Oceania Books

This is a much more thorough study of Congregational culture and doctrine than that of Perry Miller. Miller's work relied entirely on published weekday sermons. Stout mined the unpublished sermon notes of hundreds of New England preachers to find a balance that Miller missed. Stout convincingly shows that the ministers' commitment to the salvation of their listeners was always paramount, and finds a consistency in their messages that link the ministers of the 1630's with those of the 1770's. Stout finds few doctrinal differences between Old Lights such as John Cotton and New Lights such as Jonathan Edwards. It's a tough read (being intellectual history), but it's well worth the effort if you wish to get inside the Puritan mind.

Harry S. Stout (Ph.D., Kent State University) is currently a professor of American religious history at Yale University. Building on the groundbreaking work of Perry Miller, Stout published The New England Soul in 1986. The study is more extensive than its paperback size might suggest. The main body of the work covers nearly 150,000 words and is supplemented by 68 pages of extensive end notes. The work has become a standard text for college and graduate courses in colonial American history.

Stout's work centers on the content, role, and power of the sermon in Puritan (later New England) America from the first landings to the beginning of the American revolution. His thesis, which is strongly supported through the work, is that the sermon was the central agent in creating a cohesive culture that evolves toward eventual self-identity and independence. Drawing extensively on primary sources, Stout brings to the contemporary reader the piety and passions of the people whose culture forms the soil for the American nation.

Stout follows the sermon through five generations of New England preachers. These generations are marked by gradual but significant changes in the style and, to some degree, content of the sermon. These five generations he labels invention (1620-1665), arrangement (1666-1700), style (1701-1730), delivery (1731-1763), and memory (1764-1776).

These five stages are, he admits, not dramatic shifts as much as a continual evolution. Through these stages Stout demonstrates changes in style (from plain to "Anglican") and, to some degree, in content. He asserts, however, that the essential core elements of the sermon remain consistent, and that the changes reflect the sermon's adjustment to a changing environment. In this assertion Stout challenges to common suggestion that Puritan preaching displaced its original mission and passion over time.

The themes of personal piety and liberty, Stout demonstrates, are constant from the early sermons of John Cotton to sermons like that of Samuel West celebrating the liberation of Boston by George Washington in 1776. These themes are linked by a shared sense of cultural and religious destiny, the "city set on a hill" mission, in which American New England would fulfill the goal of Calvin's Geneva to create the perfect society in which the Kingdom of God might be fully realized on earth.

The New England preacher, more so than the statesman or soldier, was the preeminent power and power-broker in the Colonial period. The sermon was both soteriological and political, reflecting a conceptual marriage of church and state difficult for the contemporary reader to fully grasp.

One great value of Stout's work is, following in the steps of Perry Miller, he brings to the reader the words of voices long forgotten. While John Cotton, Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, and a handful of other divines have remained well known figures, at least to students of early American history, Stout brings to life the words of dozens of other preachers whose works and words are now preserved only in small numbers of rare books and pamphlets.

Stout effectively demonstrates how the sermons, especially of the eighteenth century, laid the foundation for the revolution and the birth of the American nation. The "messianic mission" of the early Puritans was malleable enough to be transfigured into the great battle, against the Beast of the British monarchy, to establish the independence of the colonies. Any student of American or religious history would be well served by including Stout's work in their must-read list. Any teacher of early American history should seriously consider adding this to any list of recommended texts. The contemporary student will be surprised at the multiple connections between religious and political thinking in early American life, as well as the pivotal role the sermon plays in the development of that life.

This is a great book by a brilliant historian who is deeply revered on both sides of the Atlantic. It will be the definitive work. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

As I anticipated this publication on Pacific jewelry and adornment is a striking publication. It is beautifully designed and printed.

There are over 240 high-quality photographs illustrating an awesome selection of objects from around the Pacific. The first class photography reveals the exquisite details of artistry used with various materials - all round this book makes great pacific ornamental reference material.

