many other books on this subject seem to be lacking.
at nearly 160 pages, and being hardcover, it's well worth the money.

I've been a little obsessed with Melbourne's street art scene for quite a while; actually, since the day I discovered Melbourne Mark's (that's how I think of him!) State Of Flux; a great site dedicated to the art in and around Melbourne (in case you hadn't guessed that already!). From then on I've been glued to that site and always enjoyed seeing all the new art as it was documented. I'm waffling...when I saw a while back that Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne, by Jake Smallman & Carl Nyman, and published by Mark Batty, was coming out in the UK I was pretty excited and it's been well worth the wait.

Just like the other Mark Batty books I own, Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne is quality from the start. It's nicely bound and instantly demands your attention from the second you lift over the front cover. Before you even get to the actual stencil documentation you're pounced on by a couple of incredible night-time photography of city streets and their painters. These are not in-your-face trophy photos of writers and painter posing next to their pieces but beautifully artistic long-exposure shots where the city is the star and the writer is part of the environment. It's a great way to make you realise that this book isn't just about the art but more to do with how the art and Melbourne interact with one another. The introduction follows and tells us more about Melbourne's unique stencil history.

Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne is packed with themed chapters and artist profiles as well as being interspersed with the same high standard photography. That's not to say that the other photography in the book isn't worth mentioning though; it is. While many of the photos are documentary style (just showing the actual piece of art) there's a whole lot more that are just oozing class. Actually, it has some of the best street art photos I've seen. I digress.

So, back to the themes...roughly half of the chapters are theme based. The themes include faces, politics, war, robots, music, horror (a great couple of pages), guns and lots more. One of the most impressive themed chapters concerns itself with public galleries; lanes where, although illegal, artists are constantly putting up new pieces. By the look of the photos these streets are not just painted with the odd stencil here and there but quite densely populated with work, making them truly like gallery spaces. Many of the pieces are single layered hits but there are also some multi-layered beauties. A great collection.
Of the many artists that have there own chapters I have to mention Meggs. His art makes perhaps the best chapter in the book with his cute, skyward looking, kids with devils horns. Fantastic imagery. He also has some cracking pieces that depict people throwing up some kind of crazy paisley pattern...nuts. Vexta also gets a mention here for not only having a great collection of pieces on show but also for having the second best photo in the book; an action shot of her hanging half way down a wall, in mountain climbing kit, painting the amazing police piece. Sixten's chapter is also great, especially his work in progress, and his finalised Call It Popart One More Time And I'll... piece. Sync also needs a mention as his screaming pieces had a real impact on me when I saw a couple of his pieces in NYC last year. Banksy also gets an honorary mention for hitting the place during a detour visit in 2003. Apparently he made such an impact with the pure quantity of pieces that he deserved the chapter that's dedicated to him. Last mention has to go to Rone, who gets the title for greatest photo in the book! It's a four-layer stencil of a guy high up in the air, maybe four of five metres high. It's perfectly placed and traverses different types of textures across the wall. Just like all the great street art photos that have been taken, this one becomes complete with some personal interaction. This time it's with the addition of someone throwing a skate deck in the air and making it look like the character in the stencil has been caught mid-trick. Fantastico! It's a shame not to mention all the other great artists included in the book but I've probably already said too much...this is the kind of thing you should discover yourself.

I can't really claim to know much about Melbourne but Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne gives me the impression of it having a rich, and dense, tapestry of street art...perhaps more so than anywhere else I can think of (I'm willing to be put right on this one but that's the impression I get from the book). I remember writing that Melbourne looks like a colourful place to live. Seeing this book has made my image of Melbourne much more intensely saturated with colour and dynamic imagery, I just hope I can get over there to visit some day. Like all great books, Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne has made me want to know more about both Melbourne and it's rich streetart scene. I'll definitely be going back over all the photos at State Of Flux now that I have some solid reference material...I need to see more from these artists.

