Australia Books

I enjoy this book very much. I had this book when I was a child and now I have bought it for my daughters so they can enjoy them as much as I did.

I teach Kindergarten and my students love the Mr. and Miss books! They really enjoyed this one. It is a good way to talk about keeping the classroom neat and tidy.

My children love these books.They are fun and silly.And we look forward to collecting all of them.

I am an elementary teacher and I use these books in my class to supplement our Character Ed program (which isn't the greatest). My students love the Little Miss and Mr. Men books. I have to keep them behind my desk and let them "check them out" like library books or they fight over them. The are excellent to use in a pinch if you have a book that pertains to a problem that has developed in class (especially rudeness or bossiness). It is easy to read the book and have a quick class chat about what is going on. I highly recommend all of the books for anyone who teaches, home schools, or children in general. They are a great asset.

We just love these books... my 8 year old reads them to my 4 year old and they just crack up. Of course, there's a good lesson in each of them!

This work of scholarship by Diane Bell is a world away from technicist anthropology meant to be read only by specialists: it engages in a highly controversial contemporary landrights issue in a way which demonstrates the profound importance of the act of documenting culture in as polyvalent and multivocal a way as possible. She is also candid about the voices she would like to have represented and could not, those of the dissident women. For me the most valuable section of the book was its re-reading of early anthropology with an eye to the muted women's voice in it. This section demonstrates the systematic bias against recording the rich women's culture, which in the late twentieth century is the powerhouse of cultural reclamation and renovation in many Aboriginal communities. Without engaging in postmodern jargon, this book demonstrates a fine postcolonial and poststructuralist understanding of the complexities of symbolic analysis and the conditions of transmission of epistemologies, both by the Ngarrindjeri and white anthropologists. What the book demonstrates very powerfully is the gender-blind ethnocentrism of the discipline of anthropology, and its tendency to read Aboriginality through patriarchalised eyes.In particular, its assumption that men are the 'natural' makers and controllers of culture. It's a very westernised notion of power relations between the sexes, and one born of at least five millennia of patriarchy. It's a tragedy that 'women's business' as a lens for understanding the role of women in Aboriginal communities was employed in Australia as late as 1941, as by then much dominant-culture contamination and destruction of Aboriginal culture had occurred. It's surely time to pay more attention, as this book does, to the quiet but rich understandings of land and story and people that is vested in women's business. This book will inevitably create controversy because of the financial and deep political investments in the Hindmarsh Island affair, and the appalling bureaucratic fumbles and lack of respect which have marked the public utterances about it. To hear the proponent women's stories, in all their variety, is to be taken into a parallel and very moving universe of discourse, of which we need to learn the subtleties. This book is a great teacher of those. Frances Devlin Glass, School of Literary and Communication Studies, Deakin University

Ngarrindjeri Wurruwarrin is about big issues like the quality of justice enjoyed by Indigenous peoples and what sort of society we want to be. It is about the particulars of Hindmarsh Island and the writing of ethnography in the southeast. It is about anthropologists and anthropology. It is about the politics of knowledge in an oral culture and those of a print-oriented one. It is about women who insist on being authors of their own lives. And it is about belief, dissent, story-telling and story tellers.

"[A] compelling account that demands to be read... a meticulous piece of scholarship but very readable and accessible." Prof. Fay Gale, President

"[A] formidable collection...It leaves the reader wondering whether the outcome would have been different had the contents of the book been known at the time of the events it describes." John Toohey, former High Court Judge and former Aboriginal Land Commissioner

"Ngarrindjeri Wurruwarrin falls into the category of books which are likely to be valuable to almost all sectors of the reading public, and at the same time, to be criticised by almost all sectors of the reading public." Deborah Bird Rose

Upon encountering this book in Foyles on Shaftsbury Ave I picked it up and dusted it off. It was discounted so I bought it... it has been invaluable to me in the past and I thank myself for finding it almost everyday.

Inside the book are all the classics of bad thinking analysed -- everything from the common red herring argument, to argument from authority and the classic Popperian argument that an argument must be weak if it cannot be proved wrong (something amazingly the vast majority of people just do not seem to get).

