Oceania Books

In the 1760s, as the British Empire expanded into Asia and the Pacific, its rulers proposed that certain peoples could be understood, and privileged, as a separate ?Aryan? race. Aryanism suggested that this whole region had originally been peopled by successive waves of vigorous Aryans, culminating in British colonisation. Ballantyne traces how this idea ?was used to naturalise, justify and celebrate British colonisation of South Asia.?

Chapters 1 and 6 look at imperial notions of India, which were used as a template for understanding other colonised societies. Chapters 2 to 5 examine how the Empire used these to try to control New Zealand?s Maori society. As ever, the empire exploited existing social divisions, to divide and rule, while claiming that it freed the most exploited from bonds of caste and priestly power. It called its domination ?liberation?, its exploitation ?development? and its wars ?pacifications?.

Unfortunately, Ballantyne commits what we may call the scholarly fallacy, asserting that the empire was woven together by webs of relationships, modes of discourse, rather than hammered into place by the capitalist mode of production. Only in passing does he note that the East India Company, the revenue manager for Bengal, collected increased revenues while famine killed a third of the people. Under Empire, rule, regular famines, in 1770, 1783 and throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, killed tens of millions.

Ballantyne does not challenge the imperial myth that settlers, both military and missionary, benefit the host country, not their own individual gain. This is now transmuted into the liberal myth that immigrants benefit the host country.

He claims that there was a ?progressive? side of Aryanism, inclusive, globalising and non-racist. He praises the imperial policies of free flows of labour and products and ideas, and he opposes all forms of nationalism as exclusive and racist. This fits neatly into the Empire?s hostility to ?backward-looking? nationalism, and it also suits US imperial policy today.

But empire is always undemocratic, because it is based on rule by one class over other nations. Empire benefits its rulers, never the peoples, whatever the forms in which people think.

I learnt of this book from a friend in London -- it is an excellent history of race and British imperialism. The author has a very impressive breadth of knowledge and writes clearly. I really liked the material on India, especially on Sikhism. It is nice to read a British historian who takes religion seriously and who read Indian sources. The final chapter of the book on Indian nationalism shows the ways in which Hindu nationalists used this Aryan idea for their own Nazist needs agains Muslims and Sikhs.

The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia embraces the whole spectrum of Polynesian and Micronesian art forms--from tattooing to musical instruments--while including a focus on contemporary arts of the region. What's special about this book is that it looks at the arts of Polynesia and Micronesia side-by-side rather than seperately, illuminating the artistic types, styles, and concepts that they share.
This is agreat book for students of art history studying Pacific arts, and the general reader interested in the art of the Pacific island peoples.
The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia (Oxford History of Art)

To a reader already interested in the culture of the Pacific, this is an instructive and enjoyable read. It shows the diversity of traditions, as expressed in the artworks, of a relatively small absolute number of people, scattered across a vast region.

The Polynesian influences may perhaps be familiar to an American reader. Especially if you are from Hawaii or California. You can see the origins of all those cheesy tiki memorabilia from the 50s and 60s. The photos of the carvings and fabrics are an integral part of the narrative. Giving an appreciation of the skills needed.

This is a charming story of the true life experiences of a girl (now a Grandmother) growing up in the Philipines during World War 2.

I am sure that teen-agers would enjoy reading this book, as well as adults. It's a small book and can be read in a matter of hours. I found I could not "put this book down"!

Very appealing!

Written from a child's perspective with vivid detail that will also captivate adults, Barbara-Ann's stories of her childhood in the Phillipines during the WWII Japanese occupation is a fascinating read. Her stories are a personal glimpse into the struggles of a multiracial child growing up poor during wartime told with humor, emotion and acute observation. "Pooh" will steal your heart.

We found this book to be very helpful and especially appreciated the Conversation/ Essentials in the rear of the book.
We only visited 'Upolu, and the guide gave us important insights about the Samoan culture and etiquette which served us well.
We stayed at Sinalei Reef Resort which we would highly recommend if you are traveling without children, and the restaurant at Coconut's Beach Club was excellent.
This guide is a must if you're going to Samoa and really want to enjoy it to it's fullest.