What has happened to turn Melbourne into a stencilled graffiti capital? When did this happen and who is responsible? Furthermore, why stencils? Isn't the use of stencils a bit of a cheat? Stencil Graffiti Capital answers all these questions and more with a visual celebration for several artists and the themes which dominate their work. Interviews with the likes of Civilian, Dlux, and Ha-Ha illustrate how and why these artists live in, moved to, or visit Melbourne to practice their street art. Full-page and double-spread visual treatments within the book illustrate the artists' basic themes, which focus on politics, symbols, love/sex and war/death.

According to the authors, Jake Smallman and Carl Nyman, the new trend toward stencilled work in Melbourne began in 1999 when graffiti artist Psalm tickled Melbourne's walls with "intricately detailed, vibrantly colored and visually arresting" work. His work was followed by Ha Ha's roughly cut, one-layer stencils which usually were painted in black. Syn and Dlux moved their graffiti skills to Melbourne from Adelaide in 2002, and they brought with them an influence which bonded the disparate talents already in residence.

Commercialism of street art, especially stencilled work, is contentious and Stencil Graffiti Capital addresses these issues. The use of stencils instead of free-form spraying, in my opinion, is no worse than the fact that Norman Rockwell used slides projected onto his canvases to help render his realistic paintings. His practice - once discovered by the art world - evolved into a debate over the difference between commercial work and fine art during the mid-twentieth century; however, this debate fizzled once technology altered how artists rendered their work...it's difficult for a fine artist to criticize commercial work when he uses computers to render his digital images.

The debates over legality/commercialism of stencilled street art might fizzle or continue to build, which is one of the interesting aspects to this movement. The other highlight includes the fact that these stencilled works aren't amateurish. Not surprisingly, the majority of street artists included in this book have graphic design or fine art backgrounds, an aspect that lends sophistication to the work. This background also supplies an understanding to the transition from the street to galleries. If this debate boils down to the fact that the "medium is the message," then street art is, perhaps, a marketing ploy for what is considered a new art form.

The fact that the street artists sign their work, that they are willing to be photographed in the process of building their work, that there is a Web site devoted to the who, what, when, where, how, and why of stencilled street art all lend credence to the fact that Melbourne's streets have become visual marketing for these artists. While this fact might leave a bitter taste in the mouth of some artists and officials, the mere idea that a metropolis could be influenced by street artists to the point that illegal activities are basically overlooked - at least for the moment - seems to be the real revolution.

While Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne could be seen as part and parcel of this trend in commercialization of graffiti art and artists, the book is needed to explain this trend and Melbourne's part in an artistic evolution. Additionally, the book becomes a visual record of a trend which waxes and wanes with politics and artistic whims. The writing is succinct, clear, and sticks to the facts. The writers and editors forged categories for the artwork, an idea that refuses to glorify any one artist and which offers the reader a banquet of styles and canvases used by the artists. The only missing information in this book is the actual dimensions of the artwork, although the photographs at times reveal the size in proportion to buildings and individuals.

This book will appeal not only to artists, art lovers, and political guerrillas; it could add a significant contribution to any anthropologist's or historian's bookshelf as it addresses issues about the intent, talent, time, and politics which continue to influence every aspect of what is often considered illegal public property defacement.

this was recommended to me for my toddler when she began to potty train. She still enjoys reading this. It is silly and you get to see all the animals poop. Very funny, I think I laughed more the first time I had read it than she ever has.

My 2 year old LOVES this book. When you are reading to him, you can hardly believe what you are reading. A total crack up!

This is one of the cutest books i've ever seen. Not only is it clever and charming but it actually makes kids think about their "business" in a healthy, funny way. The illustrations are adorable and help you really get a sense of the characters' personalities immediately, even if they appear only on one page. Its a short and simple little treat and I highly recommend it for kids and adults alike.

I first encountered this book when I took a Children's Literature course in college. A bestseller in Germany, it had been banned in the United States because of its subject matter, so our professor had to show us the original German book and translate it for us. After our initial shock wore off, it had our entire class of English majors in stitches!

