Australia Books

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:

Is it possible to offer a single comprehensive view of modern economic life and of the changes that are shaping its future? Mr. Galbraith in this volume proves that it is. He begins with the world of advanced technology highly specialized manpower, and the five or six hundred giant corporations which bring these into use. He shows how these firms supply themselves with capital, how the men who comprise them are motivated, how organized intelligence has replaced ownership as the source of power in the modern enterprise. He shows how the market has declined as a guiding influence in economic life, to be replaced in substantial measure by planned decision as to what will be produced, at what prices and for whom.

Government in the industrial state, Mr. Galbraith makes clear can be understood only in light of the needs and goals of modern large-scale organization. And this profoundly shapes the prospect for trade unions, political parties, education and the larger culture itself. Only as we see the goals of the industrial system in a clear light will we avoid the danger of subordinating too much of life to their service. Only then will we exploit the opportunities inherent in well-being.

...

The publisher's description goes on to herald The New Industrial State as Galbraith's "most important book." The implicit comparison is with his earlier and immensely popular work, The Affluent Society. But the two books are quite closely related, as Galbraith mentions in the foreword: "I must again remind the reader that this book had its origins alongside The Affluent Society. It stands in relation to that book as a house to a window. This is the structure; the earlier book allowed the first glimpse inside."

And indeed, that is largely the truth. This book provides a framework for understanding Corporate America; its real and public purposes, its organization, history, strengths, and weaknesses. Surprisingly little of the book seems aged (of course the book exludes all mention of the last forty years, and the Soviet references seem a bit antiquated), and much of it, with minimal substitution (e.g. "War on Terror" for "Cold War" as the bogeyman for justifying the massive military outlays which feed the industrial system) is eerily applicable to the early 21st century.

All of that said, this book is not for everyone. It is quite dense (especially the first third), and most of us will need a dictionary close at hand. This is a book which requires hard thinking and more than one reading. But if your purpose is to understand the type of economy we really live in, your efforts will be richly rewarded.

John Kenneth Galbraith didn't respect the literary conventions of economics. He didn't express himself in math, he made sweeping generalizations about society (not always backed by strong evidence), and he freely drew on the insights of history, sociology, and politics, paying little heed to interdisciplinary boundaries. For that reason, many economists looked down their noses at him. And for that reason, his books are still in print and enjoyed by readers decades after they first appeared. Galbraith was more than an economist. He was a great social critic, a great debunker of cant, and a superb prose stylist. He was the Veblen of post-World War II America.

He was at the top of his powers when he wrote "The New Industrial State" in the 1960s. The book came as close as anything did to summarizing the Galbraithian "system." Parts of it are outdated, such as the assertion that financial markets have little influence on big corporations, or the strained argument that the American and Soviet economic systems were "converging." Other parts, however, are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago, such as the critique of advertising and consumerism, or the analysis of how our gigantic defense industry shapes policy and influences the Pentagon. In a time when the Federal Reserve is bailing out banks and scrambling to protect the economy from the miscalculations of the financial sector, it's good to be reminded that the private sector looks to government to keep the economy on a even keel, no matter what the official ideology of the private sector may be.

Most of all, "The New Industrial State" displayed Galbraith's genius for stepping back and asking big questions. These continue to haunt economics, even though textbook writers bury them in footnotes. Why DO we treat GDP is an adequate measure of social welfare? Why DO we choose to consume higher productivity in the form of goods rather than leisure? Why DOES our pedagogy emphasize "perfect competition" when the economy is dominated by big firms? Why DO we assume that workers and managers are motivated solely by pecuniary considerations? And on and on.

"The New Industrial State" is a trove of intellectual riches, expressed in masterful and witty prose. Every undergraduate economics student should read it. So should every educated citizen. It's a 20th century classic.

You will want to go to New Zealand after you have visited the South Island through Mary Bull in her book New Zealand Tales and Tours: South Island Adventures. She draws the reader into the landscape through descriptions of land, sea, people and weather as well as history and stories of the region.The pictures are lovely and enticing to make the trip - a Mt. Cook Lily from the mystical area of their highest mountain to a successful fisherman showing the NZ fish "rig".