Enhanced throughout with the superb color images of Auckland-based photographer Krzysztof Pfeiffer, Pacific Jewelry And Adornment is the collaborative work of Roger Neich (Curator of Ethnology, Auckland Museum and Professor of Anthropology, University of Auckland) and Fuli Pereira (Curator of the Pacific Collection, Auckland Museum). This impressively informative work of art history showcases 250 representative examples of traditional jewelry from the Pacific made from the raw materials of jade, whale tooth and bone, shark teeth, tapa, shells, and plant fibers. Insightful information is provided to the use of personal decorative items to reflect power, status and community, as well as their significance with respect to high ceremonial occasions. Drawn from the collections of the Auckland Museum, these illustrative items reflect the vast geographical areas of the Pacific from Micronesia, Papua, New Guinea, and Fiji, to Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands. Pacific Jewelry And Adornment is a strongly recommended addition to any academic or community library Oceanic Culture or Art History collection.

Roger Neich is one of the leading experts in Pacific ethnology with a score of informative and readable books and catalogs to his credit. Pacific Jewelry and Adornment is the most recent addition to his remarkable published work. Incorporating some of the best examples of Pacific Jewelry from the Aukland Museum and other collections, the book provides a concise and detailed overview of the diversity of styles, while outlining the forces of migration and trade that influenced the dispersal of form and material. As an ethnologist who has studied and written on Pacific adornment, I have read pretty much everything there is on the subject, and this book is the single best source. Beautifully illustrated also.

Polynesian Interconnections is a mix of the latest scientific information,mixed with Archaeology, Anthropology, Biology, Morphology, Genetics & Linguistics to educate and to analyze the inter-relatedness of the Polynesian people from Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Marquesas, and the Cook Islands. Author, AhChing, looked for the most current research from the University of Hawai'i to write this book; his style makes for easy reading that is both enjoyable and thought provoking. The book also has its share of drama, as it seeks to address topics that those outside of the Polynesian community might not have known were so controversial... like the idea of a Samoan playing the lead role of Kamehameha the Great, if a movie were ever to be made. Polynesian Interconnections addresses this issue along with many others, and Author, AhChing clearly states his perspective. The editorial reviews for his book state, "This book should be read by all school age children & discussed with friends & family. A great education reference book and a solid foundation for tomorrow's generation." Pick up a copy and decide for yourself.

"POLYNESIAN INTERCONNECTIONS" celebrates the unity of one Polynesian family related to Europeans, Asians and Aborigines Africans through their ancient heritage and genetics. The term Polynesian means 'many islands' or 'many races.' The Polynesians came from an ancient family of intermixed races and today we share our 'ohana' with all peoples of the world. We are one family, the human family, the Polynesian family. To the world we say 'ALOHA' and may the love and spirit of family bring happiness and prosperity into our lives.

Polynesian Interconnections. 2004 books are now in the HAWAII STATE ARCHIVES 2005. (1) These books were featured on Hawaii State-wide KHON 2, Channel 2 Morning News, October 12, 2004. (2) Hawaii State Archives, Library Collection. October 6, 2004. (3) Hawaii Medical Library, Queens Medical Center, Honolulu. November 1, 2004. (808-536-9302). (4) University of Hawaii Library System Network (808-956-8111). This is a tremendous accomplishment for a well written book which seeks to educate and entertain. Well done!

At the end of the book Mr. Salecker notes that what the public thinks it knows about the Pacific war is usually limited in comparison to the war in the ETO, and what little awareness there is usually involves the Marines. Guilty as charged! Taking absolutely nothing away from the Marines, I was almost totally unaware of the scale and scope of armored operations in the Pacific that are recounted in this book. If you like military history, and especially if you are a "tread head" like me, then you will really enjoy this book. It is a great read, and it passes what I consider to be the real acid test for any book. It made me want to go out and read and learn more on the subject.

I also build WW II model tanks, and this book is an endless source of information, ideas, inspiration, and photos for future armor modeling projects.

Veteran military author, Gene Eric Salecker has written "Rolling Thunder: Against the Rising Sun: The Combat History of the U.S. Army Tank Battalions in the Pacific in World War II." The story, of course, is familiar to Pacific War readers.

Mr. Salecker's book is a crisp, well-paced narrative of battlefield actions. It avoids the voyeurism that books about fighting the Samurai easily fall into. With the bigger picture of the Pacific War rather limited in his book, Mr. Salecker has done a fine job of producing a micro-history of U.S. Army armored operations in the Pacific campaign. The author is a reliable, informed and entertaining navigator -- he tells a lot of good stories, and tells them well.

As his historic survey makes clear, U.S. Army tanks struggled against the environment almost as much as the Japanese. Tanks lost their tracks burrowing along dense, mine infested jungle paths -- sank into deep underwater shell holes in coral reefs -- got hung up on coconut stumps -- flipped over climbing muddy dirt trails.