Basically, someone or something poops on the little mole's head, and the mole (understandably upset) starts going from animal to animal asking if that animal is the one who did it. Each animal says "no" and then shows what their own poop looks like. Eventually, the mole finds out which animal is responsible, and has his revenge. This is VERY similar in style to the P.D. Eastman children's classic "Are You My Mother?" where a baby bird goes from animal to animal looking for his mommy bird - except, of course, the content is a bit more unusual for the average American parent who is used to "Goodnight Moon" or "Where the Wild Things Are." The thing is, though, kids love to learn about bodily functions - especially when they reach the age of potty training.

I actually found the book so amusing that I always kept my eye out for a copy, and years later I managed to track down an English copy here on Amazon! (Note: the original American/English title for the book was "The Little Mole Who Went In Search of Whodunnit"...it looks like they've changed the name this time around.) I ordered it to read to my young son who was 3 years old at the time. He loved it and thought it was the funniest thing ever!

I find this book more tasteful than some of the others of this type - it's matter-of-fact and doesn't try to be crude in any way. It's also educational in the sense of highlighting differences between animals. I think this is a good book to get for a child who is in the potty-training process, when kids tend to get fascinated by the elimination of body wastes...and also for kids who have reached the point where they'll appreciate the humor in the mole's quest and his revenge.

Now this book is GREAT!!!! I don't know if I should really put it in the educational category, but in fact it is - it leaves lots of subjects open for discussion with the young ones

My two daughters adore this book - it is visually rich, the story is great fun, and it is an easy read for adults and children alike. There is also, as I mentioned, a chance for discussion on issues such as why are all these animals 'business' different (as well as discussing a range of euphemisms for 'business')

The story starts with a little mole who puts his head up above the ground only to have some animal go to the toilet on his head. The mole, who is very short sighted and wears thick glasses doesn't see who it was that did this on his head so he goes in search of animals to ask. These include a dove, a goat, a pig, a cow a horse and couple of flies (amongst others) and in fact it is the flys which point him in the right direction at last.

Although I am not one for condoning revenge it is rather funny as the revenge is hardly worth the effort in the end but it makes the mole satisfied and the animal hardly notices the difference.

The drawings are gorgeous, as I said, they look like they have been done in rich colourful pastels so the animals are very alive and with excellent detail.

Kids love this book, for its toilet humour, but also for its natural biology - just why do animals have different business - it is a great introduction to talk about animal diet, circumstances, even flight of birds and things to assit. While they might not understand all the concepts it is a fun way to extend them.

Adults will enjoy this one too

Mr. Andrew Lohrey informs us in his introduction, to this collection of essays by the late Australian psychologist Alex Carey, that Carey was prevented from going to college by his parents after he finished secondary school as they wanted him to manage their sheep farm which he did with such success that he could sell it about a decade later and enter a university.

Here and there this book is dreadfully dry, particularly towards the end. His ideas probably would have been made clearer and much better organized if he would have been able to put together a regular book instead of a book of essays put together by someone else but he died in 1988 before he could get it done. But the topics he discusses are very important especially now when business and government propaganda has never been more powerful.

The main title of this book describes what big business and their intellectual and political minions have tried to do particularly in the United States as rights to vote and to organize in this country were extended to large segments of the population of this country over the last hundred years. Carey's old friend Noam Chomsky quotes in his preface the numerous intellectual advocates (Walter Lipmann, Harold Laswell,etc.) of what Thomas Jefferson called late in his life "a single and splendid government of an aristocracy" made up of the "banking institutions and monyed incorporations" whom he feared would destroy the freedoms gained during the American revolution. Many prominent liberal intellectuals devoted loyal service to the state during World War one particularly in the government propaganda agencies putting out massive bogus atrocity stories about the Germans and turning a largely anti-war population in a short period into a bunch of maniacs looking to destroy everything remotely connected with Germany and German culture. A young German soldier named Adolf Hitler was deeply impressed with the allied propaganda effort and blamed German weakness in this field for their defeat and vowed that Germany would learn its lessons by the time the next war came around.

