Australia Books

Mr. Skinny was a little book my daughter wanted read over & over again when a young girl. She is now 30, & was thrilled to have an old friend back in her life...

I love this book and my son loves it too. All the Mr. Men books bring back good memories from my childhood. The story is fun and easy to follow.

Mr. Skinny is a skinny fellow. The problem is that he lives in Fatland. Everything there is fat but himself. How will he fit in, being the thin peg in a fat hole world? Thankfully, with the help of a portly doctor, and a suprise cameo by another of the Mr. Men tribe, there is a solution to Mr. Skinny's problem!

This is a richly detailed, and very touching book about one place though history. Although it is a children's book, adults will find plenty to interest them, especially if they have an interest in history. There are maps drawn by the characters of where they live that are interesting to observe for the continuity through time. Wars, immigration, and environmental change all play a part. Some things remain the same.

I use this book in class rooms all over the place, from 6 year olds to 12 year olds. I am currently planning a 10 week program of literature and art around this book for 10 year olds. The older kids appreciate the things that the younger kids don't pick up on,eg: family relationships between different characters at different times. It a great jump start to talking about Multiculturalism in Australia and how this came about, where the different nationalities came from and why. Discussions about war are also valid. I am using it to focus the kids on their place, physically and metaphorically, we will be creating our own maps and writing to go with them. We are then going to 'publish' them in our own book and hold an exhibition of the original art works in conjunction with their completed page and the completed book.

This book came out in 1988 during Australia's bicentennial of the European invasion of Australia. It shares a title with a book by Sally Morgan, an Aboriginal women whose search for her own identity and place was published at the same time. This book can be read in either direction. For younger children, it may be easier to start at then end an move forwards. For older children, part of the fun is in uncovering the history of the place - an inner urban area of Sydney.

The book emphasises the timeless continuity of the place, and that even though we might be the temporary custodians of a piece of land, we share a common history and linkage through our humanity, and our Aboriginal history. Lushly illustrated by Donna Rawlins, and words by Nadia Wheatley. A valuable asset to any school library, primary or secondary, and public library, as well as the shelves at home.

My son first showed interest in t at about age 4, and has returned to it periodically since - ie over 2 years. It will stay with him for many years yet!

This is a great book by a brilliant historian who is deeply revered on both sides of the Atlantic. It will be the definitive work. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

This is a much more thorough study of Congregational culture and doctrine than that of Perry Miller. Miller's work relied entirely on published weekday sermons. Stout mined the unpublished sermon notes of hundreds of New England preachers to find a balance that Miller missed. Stout convincingly shows that the ministers' commitment to the salvation of their listeners was always paramount, and finds a consistency in their messages that link the ministers of the 1630's with those of the 1770's. Stout finds few doctrinal differences between Old Lights such as John Cotton and New Lights such as Jonathan Edwards. It's a tough read (being intellectual history), but it's well worth the effort if you wish to get inside the Puritan mind.

Harry S. Stout (Ph.D., Kent State University) is currently a professor of American religious history at Yale University. Building on the groundbreaking work of Perry Miller, Stout published The New England Soul in 1986. The study is more extensive than its paperback size might suggest. The main body of the work covers nearly 150,000 words and is supplemented by 68 pages of extensive end notes. The work has become a standard text for college and graduate courses in colonial American history.

Stout's work centers on the content, role, and power of the sermon in Puritan (later New England) America from the first landings to the beginning of the American revolution. His thesis, which is strongly supported through the work, is that the sermon was the central agent in creating a cohesive culture that evolves toward eventual self-identity and independence. Drawing extensively on primary sources, Stout brings to the contemporary reader the piety and passions of the people whose culture forms the soil for the American nation.

Stout follows the sermon through five generations of New England preachers. These generations are marked by gradual but significant changes in the style and, to some degree, content of the sermon. These five generations he labels invention (1620-1665), arrangement (1666-1700), style (1701-1730), delivery (1731-1763), and memory (1764-1776).

These five stages are, he admits, not dramatic shifts as much as a continual evolution. Through these stages Stout demonstrates changes in style (from plain to "Anglican") and, to some degree, in content. He asserts, however, that the essential core elements of the sermon remain consistent, and that the changes reflect the sermon's adjustment to a changing environment. In this assertion Stout challenges to common suggestion that Puritan preaching displaced its original mission and passion over time.

The themes of personal piety and liberty, Stout demonstrates, are constant from the early sermons of John Cotton to sermons like that of Samuel West celebrating the liberation of Boston by George Washington in 1776. These themes are linked by a shared sense of cultural and religious destiny, the "city set on a hill" mission, in which American New England would fulfill the goal of Calvin's Geneva to create the perfect society in which the Kingdom of God might be fully realized on earth.

The New England preacher, more so than the statesman or soldier, was the preeminent power and power-broker in the Colonial period. The sermon was both soteriological and political, reflecting a conceptual marriage of church and state difficult for the contemporary reader to fully grasp.