Early in the war, fighting for Luzon, Bataan, and New Guinea, the M5 Stuart light tank was effective at wiping out machine gun nests and blasting snipers out of palm trees with canister shot. The M5 was fairly vulnerable to all types of the Japanese antitank guns. More of the armor losses, however, involved untimely mechanical breakdowns, blown tracks, getting hopelessly stuck, and roll-overs. If disabled tanks could not be towed away, crews had to destroy them.

The M3 Lee medium tank and the M4 Sherman medium tank proved to be nearly immune to lighter artillery. Japanese infantry resorted to close assault tactics with magnetic mines, grenades, satchel charges, and Molotov cocktails. Tankers had to provide covering fire for each other as Japanese soldiers attempted to scramble aboard.

Land mines continued to disable tanks throughout the entire Pacific campaign. Encounters with Japanese tanks were very few, and they were always quickly dispatched.

On coral atolls, like Makin, Biak and Kwajalein, the Japanese enjoyed wide fields of defensive fire from pillboxes, bunkers, and camouflaged entrenchments. Faced with fanatical resistance, infantry could make little progress against them without armored support. Tank losses were mostly from floundering in coastal waters, getting deeply stuck, and untimely mechanical breakdowns. The value of flame-throwing tanks was soon recognized.

The Japanese became more knowledgeable on how to destroy tanks as the Pacific campaign progressed. To be sure, the author's respect for the Japanese soldier is apparent. On Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, and Okinawa, the Japanese fought from a interlocked system of caves, tunnels, and spider holes. U.S. Army infantry teams could make no headway against this resistance without major assistance from artillery and armor. Here the 37mm M5 Stuart was ineffective -- the greater firepower of the 75mm M4 Sherman, 76mm M10 tank destroyers, 105mm assault guns, and 150mm artillery were necessary to blast the Japanese out.

Needing to reach remote battlefields, tankers relied on bulldozers to cut trails into the rugged back country. The narrow mountain trails were often guarded by Japanese anti-tank guns, heavy artillery, and machine guns installed in caves. Japanese artillery first drove off accompanying infantry teams, then suicide troops hiding nearby in spider holes would attack stalled tanks.

We learn, for example, that once a tank is disabled, the crew was easily killed trying to abandon their tank. And as Mr. Salecker points out, many men died attempting to tow away disabled American tanks.

As the Japanese were pushed back into smaller areas, they would launch frantic hordes of infantry to overwhelm their besiegers. This often resulted in large groups of Japanese being cornered and annihilated in short order by tankers firing canister and machine guns backed up by covering infantry teams.

"The American's answer to the enemy's strong and integrated defenses was the tank-infantry team, including the newly developed armored flamethrower, and supported by artillery," declares Mr. Salecker. The author shows the almost supernatural bond between these tankers and the infantry.

The author writes in one passage, "Guns and howitzers battered Japanese cave openings, dugout, and pillboxes, forcing enemy gunners back into tunnels for protection and decreasing their fields of fire. Taking advantage of the resulting 'dead spaces,' infantry and tanks crept up on the most vulnerable point, the tanks attacked the position point-blank with cannon, machine guns, and flame, while the infantry prevented Japanese 'close-quarters attack troops' carrying explosives from closing in on the tank." There are some fascinating details to be found among these battle action vignettes.

Mr. Salecker curiously refrains from analyzing Japanese weapons and tactics, preferring to focus on those of the U.S. Army. The author successfully shows the step-by-step development of ground tactics that most likely would be needed to conquer the Japanese home islands. "At the time of the Japanese surrender, there were fourteen independent tank battalions in the Pacific theater of operations."

"Rolling Thunder" has 60 excellent photographs and 25 good maps. There is much to recommend this new work. This book provides a good contrast to armored operations in North Africa and Western Europe. The best moments in the book are the fascinating cameos of buttoned up tankers fighting the fanatical Japanese.

Mr. Salecker has done a major service to the history of US Army armor by providing us with a complete history of the Army tank units involved in the Pacific campaigns from 1941 thru victory in 1945. This is an area that has been ignored by other publications that cover the history of American tank units. Here we see the desperate battles by under-trained tank crews in the fall of the Phillipines, the use of tanks in the jungles of New Guinea, the landing of tanks on island invasions, the large use of tanks in the recapture of the Phillipines and the final actions on Okinawa. The author looks at the machines used, but the real focus of the book is on the units and the men who actually fought in the tanks. Many veterans contributed stories about combat in places where heat, insects and disease were as deadly as the determined enemy. Well written and easy reading. This volume belongs on the shelf of anybody interested in the Pacific campaigns or the history of American armored units.