Bull invites the reader to become "family" as she quotes poems or includes personal photos from her own travels around the South Island. Small animal pictures bring the material alive. I want to put on my hiking shoes, sun hat, warm sweater and find some sheep to walk the back roads.

This book is well written by a local resident who loves her corner of the world and dares to share secrets of these warm and welcoming people; so as a traveler, you will want to return many times.

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand's South Island, you will want to take this book with you. I really like it.

I actually bought this for friends who plan to visit New Zealand soon, but found myself reading it cover to cover, loving the author's personal approach and regretting that we had not visited the South Island when we visited the North Island a few years ago. The author and her husband have spent half of each of their last 24 years living on the South Island and she recommends 4 road trips lasting one month for travelers who want to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the country's dramatic landscapes and unique history, culture, plants, and animals. The trips start and end in the city of Christchurch, but most of the travel is through fascinating small towns. The author provides helpful details about the lifestyle, accommodations, and unique activities of each community and tips about driving and changeable weather conditions. She also includes Maori myths, local legends, personal experiences, a glossary of New Zealand terms and information about topography, sheep farms, farm stays, fishing, winter and summer sports, and wineries, as well as original sketches of the flora and fauna, numerous photos, and listings of web sites. As a retired library director I would highly recommend this travel book.

Like the previous reviewer, I could hardly put this book down. It is an amazing story told in cinamgraphic detail. It would have been a good book written as fiction, but to know the stories are all true (I confirmed the outline with an RAAF offical obit) brings a part of WWII to life. Well done Peter Dornan, in taking in so much oral history and weaving it into a compelling story.

Nicky Barr's life and the courage he showed, were almost too unblieveable to be true. His biography by Peter Dornan is wonderfully written and impossible to put down. Nicky Barr was a quiet, unassuming man, but a fierce, aggressive fighter to his enemy in battle, and a great friend to those who knew him. The reader will come away feeling like the latter.
His wife and true love, Dot, passed away in May 2006 and Nicky joined her in June.
Thanks to Peter Dornan, for allowing me to know them both!

Loved everything about this book. Fantastic recounts of how life was in early territory days, crossing swollen creeks and driving through the desert before any of the technology we have now. An amazing woman to have worked as a publican in those days.

This is such an easy read, you just can't wait to read more. She has a great way with words. This tale tells the story of Maisie's life from when she was a child, travelling around Australia in the early years with her family. Mum cooking in the most raw conditions and children sleeping on a piece of canvas stretched between four rough hewn pegs to keep them off the ground away from the creepy crawlies and cold. She ended up in the Northern Territory, running her own pub at a time when women publicans were really unheard of. Maisie gained the respect of many locals and travellers alike, a hard working woman, with a great generous heart. I work in a public library, where i saw this book censored by a reader. She was an elderly woman who disliked greatly some of the words Maisie used in her book. To the average wide reading person, the words were what we see every day but this lady took it upon herself to black out all the words she did not like with a black texta colour. At least she did not deny doing it when approached! although she did not like me giving her a small telling off for censoring the book. Anyway, back to the story, if there are any others like me who dive on anything set in early Northern Territory, outback life, grab this, you will love it. Up there with the good ones, like Tom Ronan and Tom Cole.