All of the beliefs that lead to much of the misery in the world and the poor allocation of resources to solve the worlds problems are all here... indeed if people were to read this book the malaise of mysticism, faith-based healing, religious fundementalism, bad science and even worse political reasoning would be avoided...

Oh... and if you're a business person, like I am, you will immediately benefit by avoiding 90% of the rubbish that passes for wisdom in the business/ self-help section of your bookstore.

Treasured.

In my biased opinion, this ranks as one of the finest books on the subject of critical thinking. Unfortunately, it is highly priced on Amazon.com, but one can find cheaper alternatives on the internet. Thouless focuses a lot on how social proof, and other biases do impede one's ability to think rationally, especially when facts are not conclusive, or when there are more than two plausible arguments in a given scenario. Good for policy makers, students, regular folks, and people who routinely make decisions under uncertainty.

Reading this book opened my eyes to exactly how badly crooked thinking runs our society today: how little emphasis we place on actual evidence and argument, what kind of dishonest argumentation our politicians and news providers use, etc. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I had to go to a used bookshop in Perth, Australia to find it! Why isn't this masterwork still in print? We need it just as much now as they did in the 1930s!

I last read this book about 15 years ago as a student and the lessons of the 38 dishonest tricks used in arguments detailed in the book have left a life-lasting impression on me. It is an invaluable book which is still relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1930. Could the copyright owner(s) please reissue this book or better yet, contribute to the public domain?

Although written at the end of the 1930's, the book is amazingly relevant today and one of the most clearly presented and well thought-out books of its kind that I've ever read. It is well worth your time.

The best treatment of traditional Pacific navigation practices, written by someone who actually could navigate.

This book is well-written, displels a lot of strange myths about native Pacific navigation, and provides a lot of interesting details useful to modern navigators when they run out of batteries in the middle of the ocean.

For most of us, sailing across 2000+ miles of open ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti (or vice versa) would be daunting enough even with using every modern navigation device such as a GPS. Consider that in 1927 with compasses, sextants, radio, etc, in the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu (the same distance as Tahiti to Hawaii) 3 out of the 5 planes that started out were lost at sea. Then consider that a thousand years ago the Polynesians in 50-foot twin-hulled canoes were regularly making such voyages without any kind of instruments, and that crossing 50 or 100 miles of ocean was thought almost trivially easy.

That a primitive (by European or American standards) people were skilled at ocean navigation was thought absurd. Kon-Tiki was an attempt to show that Oceania could be populated from South America by drifting on rafts and sheer luck of landfall. But it is now established that there was skilled and purposeful exploration and colonization--including Rapa Nui (Easter Island) which is 1000 miles from the nearest other habitable island. We, the Navigators is a fascinating look at "primitive" navigation techniques, and the author himself sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti using only these ancient techniques.

So you'll see how the Polynesians used the sun, moon, and stars to achieve accurate navigation. They also used the ocean swells (as distinct from waves): islands reflect and deflect swells, so by careful observation, you can get a sense of direction to landfall. Land also changes cloud patterns. Birds were watched intently. New Zealand was one of the last places found and peopled--from 1600 miles away from the northeast, perhaps by watching birds migrate in that direction. Different kinds of birds travel different distances from land--some travel 40-50 miles, others 20-25 miles: by observing at dawn where the birds came from, and observing which direction they went towards sunset, and seeing what kind of bird it was, you could tell that there was land, and what direction it was, and how far away it was as well. On leaving land, backsights would be taken to help establish currents and drift. The book has lots of drawings and illustrations--it's a real treat!

I was a Naval Officer for 22 years. 5 years of that time was spent as a Navigator on two different submarines. I was fascinated by the way the Polynesians can find their way over hundreds of miles of open ocean with no instruments. As David Lewis observes, "It's amazing how much you notice when your life depends on it."