One great value of Stout's work is, following in the steps of Perry Miller, he brings to the reader the words of voices long forgotten. While John Cotton, Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, and a handful of other divines have remained well known figures, at least to students of early American history, Stout brings to life the words of dozens of other preachers whose works and words are now preserved only in small numbers of rare books and pamphlets.

Stout effectively demonstrates how the sermons, especially of the eighteenth century, laid the foundation for the revolution and the birth of the American nation. The "messianic mission" of the early Puritans was malleable enough to be transfigured into the great battle, against the Beast of the British monarchy, to establish the independence of the colonies. Any student of American or religious history would be well served by including Stout's work in their must-read list. Any teacher of early American history should seriously consider adding this to any list of recommended texts. The contemporary student will be surprised at the multiple connections between religious and political thinking in early American life, as well as the pivotal role the sermon plays in the development of that life.

Although I have read a great deal about nutrition, after reading raw energy I now know the value of eating foods in their natural state. I have used the information in this book to improve my energy, health, muscular endurance and muscular strength. I loved it and will continue to use the information to live healthfully for many more years.

This book illuminates the fact that the enzymes present only in raw foods are @ least as important as vitamins & minerals in the maintenance of optimum human health. This well-documented work not only reminds us that man is the only animal which cooks it's food but that cooked food is a cultural perversion & an addiction which may actually be injurious to health. The authors delightful writing style informs w/o intimidating the reader w/ medico-chemical jargon. While some critics might label this book "controversial", such claims would be found baseless under the cold, hard light of logic.

The Healthiest way to stay fit, lose weight sensibly and eat yummy foods! Have been using this book for over 10 years and now need a new one because it is falling apart!

This is an excellent discussion of Australian cryptozoological creatures. Debunks many myths yet leads the reader into a world of the possible. The book is thoroughly readable.

The section on the marsupial lion is "interesting" as there have now been 2 (indistict) videos of this creature shown on national television news! Still no bodies though!

An absolutley excellent book, exploring a number of the "mystery" animals of Australia such as the Queensland Marsupial Tiger and the Thylacine. Each chapter has an extensive history of the beast, as well as eyewitness accounts and more. The author never becomes carried away with the subject and declares that such animals DO exist, but deals with it in an interesting and logical manner. A must for any cryptozoology fanatics, especially those from Australia!

Horrified to see this listed as out of print ! I bought a copy in London at UnCon'99. Six mysteries of Australian and Tasmanian animals extinct or fortean in nature. Well written and very enjoyable. Many plates of the Thylacine and locations of sightings and well done illustrations of the various critters so dear to the hearts of armchair monster hunters everywhere.

James Boyd

Pucabob@aol.com

Pemulwuy was a leader of the Eora people - the Aboriginal langauge group that lived where Sydney now stands. This is the story of the resistance of the Aboriginal people to the invasion of their lands.

A gripping novel of an aspect of Australia's contact history not often written about.

This is an excellent fusion of history and creativity. It is a powerful tribute to the courage and spirit of the Aboriginal people who fought fiercely against European invasion in Sydney, and almost won. Hard to put down.

After spending years in the Australian educational system being told there was no resistance to white invasion (settlement) of Australia, reading this book 13 years ago was a revelation. I guess (I hope) there is much more literature around about aboriginal resistance these days, but this book is both educational and a good read. Buying it again.

I was looking for some thorough information about the island and its inhabitants past and present. This book was very specific and gives a person everything you may want to know and not know.

This book is rich with detail. The author goes beyond the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty and tells us what happens next, from the late 1700s to the present day. This is a fascinating account of the lives of the people who inhabit and visit Pitcairn Island.

I had a strong hunch before purchasing this book that it would turn out to be an exciting read. Last year at our local college I took Professor Robert Kirk's American History course (1865-present), and I was impressed with how he could transform what otherwise might be a series of dry facts and events into themed narrative tales that had the same compelling force as dramatic fiction.

And Pitcairn Island does not disappoint. Kirk just knows how to tell a tale, and he does this with the same narrative drive he uses in his lectures, and with the same wryness. Describing the fate of the captured mutineers: "Slowly gasping for air, each of the condemned was hoisted up by his neck. It was as good free entertainment as George III's government could provide." (p. 44)

The book reads like a novel, but you never forget that the stories are true, since Kirk documents the events, the characters and their actions in exquisite detail. Kirk had access to many primary documents at the Pitcairn Island Study Center at Pacific Union College, with at least 200 sourced references for this book. His own visit to the island must have given him a real feel for the current scene. The result is that the depth of scholarship and analysis is profound throughout all 250 pages. Just one example: When referring to the prison colony on Norfolk island (to which the Pitcairners moved at one point), Kirk writes, "Victims [prisoners] who fainted from the flogger's blows were allowed to rest for a short time until they had recovered sufficiently to continue to receive the number of lashes promised...it was not uncommon to find survivors with no flesh on their backs." (p. 114). How was Kirk able to dig up such morbid and fascinating details from the early 1800's? Clearly he did his homework.

