New Zealand Books

This is a must read for anyone who is reviewing New Zealand's underated role in the Gallipoli campaign. It provides excellent background to New Zealand prior to the outbreak of WWI, the social dynamics of recruitment, the pompous attitude taken by the British towards the colonials, and the poor treatment of the troops by the senior staff officers.

Mostly however, as related through interviews, letters, diaries and photos, it is a great commentary of the campaign from the point of view of the average soldier (you could replace NZ and insert Aussie).

Finally, it was also a useful reference for my subsequent trip to the Dardanelles and Gallipoli.

Churchill's illfated invasion into the 'soft underbelly of Europe' wasn't so soft to the men who actually made the invasion at Gallipoli. In the thick of the campaign was the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion. This book is their story.

The author is an employee of the Department of Defense in Australia, and has spent years researching the actions of the 11th. He has made five trips to Gallipoli. He researched the official reports and the homes and graves of the people who returned to Australia. Innumerable un-published memoirs were given to him and he has produced this book as a tribute to those men.

The action at Gallipoli is not well known here in the US. The series of new books coming from Australia on the subject are a welcome addition to the history of World War I.

I ordered this book and was amazed and enthralled by it from the moment I cracked the cover. What a find. I had no idea New Zealand had such wonderful plants. I wish the section on Alpine Wildflowers was more thorough but it wasn't bad. It could use information on cultivation, hardiness, and availability and the book would be perfect. I want to grow some of these plants so bad it isn't even funny. I fell in love with this book and would never part with it. It will remain a cherished part of my library as it would be with yours. Don't pass up the opportunity to get this one. It is well worth the money.
I am a botanist and work for a nursery. I have an extensive library, mostly on the area where I live but I love plants from all over the world. Especially if the plants can survive my climate. I got some good information and photographs from this book. I am not kidding when I said I was amazed. I fell in love with in in the first few pages.

I loved this book. It took me step by step through my pregnancy, and unlike other pregnancy books, didn't assume there was a partner or father.

This book also offers lots of advice and tips on how to deal with the psychological, social, emotional and financial issues of being single and expecting a baby.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning, or as it maybe unplanning a pregnancy on there own. Thank you Natascha Mirosch for writing a pregnancy book for those of us on our own.

While a fan 40 years ago when he first was on TV in the USA, he inspired me to learn the art of cooking. This is a SUPERB book that clearly outlines steps to prepare even the most difficult meal. Having worked in various restaurants ~ it was obvious Mr. Kerr shared that same prep work necessary to accomplish the task. Well laid out, extremely informative, simple to follow, and most importantly ~ some of the best dang receipe's you'll find for FANTASTIC meals! Tip of the hat to the Galloping Gourmet!

My children absolutely love this book about an eccentric grandma who paints her shed in a unique way. great rhyming, the illustrations are wonderful - highly recommended for children 3-8 or so.

This is the seminal (perhaps the only) historical work dealing with the experience of NZ soldiers in Viet Nam. Dr. Deborah Challinor, an historian and sometime lecturer at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, knows her subject and writes fluently. Based upon hours of interviews with veterans, the book does an excellent job of covering the topic.

Interesting to the US viewer is the consensus among the NZ veterans that emerges from the interviews: the US soldiers were great guys, but poorly equipped (by training and life experience) to deal with jungle combat. Reasons? Many were conscripts, and many were city men completely unable to deal with the realities of the Viet Nam environment. The Australians, while not considered nearly as agreeable as the Americans, were predominantly professional soldiers, and so their training and backgrounds had better prepared them for the environment.

This book was actually on the NZ bestseller list for a time. However, its print run was minuscule by American standards, due to New Zealand's small population (approximately 4 million). It deserves a reprint, as scholars of the Viet Nam war will find it invaluable.

I've lived in New Zealand and after coming back to the U.S. I've had the privledge of taking groups back and I highly recomend this book for anyone traveling in NZ. It is better than most guide books although a little large as a guide book. I'd gladly take it because this books gives in detail information about almost every town in NZ from historical information to economic background. Gives places to see and where to see them. Now if they could shrink it you could through away the Lonely Plant book and Fodor's. For a photographer it is a must to read before traveling there. Both great writing and photography.

Fantastic "Dear Diary" tale of the author's trip overseas to pursue a teaching assignment. Try to keep up, if you can, as she takes you through the streets, trails and beaches, local eateries, museums and sightseeing highpoints of many New Zealand cities.

Planning a trip to New Zealand? Read this book first! Enjoy cooking? Try the wonderful recipes included, such as this one (pg.209); Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. Yum!

For a Left Behind parent, particularly one dealing with the international wrongful removal and retention of a child, 'The Hague Convention on International Child Abduction' by Paul R. Beaumont is an invaluable tool to assist in your and your lawyers understanding of the signature country guidelines and procedures that must be followed from both an Fiing Signatory Country to an Accepting Signatory Country.

Child Abduction is a horror: International Child Abduction is, if you can imagine, the perpetual living nightmare of any parent. This book offers some hope to a Left Behind parent in that a reader will come to understand, at least in theory, that a Signature Country of the Hague has stringent guidelines that are adhered to. The book is practicle, insightful, and filled with great detail on various resources. And though it is not expanded upon, if you're reading this book for the obvious reasons, you should know that the various members who lead Central Authority programs for various Signatory Countries are darn good at what they do.

In general, one of the items talked about, but perhaps could have been expanded on a bit further is that filing a Hague Application is a civil remedy, and not a criminal one. Personally, I believe that the Central Authority should somehow ratify an across-the-board criminal action/relief treaty as part of an entire prevention and return plan, since the Convention as is, is strong but limited to a degree. First, the Hague is Civil, and though criminal or punitive charges can be administered by a Court, they are typically not . . . which demonstrates that one of the primary reasons why an abducting parent is likely to abduct again. The other issue in offerinc an automatic criminal proceeding is that there exists with nearly every country in the world further extradition agreements outside of the Hague for criminal conduct such as abduction or kidnapping. Thus, lets say your child is taken to Japan: well Japan is not a member of the Hague. So the Convention is not readily accessable to you. Criminal proceedings are your only outlet: and that, typically is a very long process.

Nevertheless, this book is well written, covers most everything that evolves around the issue, and offers hope through knowledge. Well done.