The "ancient art" in the title is a misnomer. They still have Navigators in Hawaii and they continue to both practice their skills themselves and teach their children. See the YouTube postings of Ed Kaiwi for more information about Hawaiian lore.

The most complete study of early navigation I have come across. The author does a fantastic job of comparing the different styles of landfinding as used by the Pacific islanders. Lewis brings the knowledge and experience of an accomplished western sailor and navigator to his studies, and in doing so is able compare and contrast ancient and modern techniques. A scholarly study of primitive navigation, the book is not always an easy read, however for the reader looking for a complete comparison this is the volume to have.

Andrew Griffiths has written another classic. There are so many simple ideas (actually over 101!!) that will make a difference to my business.

I enjoy Griffiths writing style - he speaks with experience but doesnt talk down to you.

This book deserves a home in every small business owners library

Great for my business, these marketing ideas have helped me set up new ways of building my coaching and training business internationally! Loads of information, easy to read and great examples make this book a MUST for all small business owners!

This book is a simple, thorough, engaging manual of methods people can easily apply immediately to market their business. What I most appreciate are the many unusual ideas - and the passion Griffiths uses as he makes suggestions to the reader.

He has a very engaging, friendly style which any reader would enjoy - it is as if he is sitting beside you, cheering your efforts.

This is one of those books that belongs on the shelf of any business. Those with a limited marketing budget or a SOHO will find it especially helpful.

If you can't get advice from this book - you are not trying! An easy to read guide to marketing - logicial, practical - a common sense guide which can be applied to any business, anywhere. THis book, along with Andrew's other guides to business are written to genuinely help you - not to dewilder you. You never feel as though you are being spoken down to - rather you feel as though these steps are so easy, logical and cost effective they have to work. Highly recommended and congratulations Andrew.

"101 Ways to Market Your Business" by Andrew Griffiths is a sensational tool for any small business owner. It's simple to read and the ideas are easy to implement and best of all, don't cost a great deal of money. As a marketing manager for a shopping centre, we find business owners often need inspiration - and something that will help get them back on track. We buy this book in bulk and hand it out to those who need it - and it's great to see them implement the ideas and to see their businesses ultimately improve.

Herb Kawainui Kane (pronounced KAH-ney) is a master artist, voyaging canoe designer, and Hokule`a captain. He is also author of Ancient Hawaii, a visual extravaganza of his vision, based on research and his artistic interpretation, of the life and times of pre- and post-contact Hawaiians.

Kane writes: "Without writing, kahuna were the living libraries of the old culture, preserving knowledge in trained memories. Some feats of memory seem incredible today. The story of Kamapua1a required sixteen hours of word-perfect recitation. Some temple invocations, we are told, in which any mistake would break the power of the words, required two days to deliver. Early Christian missionaries were astonished to find among their converts some who could recite entire books from the Bible soon after learning to read. Knowledge kept in living memories and shared only among a select few is extremely fragile, which helps explain why so much has been lost. One epidemic of an introduced disease could wipe out the masters of a guild, and with them knowledge accumulated over millennia. Disenfranchised in 1819 and subsequently condemned by Christian missionaries as sorcerers and witch doctors, their veil of secrecy became their shroud" (p. 40).

Given the reduction of the Hawaiian population from a high of over 800,000 to only 40,000 in a hundred years, Kane's hypothesis explains a great deal.

"Much that we would like to know about them has been lost by the impact of Western ways as well as their own customs of secrecy. Much of what remains is tantalizingly indistinct, blurred through the lens of our modern vision, distorted by the fantasies and embellishments all peoples invent about their pasts" (p. 7). I think Kane would admit that his personal fantasies affect him as well, with his depictions of ancient life in his paintings, noble and proud. Regardless, his paintings are magnificent, and they are well integrated into his text.

Ancient Hawaii is a nice addition to the secondary literature on Hawaii's history. For the price, it is probably the best bargain around.

Liked the story. LOVED the artwork. If you're only going to have one book on Hawaii's history, then make it this one.