287 Pages, 11.5" x 8.75", Hardback. A simply superb book, lavishly illustrated in full color, beautifully demonstrating the power and magic of the shields of New Guinea and the surrounding islands. Hundreds of full-color items and 14 maps.

It is a bit sad that the people living in such an idyllic location as the islands of the South Pacific. But of course there were people there and that means that there was conflict.

Among the many differences in these shields from those commonly seen in European collections is that the South Pacific islands had no iron, no metals of any type. While the Europeans were constantly innovating and improving their weapons, the islanders were still making fighting equipment from organic materials such as animal hide, bark, wood, rattan. That means, among other things that these shelds were made relatively recently when compared with European exhibits.

Surprisingly, although this book is titled Shields of Melanesia, many of the areas of what is now called Melanesia such as Vanuatu and New Caladonia never developed shields at all. This book will represent the definitive work on this class of shields, it is beautifully printed and illustrated.

A great work about the various shield types of Melanesia. The book deals mostly with mainland New Guinea, but also with surrounding Islands and the Solomons. There are beautiful pictures in color of the shields and old b/w field photographs. It includes also many distribution maps of the different shield types. Until now, this is the first reference book about Melanesian shields, and a must for anybody who is interested in that field. Not only the allready well known regions like Sepik-, Asmat and Highlands of P.N.G. are described, it deals also with lesser known areas like Digul or Waropen.
Barry Craig had long-time field expirience at the Min region (see his other book about that region „Art and Decoration of Central New Guinea". The austrian Harry Beran, is an expert about the Massim Art.
It's a pitty, that the book is not available from the original publisher in australia. He is a specialist for books about Melanesia-New Guinea. Without his enthusiasm, many books about that field, would not have been published.

Pinney's account of jungle warfare in New Guinea and Borneo ranks among the finest war novels ever written. It's one minor drawback is that is is written in Australian English, and while the author does provide a glossary of slang terms, he omits common Aussie slang such as "whiteant". Any who have ever had the privilege of serving with Australians will immediately feel at home with the characters. These were a tougher bunch, having grown up in depression era Australia, but that old Digger self-sufficiency, distrust of authority, and biting humor shines through. Their speech will send hackles down the spines of the politically correct, but beneath the multi-hued skins of "boongs, murries, and burries" they see men much like themselves, locked in a struggle for survival, as much against nature as against the strange white and yellow armies fighting on their soil. Pinney's keen eye provides a myriad of details that move the reader from the blinding greens of the jungle, back to the routine of base camp, to a jungle pool covered with phosphorescent butterflies. He catches the wonder, the boredom, the fear, and the fatigue. Probably the best fictional account of war in the Pacific. If Mel Gibson ever wants to make an Australian World War II movie, this is it.

Peter Pinney kept a diary while fighting in New Guinea and Bouganville that would have got him court-martialed if it had been found. Fortunately for all of us, it wasn't, he wasn't, and we have been given an unbelievably realistic view of what it was really like as a private soldier in a commando unit fighting in the jungles of the Pacific.

The is "Survivor" without a TV crew and with very real risks to life and health. Like being in an ambush with enemy soldiers just feet away. If they happened to see you, you are dead. Yet he does this repeatedly and survives.

How does it feel to kill someone? Find out. How does it feel to lose a close friend? Find out. How do you fill the long periods of boredom between action? Find out. This is a truly amazing book.

One of the best books written on the subject, Peter Pinney writes easily and candidly about his experiences as a Signaller with the Australian Imperial Forces in PNG and The Solomons. Creeping through jungles, seeking the feared Japanese 'warrior', Pinney relates the thoughts and fears of his companions, from the pompous officers to the blood thirsty soldier and coward alike, he draws the characters with a simple, life giving ink and paints the steaming jungle backdrop with a magical brush.

Fact and fiction interweave, I suspect, but the resulting story is of high class.

Even if you are not interested in the subject, this is still a fantastic trilogy and one that at least every Australian should read!