Any almanac of Australian political history will tell you something like this (usually next to an asterisk): on Remembrance Day, 1975, Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr, the unelected representative of the British Queen, dismissed Australia's Labor Party prime minister, Gough Whitlam, the elected leader of the national government. Whitlam's successor, conservative Malcolm Fraser, called an election immediately and served as PM until 1983. What the almanacs don't tell you about is the sheer level of passion which consumed and polarized the nation for the better part of 10 years after the Dismissal. Kerr was vilified; a figure of universal hate for those on the Left. Fraser, whom Whitlam tagged "Kerr's cur," was hailed as the country's savior by loyal Tories throughout Australia's suburbs. Whitlam, whose government had staggered through several notorious financial and personal scandals, lost another election and retired from politics in 1978 , but to this day is hailed as a God-Caesar by armies of fervent loyalists. Kelly, an Australian journalist, does not delve into these latter day issues; instead he conducts a piece-by-piece reconstruction of the constitutional, legal and political forces which from 1972 conspired to bring about The Dismissal. Some of his personal interviews from the players brought about real scoops, such as the revelations about those who secretly counseled Kerr on the propriety of his actions. Another bombshell is the realization that Whitlam could so easily have "won" on November 11 itself, even after Kerr had sacked him, with deft application of parliamentary procedure. This is not for the neophyte: a familiarity with Australian politics is assumed.

For all Australians, November 11, 1975 shouls stand as a day simultaneously full of fear and of pride.

On that day the Governor General, Sir John Kerr, sacked the democratically elected government of Gough Whitlam. Kerr was given his job by Whitlam; if Whitlam got to the phone first to call the Queen, he could havfe sacked Kerr.

Of course this Constitutional Crisis did not all happen on one day. Paul Kelly has excelled himself in documenting the background to this crisis and biographing main players. He takes an even handed approach to the political situation and has written an unexpectidely readible book.

November 11, 1975 is a day of fear because it was the day democracy stopped happenning; it was a day of pride because Australians didn't degenerate into a violent mob.

Democracy returned to Australia when a General Election was held on December 13, 1975. By the way, Whitlam lost.

Kelly's book is vital reading for: 1. All Australians, 2. All who love a good political read, 3. All students of Government.

A well told, well illustrated, children's book that explores the concepts of mass and water depth.

Mr Archimedes is puzzled at why his bath overflows when he has a soak with his animal friends. After eliminating each animal as the cause of his wet floor, "Eureka" Mr Archimedes discovers the answer.

A fantastic book. Highly recommended.

By the author of 'Who Sank The Boat?' This is a fun way of learning about Archimedes Principle. He hops in and out of a bath with, variously a kangaroo, goat and wombat, examining the water level each time, and trying to understand why when ALL the friends are in the bath it always overflows.

Well illustrated. And, yes, he shouts "EUREKA!"

Australian fiction is the best you will ever find (and I've read everything from King to Koontz) but 99% of books from Down Under are not released here in the United States. Why? I don't know. But I DO know what I've discovered. O'Fear by Peter Corris (a Cliff Hardy mystery) is fantastic! I've hunted down more Cliff Hardy mysteries over the internet and they're all great.

Other must reads by Australian authors are:

Any book written by Robert G. Barrett! (The Stephen King of Australia)

Jon Cleary's Scobie Malone mysteries! (As good as anything written by Nelson DeMille)
Blood Junction by Caroline Carver (As good as anything written by Dean Koontz)
Every book written by Peter Doyle! (Move over John Grisham)

My fellow Americans, fight to read the books the US publishers won't let you see! You will be glad you did.

Considering that the hard-boiled private eye novel is one of the distinctly American genres, it's perhaps surprising that one of the best current practitioners of the form is the Australian Peter Corris, with his detective, Cliff Hardy. If we forgive Hardy his affection for wine, which we'll assume is a cultural deal, and a long running relationship, which fortunately never quite achieved Susan Silvermanesque proportions, he's really quite traditional. Of course, it helps that Australia isn't all that different from America, particularly in terms of its cultural heritage. Corris has written 23 Cliff Hardy books, but they are not generally available in the U. S., which is a shame.

From what I've read of them, O'Fear is a fairly representative entry in the series, which is to say, it's quite good. Hardy is hired after an old friend dies in a car accident :

'Barnes Todd has left you some money.'

'Why?'

'To find out who murdered him.'

I sat back in the chair. Sackville unhooked his glasses and set them down gently on top of the file. He massaged the bridge of his nose and tried to look grave, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes. It irritated me, the way a lot of small things had lately. What's so funny? I thought. I'd been in this business for nearly fifteen years. I'd found murderers before, hadn't I? Well, stumbled across a couple. 'How much money?' I said harshly.