This compendium of beauty and history will be enjoyed and cherished by all ages. Children will revel in the wonderfully intricate paintings of Kane. He is able to express the baeauty and unique culture of his people. His descriptions and historical information truly shows his love for the islands and of all things kanaka. I reccomemend this to anyone interested in a loving people.

I bought this book to be able to describe ancient Polynesian life. The photos are treasure troves of information. The text is almost secondary, even if it is right on track. Well worth the cost if only for the beauty of the prints. Did I say the pictures were pretty?

Before the grand hotels and resorts, before crowded beaches, before paved roads and cars... there was sacred Hawai'i of old.

Herb Kawainui Kane allows you through his words and mostly through his artwork to revisited old Hawai'i in its truest and purist form. It's a visual journey that details even the smallest things. Herb Kane does an excellent job at retelling a story almost forgotten... a spiritual and emotional journey experienced by all but so often unexplained until now.

Hawai'i was and is still a magical place and Herb Kane's work shows that better than most any other artist I've seen in Hawai'i. Herb's work allows you to take a differant kind of trip to paradise... the one that existed and flourished for a thousand years before discovery by Captain Cook.

If your child likes the Angelina Ballerina series, this is a great book for the holiday season.As usual, Helen Craig's beautiful illustrations accompanies the text. The story centers around a lonely ex-postman who dresses as Father Christmas. Angelina helps him become part of her school's Christmas pageant.

My daughter loves this series, even though she's only 2. This book fits right in.

My niece is into dancing and reading books, so the Angelina Ballerina series if perfect for her. I chose to give her this book for Christmas because it fit the holiday theme.

Young Angelina Ballerina couldn't be more upset when she spots old Mr. Bell sitting all by his lonesome at Christmastime, looking like a sad puppy. Mr. Bell used to be the jovial postman in town, who brought gifts and cards to everyone during the holidays, and played the town Santa Claus for all of the little mouselings. Angelina, full of Christmas spirit, decides that it is up to her to make Mr. Bell's season bright. So, with the help of her young cousin Henry, as well as her father, Angelina bundles up some cookies and cakes to bring to Mr. Bell. But when they arrive, Henry is too concerned about Christmas Eve, and whether or not he will have the chance to see Santa Claus in the flesh, to notice the joy that twinkles in Mr. Bell's eyes at the prospect of visitors and good, old-fashioned holiday cheer. When Henry learns that Santa Claus comes in the middle of the night, and that he won't get to speak to the illustrious Saint Nick, he bursts out in tears. That is, until he learns that there's a live Santa Claus living amongst them all, right here in town, and that his presence will not only bring a smile to young Henry's face, but fill old Mr. Bell with the joy of the holiday, as well.

ANGELINA BALLERINA can be called nothing less than a children's icon. Her presence in numerous glorious children's books, and now in her own TV show make her more and more well-known, while her lovable, kind heart grows bigger by the day. Katharine Holabird works wonders with a pen, as she tells the tales of the young, ballet-loving mouseling who has big dreams, accompanied by an even bigger heart; while the gorgeous, full-color illustrations by Helen Craig bring each and every Angelina "tail" to life. ANGELINA'S CHRISTMAS is a charming addition to the mouseling library, and a wonderful holiday classic for all!

Erika Sorocco

This beautifully illustrated tale gives the reader a warm feeling when a retired postal worker, who is alone in the world, is visited by Angelina and invited to appear as Father Christmas at the school Christmas show. The community appreciates his contribution and he is invited to the school show every year. This is a wonderful reminder to us all that the elderly should not only be cherished, but that they still have much to offer to the community.