The best part of Carey's text, by far, is about the first five chapters. The first topic discussed is the Americanization movement begun in the few years before World War one by big busisiness associatons who were particularly worried about such events as the victory of the IWW led strike of textile workers in Lawrence Massachusetts in 1912. Big business was particularly worried about the influence of IWW-type radicalism on the U.S. immigrant population which mostly worked under very bad conditions at very low wages and set to work with a somwhat successful drive to inculate immigrants as well as the population at large with "American" values like free enterprise and the status quo and social harmony and against alien values like socialism or the welfare state or non-pliable unions. Out of this campaign came the Fourth of July holiday signed into law into 1918. This campaign culminated in the government crushing of the labor movement during 1919-21 under the cover of chasing communists and German spies.

The labor movement, says Carey, did not recover until the Great Depression which forced the U.S. government to enact very basic welfare legislation and protection of unions. This greatly alarmed important segments of big business. The National Association of Manufacturers literature in 1938 warned of the "hazard facing industrialists" of the "newly realized political power of the masses."

The end of World War two saw the beginnings of a massive attack on independent thinkers and organized labor under the cover of a red scare. After a lag in the early 1970's, the elites in this country began to steer this country towards a very markedly right wing political climate, seeing the rise of previously regarded fringe elements as represented by such think tanks as the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage foundation which featured such profound thinkers as former Nixon and Ford treasury secretary William Simon who fulminated about how the Carter administration was steering the country towards collectivist totalitarianism.

He goes into some detail examining the right wing apparatus in his native Australia. He ends with discussion of some matters dealing with industrial psychology and industrial sociology culminating in a study of the Hawthorne studies, laborious research at an Illinois assembly plant made up of female workers in the late 20's and early 30's where a group of industrial psychologists tried to secure evidence that workers don't care about money and just want to be left alone to do the wonderful jobs that the labor market has forced on them. The Hawthorne chapter is in large part almost unintelligible and very dry, probably inevitable given that it is a scientific paper.

"Taking the Risk Out of Democracy : Corporate Propaganda Versus Freedom and Liberty" is a pioneering work in the field of corporate propaganda analysis which reveals just how much of a major force corporate propaganda is in contemporary society. Alex Carey quotes the business press as stating that the public mind is the greatest "hazard facing industrialists."

"Taking the Risk Out of Democracy : Corporate Propaganda Versus Freedom and Liberty" points out that there are two types of propaganda, each of which have specific societal functions. The first type is aimed at the educated, articulate sectors of the population that are involved in in decision making and setting the agenda for others to adhere to. The second type of propaganda is aimed at the unwashed masses, to keep them distracted so as they don't interfere in the public arena where they have no business in being. All in all, "Taking the Risk Out of Democracy : Corporate Propaganda Versus Freedom and Liberty remains a seminal analysis of corporate propaganda and its uses in creating an obedient elite and a subserviant citizenry. Very enjoyable.

As N. Chomsky brilliantly states, `Alex Carey draws the veil of deceit and imposed ignorance in the struggle for freedom and justice.'
Alex Carey shows how corporate propaganda protects corporate power (the few) against democracy (the many). Skilled manipulation conceals the real human nature and the needs of the common man in the interest of corporate efficiency and profit, in other words, in the interest of the privileged segments of society.

The effectiveness of propaganda depends on the availability of emotionally charged symbols and ideas. The most powerful ones are nationalist symbols. Therefore, corporate propaganda tries to identify the free-enterprise system with US national values, and strong unions, interventionist governments, communists and alleged liberal fellow travelers with threats to national security, subversion and tyranny.
A surveillance network detects early signs of ideological drifts. Corrective persuasion is immediately disseminated through the media, completely controlled by fellow megacorporations. As the social scientist H.D. Lasswell said: `propaganda is the one means of mass mobilization which is cheaper than violence, bribery or other possible control techniques.'

Another means of manipulation is the filtering of social science studies. Only those which improve the industry's image and interests are propagated.
Alex Carey shows the nonsense and fundamental hypocrisy of alleged `basic' social experiments (the Hawthorne studies, the experiments of K. Lewin and F. Herzberg), which `prove' that salary, job security and good working conditions are only of secondary importance for employees. In the meantime, corporations pocket superprofits.
Alex Carey's dissection of the Hawthorne studies is simply devastating. He unmasks social scientists as servants of power and union busters.