I'm not usually much of a history buff, but it's hard not to be drawn in by an adventure tale that starts with the violent mutiny on the Bounty, a many-year hideout on an uninhabited remote island with violent mutineers and beautiful Polynesian women, and ends with a controversial rape and sex abuse trial that took place just 4 years ago. Along the way, beneath the seediness and steaminess, Kirk shows us how generations of a small group of isolated islanders survive and die, sometimes prosper, and sometimes wither, under adverse and bizarre conditions that are probably unique on this planet.

Anyone who's looking for a history book that reads like a novel, and certainly anyone planning on taking a cruise through the South Pacific with the idea of visiting Pitcairn Island, should pick up a copy of this book. This is the definitive story.

Excellent read. I really liked this book. Starts out in England, 1820s, ends in "Tasmania." Great characterization. Highly recommended.

I was in Australia visiting friends when I heard about this novel. I bought it to read on the plane back to America. Usually if I read for pleasure it takes me a week or more to get through it just bits at a time. I could not put this book down to sleep or eat until I had read every single page. Mr. Courtenay has a way of putting you right in the middle of the story with so many colourful characters that will live on in your heart until you pass. If you love history, if you love seeing the little person struggle to come out on top to only be kicked down and struggle back up again then you'll love this book and the two others that follow.

PURE BRYCE COURTENAY. ANOTHER EPIC ABOUT THE STRUGGLES OF LIFE AND THE WILL TO PERSEVERE AND NEVER GIVE UP. IF YOU'VE READ THE POWER OF ONE, YOU'LL LOVE THIS BOOK. COURTENAY SHOULD BE BETTER KNOWN IN THE GOOD OLD USA

The latest release of Kamminga and Mulvaney's book is a must for anyone interested in Australia's past. For decades, this book has represented the cutting-edge of knoweledge about Australian prehistory and the latest complete re-write fails to dissapoint.

This work covers all areas of Australian prehistory in a clear and concise manner, that makes is invaluable for students/academics and the interested 'armchair archaeologist' alike.

This book is written by two scientists who have played important roles in the rapidly developing subject of Australian prehistory. It is not simply a revision of the 1971 book - the picture archaeologists have of the prehistory of Australia has transformed in the past 30 years, and this book captures that exciting transformation. The archaeology of aboriginal occupancy of Australia is also a politically charged subject and the authors manage the difficult task of presenting this story with sensitivity. I think that the book is a fine example of how to present a mass of scientific evidence by weaving it into an engaging and moving story. The authors presentation of human response to the shifting Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoenvironment in Australia is excellent. The references are thorough and well organised and a useful glossary of archaeological, geological and biological terms is appended. The book concludes with three chapters on aboriginal rock art. Finally, the book is well formatted and easy on the eye. First rate - highly recommended to all literate Australians (given the wide ignorance of this important subject in our country) and to anyone with an interest in prehistory. I can't recommend it highly enough!

This was an interesting introduction to Australian prehistory. I'd not come across a similar general text on the subject before this one, although I've read some of the data as passing references in other books on prehistory. Some of the discussion on the flint technology was a little slow-going because the differences in technique, stone sources, and styles among the various periods and regions were less apparent and less engrossing to me than they obviously are to the authors. In other respects the book is an excellant starting point for anyone with an interest in Austrilia or in prehistoric culture in general.

Finished... just couldn't put it down... and now for the waiting of the next book.

The book Erak's Ransom, by John Flanagan, is about a boy who goes to get Erick back from the Arridi. The boy, Will, was an orphan at Castle Redmont who had no last name. Will No-Name is chosen to become apprenticed as a ranger.

Apprentice Will goes with Halt, his instructor, and Gilan, Halt's ranger friend, to bring silver to the people who hold Erak prisoner. The crew from Erak's ship came along. As they head off, Will's friend Horence joins them. When they arrive, they are told that a group of warriors are taking them to a nearby village. They follow the path to the village. The first days seem fine but a sand storm overtakes them and Tug, Will's horse, gets lost. Will splits off the main group to find Tug. Meanwhile, the rest of the group follows the road to the village. After a little while the main group finds out that bandits have taken the group of soldiers. The main group changes course not knowing whether Will and Tug are alive! To find out what happens after that, get the book and read it.

In Ranger's Apprentice 7, Erak is making a last raid when he is caught and is held for ransom. Will, Halt, Horace, Cassandra, and Gilan must find him and rescue him. There is a fair amount action in this book. This book is only available in the Australian version. Chronologically, this book comes before the 5th and 6th but after the 1-4. He does a good job of putting pressure on characters. I thought it was a good book and that it was worth buying online from an Australian bookseller.