I think this is really nature writing posing as a novel. It is a story of Australian feral cats told mostly from their own perspective. There are two men who have minor roles but the cats are the stars.
Toby, a Show Siamese, is taken on a picnic by his foolhardy owners, and answers the mating call of a feral female. A previous reviewer must have skimmed, citing that Toby has the greatest sex in his life. Yeah, well, Toby has never been put to stud, so he's never had sex and I doubt he'd make comparisons. The greatest sex to an animal is the current sex. It's an instinct, not a romance. Toby returns to man, drawn by the smell of bacon but his mating results in a litter of 4 kittens for the she-cat. Fifty years ago, when I was young, people did not have pets spayed, so the she-cat's care of her kittens reminded me of the delight in watching domestic cats rearing and training their kittens. Hopefully, in today's world, most pets are being neutered.
The story continues with the fate of the kittens, the wide variety of edible game for them in Australia, and it continues to follow the life of the one tom cat from the litter. Particularly upsetting was his encounter with an abandoned mixed terrier dog. Dogs have an even smaller chance of survival on their own. And, of course, that is the ultimate message to be found in this absorbing story featuring a wide assortment of exotic creatures, even a flood, that impacts the life of this cat.
The book is a fascinating and educational read.

This book is a masterpiece that deserves more stars than Amazon allows. I read it in one sitting, and have read it several times since. The publishing world should be proud of carefully-crafted gems like Cat Tracks. I look forward to more novels from Aalborg.

I loved this book from start to finish. The author did a wonderful job making you feel like you were right there with the cat. I was so sorry when it ended. What a sad but beautiful story. Everyone needs to read of the plight of abandoned animals and thrie feral offspring.

Amazon states that this book is for children, ages 9-12. Not! Like Cat Fancy magazine, I would recommend Aalborg's CAT TRACKS for readers 12 and older. It's a marvelous book, and Aalborg certainly gets inside his cat-protagonist's head, but the mating ritual, the search for - and fininding of - food, and the inherent danger from owls and foxes, might be way above a 9 year old's head. An adult, however, would be truly caught up in the suspense of a feral cat striving to survive. I'll echo what Cat Fancy magazine said: If one person who was considering abandoning an animal reads this book and changes his or her mind, then Aalborg has achieved more than just a good work of fiction. Highly recommended!!! Especially for adults.

To say that this book is magnificent is not giving it enough praise. To say that this book is so realistic is not enough. To say this book is a commentary on our world is not enough. This story of a feral cat is such that you are there with the cat, thru every positive and negative moment. You wonder just what is going to happen next. I laughed and cried and mainly worried throughout the novel. Such is the way of a great story teller. You live the book. You become the cat.

I could not put the book down, I was riveted to the story line from the beginning, following his growth, learning what he needed to survive thru trial and error. The ending was such a surprise to me.....I am encouraging everyone I know to read this book.

I learned as much from this book as the tomcat I believe. And to me, that is worth it. The care to detail Gordon took gives the belief you are there, with this cat, going thru all he has to, surviving. The human, Dave, is a caring man. Someone you want to cheer on as he attempts to aid in several ways.

I am going to insist my grandchildren, especially the oldest one, read this book. He will learn much and hopefully pass on what he has learned to others.

this book is very good, for anyone doing musculoskeletal health, or related. covers everythin under the sun, well recommended

Anyone working in sports medicine should have this reference guide in their library. It's an outstanding resource that will help in diagnosing an injury.

Awesome book !!! I'm a P.T. and Athletic Trainer getting
back into sports medicine and this book is a "must" for
your library. It's well organized and covers such a variety
of subject matter regarding injuries,rehabilitation, specific
medical injuries, and even aspects on the use of supplements
by athletes. It also contains functional anatomical references
that aid in the evaluation and differential diagnosis of
the injury. Great Book !!!

This is an astounding book. When was the last time you saw a 900+ page hard cover book packed with useful photographs and excellent line drawings...The practical advice in this book is unparalleled. No wonder it is an international best-seller. It arrived quickly and well packed from Amazon. Keep up the good work and thanks!

The second edition (2001) of this work is indeed an outstanding resource. My daily work includes imaging of sports and musculoskeletal injuries. I find this book frequently useful to supplement deficiencies in my knowledge and experience, and a most useful companion to the second edition (2001) of "Musculoskeletal Ultrasound" by Marnix van Holsbeeck and Joseph Introcaso.

Highly recommended as a workbench resource to those interested in imaging of sports injuries.

If you go through life without reading this book, your life will be a

failure.