I have never liked how LP guides are arranged but have found them to consistantly have the best information [not perfect but better than other guides.] I wish they had not included Tonga as I am not going there and always travel as light at possible. The binding is not condusive to removing unwanted pages but I will remove the Tonga section anyway. I say, 'buy it!' but don't get bent out of shape should some info not prove to be correct.

Michelle Matthews has unearthed a pot-pourri of alternative venues for the discerning consumer. Street smart and shopping savvy, this book oozes class and cuts a swathe through similar projects aimed at a peculiar niche. Its light, breezy treatment and contemporary pace only hastens the buyer's decision-making process. What a Mecca Melbourne is! Roll on San Francisco, London...Moscow!

This book breaks Melbourne into shopping districts that can be covered in an afternoon or a day. Brief descriptions are sufficient to get a feel for whether you would be interested in visiting certain stores, or even whole districts, so that you can more efficiently plan your trip. Hours of operation are included. Colorful pictures of the interior of stores and their merchandise are helpful, but a relative indicator of prices (like a 1 to 5 dollar sign system) would be extremely helpful. Also, mileage indicators on the maps would be a big plus.

I bought this book in Sydney and found it a wealth of information on Sydney's beginings. The first time I read it, I savored every page...I couldn't put it down. As I got to the end of the book I felt bad that it was over, so I re-read it every few years. Jan Morris's style of writing is so entertaining and makes for a easy read.

Jan Morris has been everywhere, seen everything, met everyone, and tries to see the good in all of it. She seems happiest, though, among the young. She is surprisingly forgiving toward some of the hollower booster-driven cities of North America, while often coming down hard on New World cities that seem too full of themselves. (She memorably describes Washington, DC as seeming designed for nuclear annihilation.)

Not surprisingly, then, Morris is generous toward Sydney, honoring its brief history but focusing on its childlike present. Since the book was completed, of course, the child has become an adolescent, frantically acquiring attractions that will make it seem more adult -- preening itself for its moment on the world stage in the 2000 Olympics. Like many books about childhood, this one should be read wistfully, with the knowledge that the city it describes is only a snapshot, circa 1990, of a place that seems to be disappearing under its own need for approval.

Of course, during the inevitable post-Olympics hangover, this book may be useful in another way. When we lose track of who we are, when the purpose that has obsessed us suddenly evaporates, it's sometimes helpful to recall what gave us pleasure when we were children. At such a moment, Morris's portrait of Sydney in its last moments of childhood may offer the city a route back to its core, and thus forward into a happier adulthood.

Nick Vaux's memoir of his experiences as a Commando (battalion level) commander during the Falklands Island War should be mandatory reading for anyone aspiring to tactical command. His book, well written and entertaining, provides valuable insight into the stresses and strains that affect the commander. Battle focused training, hasty planning, and the effects of the environment on combatants are also topics that he addresses.

Nick Vaux commanded the 42 Commando during the Falklands campaign and has written about it in this non-fiction work. This engaging, fast read follows his command from England to the Falkland Islands where the unit suffers appalling conditions and undergoes horrendous demands but has a spectacular fight in the final liberation of the island. This is highly recommended for members of the profession of arms and provides other readers a sense of the desperate conditions of modern war.

This is the first book I've bought in the Traveler's Companion series, and was a good find. I used it on a road trip along Australia's east coast, Sydney to Cairns, and the book convinced us to continue to Port Douglas and beyond - the highlight of the trip. It's particularly good on restaurant reviews, and includes a lot of smaller hotels that the other books we had ignored. A lot of great pix too, and good info on activiteis like diving and whitewater rafting. It was the most useful of the four guides we had by a long shot, but also the heaviest - could have been printed on lighter paper!

