Australia Books

This is undoubtedly the best analysis of the High Court of Australia ever compiled. It is easy to use, being fully indexed, and it covers every aspect of the court from biographical details of Judges to analysis of important decisions. It is a great mixture of history and information.

The individual entries have been written by eminent judges, jurists and lawyers in Australia. It was edited by 3 of the most well regarded legal academics in Australian history and is a terrific reference source. I can recommend it to anyone with an interest or need to look in detail at the Australian legal system. There is no other work with such detail and information in one volume.

This volume represents the most comprehensive bank of information on the High Court to date. With no less than 800 pages dedicated to the various aspects of the Court's history, personalities and institutional structures, it is a must-own for the students of the High Court.

The book is organized encyclopedia-style, with entries arranged alphabetically from the AAP Case (1975) to Ziems v. Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of NSW (1957). The entries are contributed by various Australian legal scholars, and cover a very wide range of interests. My personal favorite entry is the one on 'Jurimetrics' by Tony Blackshield.

Despite the hefty price tag (to match such a hefty book), this is one book that is well worth owning. Toting it around may give me permanent back problems, but I'm willing to risk it.

The Pacific Ocean is Earth's largest single feature and covers a third of the planet's surface. But photographer Peter Hendrie has found inspiration enough to add a whole new dimension to the beauty and power of its landscape and the richness of its cultures. It's a dimension that allows him to transform landscape and lifestyle from the merely pictorial to a vibrant experience of the Pacific legend. His pictures capture the piquancy of the moment the image was taken,prompting envy of the photographer's vision plus a valuable insight into how to read such evocative images. No other places on Earth possess the enduring magic of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, and Hendrie powerfully reinforces their merger of romance and reality.
I rate Pacific Journeys - 5/5

The Pacific Ocean is Earth's single largest feature and covers a third of its surface. But photographer Peter Hendrie has found inspiration enough to apply a whole new dimension to the beauty and power of its panorama and the richness of its cultures. It is a dimension that allows him to transform landscape and lifestyle from the purely pictorial to a vibrant experience of the Pacific legend. His images possess the piquancy of the very moments he captured them, prompting an envy of his vision and a thoroughly-satisfying lesson in how to read evocative images. Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia have no equals when it comes to enduring magic, and Hendrie brilliantly reinforces their unique merger of romance and reality.
I rate Pacific Journeys - 5/5

We purchased this book as a reference for clients building new homes. We are based in Australia and have seen these photos before...our clients hadn't so it was still very useful. Clear and with floorplans shows how space and light work well.

It is a great collection of modern architecture, it is wonderful to see such examples throught the world. Since I know the author personally, I love to see how his second book is even better than the first.

This is one of those rare academic books that has much to say to the general reader as well. The images are both beautiful and disturbing. I never before realized just how outsiders viewed women of the Pacific regions... once you see it, though, you'll always be aware of it. Dr. O'Brien has written a powerful and important book.

The general reader with an interest in women's studies, history or anthropology will find O'Brien's book, as I did, a well researched and thoroughly intriguing study of Pacific women's lives since the earliest voyages of discovery. The colonial stereotypes of the exotic Pacific woman are analyzed in a contemporary perspective from the viewpoints of art, literature, film and journals of the explorers and missionaries. This book opened my eyes to the facts that since the 1500's women of the Pacific have been romanticized, educated by missionaries, used, abused and sexually exploited for the advantage of the colonial powers.This is a "must read" for understanding the myth of "The Pacific Muse". It opens another window for understanding women's lives for those of us lacking background of Pacific history during this period.

I found Palmistry Revealed to be of excellent quality. I find that Paul Fenton-Smith's books, including Tarot Revealed and Astrology Revealed, are very good at explaining and demystifying metaphysical material for the average person who does not have an extensive background in this field. His language is very straightforward, and his examples are very clear to understand and follow. I use his entertaining books as a reference whenever I am doing palm, tarot or astrology readings and I find his perspective helpful and refreshing. Highly recommended...

Palmistry Revealed is an in depth yet straight forward look at hand reading and Paul gives memorable examples from his own readings which bring it all to life.

The use of photographs of each of the five hand types is a bonus, as most books use only hand drawn illustrations which all look the same to me.

The only thing lacking is that it doesn't include more unusual signs and markings, but as an introduction to palmistry it is good reading and I was left wanting more.

The health reference at the back is a valuable recourse also. In the end it's Paul's stories which helped me to remember the basic information as they anchored it all in my mind.

There is absolutely no place on our planet like Papua New Guinea. Wild, wonderful, lawless, infrastructure-less adventure awaits.

I am a research entomologist studying certain groups of insects on New Guinea. Frequently, localities mentioned on sample data labels (villages and small towns)are on not indicated on most atlas maps. This map has many more such localities than do most maps and is thus very useful to me. Additionally, the boundaries of the provinces are clearly indicated. I have thus found this handsome map very useful.
For anyone travelling to PNG, this is the map to get!

I read this book before I was assigned to the United States Embassy as the political officer. I read it again after one year in the country, and kept refering to sections for my entire tour. The most recent edition is an indispensible primer on PNG politics and economics. Sean...we need an updated version!

Unusually entertaining and easy-to-read for a book used by many universities as a text on Papua New Guinea. Contains a wealth of historical facts, economic statistics and keen insights into the people and politics of Papua New Guinea, including many amusing anecdotes from the author's experiences. Though written and published some years ago, it is interesting to note the accuracy of many of the author's predictions as verified by the recent political turmoil in PNG over the Sandline mercenary affair. I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone wishing to know more about the complex and sometimes confusing political and cultural scene of Papua New Guinea.

If you ever want to know anything about the rainforest, this is the series to buy. The author thoroughly discusses people, environment, and hope for rainforests. Beautiful colored pictures throughout the book supports the easy written text. I highly recommend this series to any student who needs to do a report on the rainforest. This series is a must have in any children's library collection.

If you ever want to know anything about the rainforest, this is the series to buy. The author thoroughly discusses people, environment, and hope for rainforests. Beautiful colored pictures throughout the book supports the easy written text. I highly recommend this series to any student who needs to do a report on the rainforest. This series is a must have in any children's library collection.

My history professor claims that this is one book which former students complain about years after having read it. It is dense. There are lots of odd names which run together. It is absolutely not for the casual reader. But I would consider it necessary reading for all scholars of China, Asia, or just history in general. I found it fascinating that the steppe tribes and the various Chinese governments had a not-always unspoken agreement, in which the tribes were essentially allowed to conquer a limited region of China, in exchange for securing trade routes and defending against tribes outside of the system.

Barfield's primary thesis is that the dynamics of Chinese civilization are not intelligible considered in isoloation. Rather, comprehension requires the distinction between Manchurian and Native dynasties and the role that empires of the steppe played in the changes between them.

Of special interest is that by far the best know steppe empire, that of the Mongols under Temujin and his successors, was an anomalous exception to the 2,000 year pattern. Typical steppe empires were interested in extortion (or tribute, or gifts, depending on who tells the story), not direct rule.

If you're a student of Chinese history or of the dynamics of civilizations, read this book. You'll think differently.

Steve Parish is one of the well known australian photographers. After looking through his books, I know why. His pictures are of an extraordinary quality and matter. This book shows his love for the country, it's nature, people and wildlife. 263 pages of stunning photographs. He has a very good kind to show the life in Australia and the people. It is every dime you spend on it worth it. I can only recommend this book.

Steve Parish brings his photographs to life. I can highly recommend any of his publications as I haven't seen one to date, and I've seen and bought many, that wasn't worthy of a 5 star rating.