'Ten thousand dollars. His wife's not too happy about it.'

Hardy learns that with Todd's last breath he gasped the word : "O'Fear..." He recognizes this enigmatic phrase as the beginning of the name of a notorious, but relatively harmless, scoundrel named O'Fearna, who is currently in jail, awaiting trial. His bail just happens to be $10,000.

And he's off...sexy widows, unsavory secrets, random corpses, brutal henchmen, crooked lawyers, the whole nine yards. But what makes the book a real throwback is Hardy's vulnerability :

...I had strewn the contents of my wallet across the desk. I looked at the credit cards and the meagre amount of cash and the creased driver's licence and suddenly felt small and isolated. My only backup in the office was an answering machine; my only means of transport was the Falcon; I had an illegal Colt .45 and a properly licenced Smith & Wesson .38 for firepower. No helicopters, no armoured vans, no shotguns. Who was I kidding? This was too big for me.

If Corris does not quite have the comedic chops of a Robert B. Parker or a Robert Crais, he more than compensates by restoring the dramatic tension of a hero who is truly a lone knight, who can be hurt, even killed, and who has no one he can really trust.

This is good stuff, in a classic vein. Read him, if you can the books.

GRADE : A

This massive, oversize, extremely weighty and well-made (Made In Italy) book is a very broad survey of so-called Oceanic Art. This genre may be defined geographically as that area surrounding and surrounded by the Southern Pacific Ocean stretching from Irian Jaya (Indonesian Half of New Guinea), the Northern and Eastern coast of Australia stretching down to New Zealand, as far East as the Easter Islands and up North and West to the Sandwich Islands, and all of the vast number of islands that dot the surface of the ocean in between.
This is then, obviously, a huge undertaking and explains the sheer mass of this publication (along with the fact that the book's text is printed in the French, German and English languages). It also makes it inevitable that some very worthy objects will be left out or overlooked. I'll get to that but first would like to praise the author for having the foresight to place objects in the context of their cultural use, discuss the native flora and fauna (there is even a section dedicated to the ubiquitous betel nut) that go into the artwork (literally and figuratively), describe and explain the religious or secular significance of certain objects and speculate upon probable ancient migration patterns which peopled the region. There is much information here that I am certain you will be exposed to for the first time, and there is a surfeit of excellent photographic reproductions of objects and the people who created them. Because of the large scope of this survey it is likely that you will need to come back to it time and again as you make your way through the various island 'nations'. You may also wonder if, for the same reason, this book has missed anything. I think it has. For instance, I was a little disappointed to see no so-called 'Story Board' carvings from the Palau Islands. These are, as the name implies, carved pictorial representations of local legends, typically done in a single frame on a hand-carved board as long as four feet, and one foot high. There is probably a good reason for this omission, but it causes me to wonder if there are not more categories, knife sheaths, for instance, that were also left out. Still, one must trust the editorial judgment of the author if for no other reason than the overall quality of the book's content is so high that concern over possible ommissions somewhat recede into the background. At present, this book is available right here on Amazon for a ridiculously low price below the issue price. I strongly encourage anyone who collects art books to purchase this, as well as anyone who studies or is interested in the islands, people and cultures of the South Pacific, and anyone who collects books with an eye toward re-selling them for a profit as I predict that this book is one that goes into the 'rare' book category within a year or two.

Want to refresh your eyes amongst the visual boredom of thecity landscape? Feel like having a non-occidental approach tofigurative arts and religion? Then read this book and find the amazing collection of photographs along with a concise and effective study on representative arts in Oceania by Anthony J.P. Meyer. This edition could well be recommended as an obligatory visual encyclopedia for anyone who has read studies on art, magic and religion like that of Mircea Eliade on shamanism or J.G. Frazer's Golden Bough. As a visual artist I consider that this carefully selected collection of images is a golden mine until the present day for all creative person, like it was for cubist and surrealists long decades ago. Find a brilliant example of art and tradition that has given European painting and sculpture a new vitality and a wider perspective on Man. Sit back and enjoy a lavish design and a trustworthy source of info on Oceanic art for the demanding reader.