I was planning a month-long trip to Australia and I didn't want to go the strictly backpacker's route, but nor did I want to miss out entirely on the sense of adventure that comes from roughing it, at least somewhat. I wanted to experience both the comfort that comes with an organized well-planned holiday and the spontaneous adventure that comes from rushing headlong into things. This wonderful book provides all the information a visitor to Australia could possibly want in order to experience both comfort and adventure. Yes, when I'm in Sydney I want to know about the exciting nightlife and great restaurants available, but when I'm in the outback and I want to learn how to throw a boomerang (and catch it too!),or visit remote tribes in the Northern Territories, I want to be able to switch gears without having to refer to a different guidebook. But I found "Traveler's Australia Companion" useful even before I left the states. It has Web-related information covering everything from hotels to Aborigine guided bush-treks (a must-do), to both boat and car rentals. Once you are actually on the ground, its collection of maps of cities and states are big and detailed (vital in a sparsely populated country) and absolutely essential. Well-written pieces on Australian history, both Aborigine and European, combined with wonderful pictures, bring this fascinating country to life. If you're a first time visitor to Australia, or returning as I plan to, take this beautifully illustrated and practical book with you.

When I have been to Hawai'i, I've
found it's good to go in the off-
season (Feb.-thru-May), go to the
Pro Bowl, AFC-NFC Conference Cham-
pionship game, The Big Island; The
Volcano(s), Moloka'i; Moloka'i Ranch,
Ni'ihu is accessable only by helicop-
ter, Ko'olawe must be gone to by ar-
rangement by boat to help clean up;
it was used by US Military as dumping
ground, 1944-71; Maui has great Harbour
and Luaus. Kaua'i also has great Luaus
and Kilaea Lighthouse / Wildlife Refuge.
Maui is also the burial place for the
late, great Amer-I-can aviator Charles
Lindbergh, Jr. NCAA Hula Bowl played
there every year right before the Pro
Bowl. Lana'i is the private Isle; only
two placesa to stay, 2,700 people and
one town Lana'i City; a great place to
get away from hustle and bustle of Oah'u.
See 'Em all. The Aloha State, 'No Ka Oi'!

This eclectic collection of essays written by an assortment of travel writers that include Paul Theroux who lives in Hawaii, Englishman, Jonathan Raban, who loves the ocean, but does not like the sand, and a host of lesser known authors captures the spirit of Hawai'i. Each author brings a different prospective and reflection upon the nuances of paradise. My personal favorite is, Travels with Bird, by Hawaiian Sally-Jo Keala-O-Anuenue Bowman who walks in the footsteps of Isabelle Bird an English travel writer who toured the Island horseback in the 1873. I read Bird's account and loved receiving a modern look at her adventure. Birdland: Lullaby of Midway written by editor, Marcie Carroll, lets us know there are much more to the 132 Hawaiian Islands than high end hotels and powdery sand beaches. This unique, thoughtful collection is a fine example of the Traveler's Tales tradition.
A huge bonus is Rick Carroll's back of the book guide to his favorite places in the Islands.
www.LindaBallouAuthor.com Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i-Her Epic Journey

The guide goes well beyond simple identification information and truly provides a condensed naturalist study of each animal or group of animals. I particularly enjoyed reading the "Lores and Notes" sections as they provided additional information into the animals' significance and connection with the local and native human populations. I also found the notes on region and habitat particularly useful... it really helped me differentiate between similar looking species and understand what I might encounter in different circumstances.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was one of the few guides that contained information about the local insects... and there are an amazing amount of insects in Alaska, especially considering the harsh climate! I'm not normally a bug-hunter, but it was nice to be able to identify the HUGE butterflies and dragonflies we encountered on our hikes.

Buyer beware! There is a strong naturalist, eco-conscious tone to this reference. If you aren't the sort who is particularly concerned about the interconnection of species and preservation/conservation of our wild brethren and their natural habitat... this book may not be for you regardless of the wonderful information it contains.

I found the book to be very informative and well organized. The photos were a tremendous aid to the text, which is easy to read and fun. This will be a wonderful addition to my reference library and I will be going back to it again and again.