Brunes has written a personable, informative account of traveling in the South Pacific useful to any traveler. The book tells you exactly what to expect as an independent traveler, how to find the wonderful local places to stay, and how to settle into the life style of the place. She writes in the uneffected style of a friend, rather than a travel writer, so you feel right at her elbow sharing the experience. She gives information, mood, inflection of the places and people that you won't find in a guide book. Whether your an on-the-road traveler or an arm-chair traveler, this book is a good read.

This is more than just a travel book. Ms. Brunes digs deep into the culture of the So. Pacific Islands. She does an excellent job of blending people, culture and adventure all while informing the reader of the information necessary to "get around". To stop here would be to do an injustice. Ms. Brunes.
shows fierce determination and courage, a grandmother travelling alone, with little resources but a lot of guts. She is truely an inspiration!

Evangeline Brunes takes us to lands which most of us are not privileged to travel.

As we admire her courage to travel alone to far-off places in the South Pacific, we also share vicariously in her wonderful experiences.

She is an inspiration to all women, but particularly to those with limited incomes, determination, and self-confidence. I hope she will write another book!

It is a shame that Jocelyn's wonderful, dreamy love letter to living in Hawaii is out of print. For starters, the dust jacket is pretty enough, but the book itself is bound in a handsome Hawaiian fabric print. Inside, colors jump off the page as homes ranging from surfers' one-room beach town digs to graceful Nuuanu mansions set you to fantasizing about living in Paradise. Chapters are divided into such themes as paniolo [cowboy] homes, mountain homes, beach homes, contemporary, plantation houses ranging in style from bare bones to elegant...the entire gamut is covered. There are delightful details and tableaux pictured everywhere, showing home dwellers' tabletop arrangements, Hawaiiana collections, hand crafted koa wood furniture, beautiful one of a kind local crafts...I could go on and on about the richness and variety of material in Under The Hula Moon. I write Hawaii guidebooks for a living and spend a lot of time in the islands, looking at the outside of peoples' homes, wondering what's going on inside. Since I'm not the type to just knock on strangers' doors to ask for a tour, Jocelyn has taken me into wonderful places I would otherwise never see.from0AAnyone who has fallen under Hawaii's spell and has ever fantasized about moving to the islands will treasure this book and spend many long hours with it in a favorite reading spot. Few books have given me the years of enjoyment that Jocelyn Fujii's has, and until some publisher has the good sense to bring it back into print, it is worth the seach to find a copy.

If you looking for something that will catch your eye, and that you can just sit down, relax, and browse ... then this is book for you! It's a great book have around for others to look at and see Hawai`i through other people's eyes. It's always great to see how many different people can find the beauty in this paradise.

I am sorry that I generously gave out as many copies of this far out book without saving a single copy for myself, because now I can't find it anywhere except at my friends' homes. And they all want to keep it as a reference for their visitors from the mainland.

People have wondered for centuries how and why the great
statues on Easter Island were constructed and how so many of them were destroyed or damaged after being made. This very appealing book lays out these mysteries and gives background information suitable for grades 3-5. My wife is a pediatrician and this book is a great hit in her waiting room.

Easter Island is one of those places in the world you'd most like to see; but probably never will. Fortunately Deborah Underwood has taken us there in this fascinating book. Her strong writing accompanied by great photographs and illustrations give us a sense of place and help us understand the history, environment, and oddity that is Easter Island.

Adding to the 'Wonders of the World' series is a special focus on the mysterious Easter Island statues, a topic generally not given complete coverage for this grade group of 3-5. 48 pages discuss Easter Island history, the investigations into the statues, and theories about how the islanders moved them into place. An appealing title packed with visual backup.

I discovered an earlier edition of this truly great book in my local book shop and have since walked most of the walks in both the earlier and this current edition. It has to be the bible for anyone wanting to experience the joys the State of Victoria in Australia has to offer. The track notes are concise, yet easy to follow and are accompanied by useful maps for each walk. The publishers would be advised to re-think their layout designs as the book has a decidedly old fashion feel about it, BUT this does not detract from the usefulness of the book. WELL DONE MR THOMAS !

A diverse range of hikes for all grades of walkers from families to hard-core adventurers. Includes contour maps for each hike as well as photographs and illustrations to accompany the comprehensive route descriptions. The destinations include the Australian Alps, the magnificent Grampians, Wilsons Promontory and Gippsland. Sixty of the walks are with 60 miles of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. Introductory chapters include advice on equipment, food suggestions, first aid, etc etc.