Eric Newby, who died in 2006 at the age of 86, was an adventurer and gifted travel writer who chronicled his experiences in several books that reflect his curiosity and research about the world as well as his shrewd and often very hilarious observations of humans making their way in it. Originally published in 1956, THE LAST GRAIN RACE could be called memoir, but Newby recreates his apprenticeship aboard one of the last mercantile sailboats on the eve of World War II via his diaries, claptrap memory and research, creating an airtight world with immediacy. There is no sense of retrospect, distance of time or hindsight in the narrative.

Newby was 18 when he went to sea in 1938 on a barque owned by a Scandinavian shipping firm. Before World War II, it was still economical to deploy a commercial fleet of these behemoths around the world to scoop up grain crops from Australia for the European market. When his job at an advertising agency (hilarious) was threatened by lay-offs, he indulged the youthful romance of life at sea stoked by a girlfriend's naval father and signed up with the Erikson firm's ship, Moshulu. He kitted up grandly, found a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk. Immediately aboard ship, he learned that a lot of the work centered about scaling those tall masts, cleaning the "restrooms" and repelling off the side to scrape rust. He was the only Englishman among Scandinavians and Germans who were decidedly not of the Louis Vuitton school. Newby's character sketches are priceless and he captures the hybrid vernacular so well that by the end of the book, the reader knows as much as he learned. The book is loaded with technical information about the boat and its mission, but also with accounts of dramatic storms, bedbug plagues or occasional leisurely pursuits like capturing an albatross just to measure its wingspan. I purchased a used original UK Reader's Union edition (think Book of the Month Club) that usefully had a detailed illustration inside the back cover and a world map inside the front, with the journey dated and marked off.

Infrequently, news of the outside world drifted to the ship via a radio signal from a distant land. It is not good news, but at sea they can mostly ignore it. Like the Pequod in MOBY DICK, the Moshulu was its own complete world. That's the beauty of this book: it captures a fully evolved culture that would suddenly disappear a year later. When Moshulu unexpectedly returned first among the fleet, Newby packed it in. He had lived a lifetime and grown up in under a year. The next time the boat went out, it returned to the waiting Germans. Afterwards, it turned up in a future where commercial sailing ships were no longer competitive. Sic transit gloria mundi.

If you want some relaxing summer reading and if you like the sea by all means get this book. Eric Newby was an 18 year old kid who, with family approval, signed on as an appentice before the mast on the Finnish owned barque Moshulu in the fall of 1938 for a nine month sail from Queensown to Port Victoria in Southern Australia and return. The Moshulu was a steel sailing vessel, built in Sweden in 1905, 3,600 gross tons, 360 feet at the waterline, three masted ship-rigged with her main mast topping out at 198 feet at the cap. She could carry 4,800 tons of wheat - and did, setting the record of 92 days for her return voyage eastward round Cape Horn. (Her outbound voyge had beeen around the Cape of Good Hope)

Newby went on to become a rather prosperous clothier in London but was better known for his travel writing till his death last year (2006) at the age of 86. I had read his "Travels in the Hindu Kush" years ago and put him down as a kind of smart alek and I had also read the paperback of this book published by Penguin in 1971 but had not appreciated it till I got it down from my shelf of sea stories last week and read it again. He's a dmaned fine writer here and I take back what I said about him being a smart alek. His description of life at sea and the sea iself is as good as anything I've ever read; and you will enjoy it. For those who like sailing ships there's a lot of technical detail about rigging, watch-standing etc. and you can skip this and read about a storm at sea if you want but if you wade through the technical stuff you will be amazed at what you learn. I strongly recommend the whole thing to you.

In 1938 Eric Newby was eighteen years old. He left a dead end job with an advertising agency in London and signed as an apprentice seaman on the four-masted sailing ship Moshulu for a trip to bring back a shipload of grain from Australia. Moshulu was one of a dozen sailing ships still engaged in the grain trade and the 1938 trip was destined to be the last of the merchant sailing era.