I cannot recommend this book more highly. Colin Burgess has previously written some excellent books on World War Two prisoners of war, and books of aviation humor, and here he writes with great flair on another subject- the first person born in Australia to journey into space. This book offers a fascinating insight into how someone born outside of the USA and Russia managed to make an incredible journey into orbit and study the oceans from above. However, I believe that this book will not only appeal to those interested in astronauts and Australian space achievements- the book also contains a wealth of breathtaking photos taken from orbit, guaranteed to inspire awe in even the most hardened reader. This book will be of immense interest to both adult readers and younger readers who wish to learn about the wonders of spaceflight. It makes a great companion piece to Burgess's fabulous book about Christa McAuliffe. I can't imagine my bookshelf without it, and would urge you to buy a copy if you can.

This is the remarkable story of Dr. Paul Scully-Power, who became the first Australian-born person to fly into space in October 1984. A brilliant student and accomplished athelete during his formative years, he went on to become the first oceanographer to view the world's oceans from the best vantage point of all- Earth orbit. As a youth with a passion for riding his surf board at Sydney's northern beaches, he managed to combine a love of the ocean with his academic studies. This led him on the path to oceanography. Later he went to the United States on a Navy exchange program, where he briefed and debriefed NASA's astronaut crews on what to look for and photograph as they circled the oceans. He continued to be involved in briefing space shuttle crews for many years afterwards. Through a series of circumstances Paul Scully-Power was chosen to fly into space aboard the Shuttle Challenger. He describes the many sights he saw from space, particularly Australia- the land of his birth. Author Colin Burgess's enduring interest in spaceflight history was kindled by the dramatic flight of John Glenn in 1962, and he is a noted and regular contributor to spaceflight magazines. His friendship with Paul Scully-Power began in 1985 when he asked him to pen a suitable foreword for his children's book, 'Space: The New Frontier'. He has authored an impressive variety of books on topics ranging from humorous anecdotes of flying for Quantas Airways through to best-selling books on the Australian prisoner-of-war experience. Join the first Australian-born astronaut on his incredible journey of discovery, and learn how his space flight has changed forever the way scientists regard our oceans- knowledge which should lead to more accurate weather forecasting.

Old New Zealand put legs under two opinions I've gained in the last ten years or so: 1) many pre-Christian societies were incredibly savage and no Westerner would want to live among them w/o the incentives of Christian missionary work or mistreating them by enslavement or unfair trading practices; 2) most moderns have idealized the "noble savage" by ignoring the "nasty, brutish, and short" aspects of their lives.

I reached conclusion #1 by reading of the savagery, cannibalism, or both in pre-Christian Rome and Greece, Ireland, Germany, Vikings, Fiji, Tasmania, Mexico (Aztec), Peru (Inca), and America (our word "cannibal" comes from the word for the Carib Indians). Try reading the Mohawk treatment of Isaac Jogues or the Auca treatment of Jim Eliot for a peek at the "noble savage."

Maning's experience and sympathetic writing of the "good old times" of the Maori culture stretches the mind to wonder just how anybody could live they way they did, and how any modern could possibly kvetch at Christian missionaries "for not respecting native customs."

How many murders of innocent children is the "right number" that the missionaries should have approved? How much foot-binding in China is good? How many widows should be burned in India with "Suttee?" How many people are the right number to have their hearts cut out while still alive to make sure the sun will rise in Mexico? (Does the Modern really believe that number is above zero? What if HE is the one?) Is Cortez really to be despised for putting an end to the ritual murder (and consumption) of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of innocent people each year?

If Maning put legs under my respect for Christians who brought the concepts of mercy and justice to benighted people, the review by Jacques Coulardeau put a centipede's legs under my belief that moderns---in their general rejection of Christianity, especially Catholicism---have let their animus blind themselves to a simple reading of history.