This book contains also excellent historical information (the McCarthy crusade, the great steel strike of 1919) and exposes rightly the link between propaganda and the pragmatism of Dewey and W. James (the promotion of false beliefs is justified if they are socially useful).

This is a very revealing book and a must read for all those wanting to understand the world we live in.

Alex Carey's work is absolutely some of the best. My favorite quote of his is this: "The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy." This has become a touchstone for Sheldon Rampton and me in our books Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, Trust Us, We're Experts, and our writing for PR Watch. Carey is much missed.

Carey points out that citizens living in totalitarian regimes have no choice but to tow the government line out of fear for their personal safeties. In free societies, Carey explains that more subtle means are used to keep populations under control. Specifically, propaganda is used to ensure that most people will think in a manner that is consistent with the corporate agenda (such as belief in the free market and business' right to unlimited profit). Carey documents how Americans and Australians have been subjected to corporate propaganda during most of the 20th Century, and explains how these efforts have perverted our democracy (for example, American's over willingness to fight communists, real or imagined, to protect capitalism). Indeed, while many Americans were conditioned during the Cold War to believe that propaganda existed only in the Soviet Union, China and other communist regimes, Carey persuasively argues that propaganda actually played (and continues to play) a more critical role in molding the attitudes of citizens in democracies.

I bought this book as a raw beginner (along with a lot of other books) a few years ago. I am now a professional, still learning of course, who travels internationally thanks to tarot, and this book comes with me EVERYWHERE. What further recommendation can I give? This book helps me with everything from deep spiritual interpretation, to those people who just want a bit of "fun" - and there is no harm in that, either, as I think Paul makes clear. It's great! Buy it!

I won't bore you with a long review, so I'll keep it short. I have read and owned several books on the tarot over the years and no book has ever come close to to making the meanings of the cards so real and SIMPLE! My copy got thrown out about 10 months ago and I've been looking everywhere for another one. Tonight I finally have and am ordering another copy right now. BUY IT !

This book makes easy work of learning the tarot, as it is filled with stories and examples taken from life. The stories bring each card to life, and they helped me to remember the meanings, which can be hard at first.

By breaking each card into a general meaning, reversed card, relationships and health meaning it simplifies the learning process and makes it easier to use as a reference when giving practice readings.

The Tarot Revealed gave me the confidence to read for friends and family, and eventually for strangers. It is a practical guide to giving clear, realistic readings.

I have accumulated several books on tarot and this book is one of my favorites. Paul's writing style is accessible and friendly but it isn't fluffy. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone. If you know someone just starting out with tarot I do believe this would be the best book you could give them even though I would not consider this a "beginner's book." Most tarot books aimed at newbies are too shallow to be of any real use. This is a solid book and I find myself turning to it again and again, even though I have a huge stack of tarot books to choose from. I especially enjoy the stories and anecdotes Paul relates about readings he's done and interesting people he's met over the years. Thanks Paul!

Paul Fenton-Smith's 'Tarot Revealed' is the perfect starter book for any serious tarot beginner. It's written in simple, easy to understand language and filled with concise, (generally) 2 page interpretations intermixed with real life examples from Paul's professional practice. It's deceptively complete and comprehensive---I'm almost embarassed to say that I've read it cover to cover four times now! Why should anyone read a book so many times? (i can hear you asking). Well, it's just flat out a great book for remembering and getting to know the cards. Paul begins by describing each card, giving general meanings, and then goes on to provide examples of card meanings when found in relationship readings (sometimes including career readings), concluding with potential meanings 'Reversed'.
That tarot system that Paul uses, relying heavily on Astrology and Tarot Numerology, is succinct yet simple enough to easily remember and use as a foundation for one's knowledge of the tarot. It's his belief that one need not be intuitive to read the cards, provided that one uses a complete and foolproof system. Whether you agree with this premise or not, he certainly provides a sturdy platform for any beginning student's tarot studies.