Newby is undeservedly less well known than other writers who have imitated him. His books, "A Small Place in Italy, "On the Shores of the Mediterranean" and "The Big Red Train Ride" have been imitated by other authors. His writing style is spare and matter-of-fact; he doesn't try to impress the reader with overblown prose instead letting the facts speak for themselves without florid editorial comment.

There's a funny account a trick played by the Belfast stevedores on the sailors of Moshulu. Among the tons of rocks loaded into the hold were two dead dogs. The decomposing dog carcasses fill the ship's hold with an overpowering odor that plagues the men as they dump out the ballast and load the grain months later off the shore of Adelaide.

The Last Grain Race goes into great detail describing the operation of a sailing ship, complete with obscure jargon names for the sails and rigging. Newby seems to have been working too hard on the trip to completely enjoy and appreciate it. The books gives a glimpse at a lost world of merchant sailing ships and the quiet life of sailors at sea, now exchanged for sparsely manned giant container ships crossing vast oceans in a matter of days.

Moshulu returns to Queenstown, Ireland on June 10, 1939 after a pace-setting 91-day passage by war of Cape Horn. It had taken 8 months for a round-trip in which Moshulu brought 4,875 tons of grain from Australia to Ireland. Newby leaves the ship a full-fledged Ordinary Seaman. World War II will start in a few months and obliterate the peaceful world of merchant sailing ships.

Unfortunately the unappealingly named "The Last Great Grain Race" might be left on the bookshelf if it were not for its companion volume of photographs more appropriately titled "Learning The Ropes; An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers," both by Eric Newby. Oddly these volumes were issued over forty years apart, Grain Race in 1956 and Ropes in 1999. (A recent volume of Grain Race was reissued in 1999, possibly to take advantage of the pictorial release.)

After a brief stint as an office clerk, Newby at eighteen signed on as an apprentice seaman for an around the world cargo voyage, with no nautical experience or skills other than a careful eye and superb memory for detail. "The Last Great Grain Race" is the story of one of the last four-masted barques, which in 1938 sailed from Ireland to Australia to pick up a cargo of grain and return to Ireland, a voyage which would take nine months. Ultimately it was to become the last voyage in such a vessel, as the impending war would change the world forever. We are fortunate that Newby was along to document the voyage. We are equally appreciative of his thoughtfulness in bringing his camera, as "Learning the Ropes" is the superb photo essay of this journey.

Newby apparently was a very skilled photographer. Oddly, he only briefly mentions his possession of a camera in "The Last Great Grain Race." He never lets on that his is so actively chronicling events and shipmates throughout the voyage. Though Newby does an excellent job describing what is like to climb aloft in all kinds of weather, the black and white photographs take the reader aloft as well and provide the narrative even with more impact and grace.

The crew is as varied and colorful as one might expect the conditions are harsh and oftentimes dangerous; the work is unrelenting, demanding and dangerous in its own right. Newby works alongside seasoned veterans and never shirks.

Grain Race however does have its limitations. There is a tremendous amount of technical detail that can often leave the reader literally at sea. For example "There were still the sheets of the topmast staysails to be shifted over the stays and sheeted home, the main and mizzen courses to be reset, and the yards trimmed to the Mate's satisfaction with the brace whips." Newby does provide a graphic of the sail plan and running rigging (79 reference points), but these are only of marginal assistance.

Another shortcoming is the language barrier Newby faces. This is a Finnish crew and commands are rarely given in English. Newby and the reader often have to work out the language; if the reader misses the first context or explanation then subsequent uses of the terminology will be lost, a glossary might have helped here. Newby does faithfully record dialects especially when he is being spoken to in occasionally recognizable English and these dialogues are often amusingly recounted.

Eric Newby should seriously consider issuing both in a single volume and one has to wonder why this wasn't done when Grain Race was first issued or at least when "Learning the Ropes" was released a couple of years ago. It is interesting to speculate on the length of time between the original release of Grain Race and the very vivid and informative photographs. Regardless it was worth the wait.

Grain Race the narrative and Grain Race the photographs make for an enjoyable double read.