Of course I've heard the claim that more people have been killed in the name of religion than all other causes. And, if one will agree that Communism is a religion (answering man's deepest questions), albeit a godless religion, than I must agree. The Communists certainly killed more people in the 20th Century than all the "religious wars" of the prior 1.9 millennia.

Back to Coulardeau. He writes, "With the musket everything changed. It was necessary, for it being used in best conditions, for the Maoris to move their forts and villages to the lowlands. This made them live in swamps, in very unhealthy territories. Their wars were changed, some of their customs were also changed and their habitat was changed. This last element caused the propagation of serious diseases among the population, causing its reduction over a few decades. This book is thus a perfect testimony about the changes colonialization brought to those populations, those people who some like to describe as primitive."

Well, yes and no. What Coulardeau left out is that Maning described the need to move from the forts on the hills to the swamps near their crops was their survival need to get muskets, and they way they could get trade goods was from their farms (e.g., growing flax). What Coulardeau leaves out is the sad reason they needed muskets to defend themselves is that in this "primitive" (nay, let's call it SAVAGE) society. That sad reason is that they believed "might made right."

Simply put, pre-Christian Maoris considered quite OK, even admirable, for any man or group to murder and pillage any other man or group if strong enough to pull it off.

Viking raiders had the same opinion when they "went shopping" in England. In their society, it was morally right to swoop in, kill and plunder those who had eked out a living on the land. Imagine the Hatfields and McCoys running total amuck with revenge, murder, and even eating each other. Would any Modern admire THAT as a wee cultural pecadillo?

Today's Maori do not live in constant dread of an individual or marauding gang appearing at any time holding the belief that they have every right to "harvest" the possessions and even the flesh of their neighbors.

We Americans so respect the caribou that migrate twice each season for their economic benefit that we built parts of the Alaskan pipeline underground to preserve their travel patterns.

Cannot we extend to the English a similar respect vis a vis Australia or New Zealand? French, Spanish, Dutch, Irish, Scots, English, Italians, Germans, Russians, Norse, Greeks, Pakistanis, Sihks, Gujratis, and Mexicans who move to the USA? Or Americans themselves, such as Daniel Boone, who moved "out west" to have a little more room, or Mormons who moved for a more peaceful clime than Nauvoo, Ill.?

I think we should respect them when they did it peacefully. When they acted like Hitler looking for "lebensraum" or Maoris looking for plunder, we must chasten them. Why? Because they are not being "good Christians." The best Christians, e.g. Jogues and Elliot, were utterly peaceful. Cortez and many others fell short, yes, of the CHRISTIAN ideal. The Maoris, however, had no such ideals.

In modern times, nobody ever say Stalin was a "bad atheist." You might call him a "bad man," but when you do you're smuggling in from Christianity your very definition of good and bad.

Modernists! Admit your source for your belief in right and wrong: It emerged from Christianity not pond slime.

F.E. Maning was one of those Englismen who arrived in New Zealand before its being integrated in the British Empire. He became a Pakeha Maori, the personal « property » of a Maori chief, trading with his tribe in many articles particularly muskets and gunpowder. The book is interesting because it describes the Maori civlization before its being completely destroyed by colonialization. But it is of great interest in its showing the direct influence of European culture, particularly of the musket, on the fate of the Maoris from the very start of the European presence. Before, this warlike people was living in forts positioned on hilltops and on cliffs, that is to say in dry and healthy places. Only their agriculture was concerned by the low lands that were cultivated. This location of the forts and villages was perfectly well adapted to the use of the spear to defend them. With the musket everything changed. It was necessary, for it being used in best conditions, for the Maoris to move their forts and villages to the lowlands. This made them live in swamps, in very unhealthy territories. Their wars were changed, some of their customs were also changed and their habitat was changed. This last element caused the propagation of serious diseases among the population, causing its reduction over a few decades. This book is thus a perfect testimony about the changes colonialization brought to those populations, those people who some like to describe as primitive.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU