Australia Books

If you have seen the film 'Rabbit Proof Fence', then you simply must read this book. Carolyn Wadley Dowley has presented all the historical context necessary to allow the reader to understand the themes and setting of the film more deeply, and has richly illuminated this period of Australian history.

Wadley Dowley succeeds masterfully in bringing this fascinating episode in Australian history to life, filling the framework provided by historical archives, contemporary analysis and oral histories with fresh emotion and reality. Through Silent Country is all the more remarkable for its ability to preserve a clear distinction between the voice of the author and those of the real historical actors in this human drama. Wadley Dowley's treatment of the historical sources and oral history transcripts, along with her honest and moving journal record, provide a strong basis for the reader to understand - from several fascinatingly diverse perspectives - her new and complete account of the escape from detention of this group of Aboriginal Australians, and their epic trek back to their home country. This work is important and ground-breaking, both in content and in style. It deserves to be widely recognised as such. I recommend it without hesitation to all who want to explore the landscape of Australian history, and especially to Australians who hope to discover a new perspective on their past.

This book is an excellent contribution to Australian history. I recommend it highly.

This exceptional book - which I note has just received a significant Australian history award - is the author's account of an event from 1921 in the Western Australian goldfields. Further, it is the story of what was required to uncover such history. Through Silent Country is history as it all too rarely written - emotive, gripping, full of fascinating characters, and ultimately triumphant. The 'heroes' of the tale are the Wongutha people of the Western Desert, who walk hundreds of kilometres across unknown (silent) country to return to their homes from forced exile. Loved it!

This book follows the circumstance of the forced removal, in 1921, of the Wongutha people from their their homeland in the Western Australian goldfields to Mogumber, a feared place of detention.The events are set in context, the complete picture slowly emerging through the author's own travels over the escape routes the Wongutha used, from `speakings' about the escape and related concerns, documents (officialdom's cold tone chills even now) and a `new account; by the author. This is not a dreary recitation of facts but an imaginative reconstruction of the events. The Wongutha's plight, as they face encroaching settlement and drought, is emotively drawn. Just brilliant.
Good Reading Magazine(Australia). January 2003.

This is one of the greatest novels ever written. Whites style is always powerful;each word, each paragraph builds vividly in your mind, and within a simple story framework he explores how human ambitions, hopes and dreams are eroded by nature and the eras we live in.
All that occurs is that Stan Parker builds his farm,takes a wife,has two children,lives through flood and drought and sees the area in which he lives expand,grow and change. No one but a supreme master craftsman can illuminate such a plot with such powerful and biblical imagry (man in Eden,the brief hopes,the failings and disallussions of human existence,the reuniting with God)
So powerful was the writing that, when White refered to a sewing machine on a hill late in the book,the image created in my mind some 400 pages earlier of that scene during the great flood instantly came back. White has that unique capability.
And the story rings true for all of us. Stan had his dreams of how things would grow,yet it is things outside our control that thwart these ambitions. Was it his fault Thelma grew up ashamed of her parents and as a prissy shrew? Or that Ray turned out to be a petty hoodlum and ended up being murdered? Something in human nature makes us blame ourselves for other peoples free will.
An extraordinary book.Not for those who like something quick and easy,but definately for anyone who loves literature and wants to be wholly absorbed for the duration of a classic book.

Patrick White is one of those rare writers - Well, the only other one that comes to mind is Halldor Laxness - who is able to create great literature out of the seemingly mundane. How he accomplishes this feat is not a simple matter to explain in a review, but it has, in part, to do with what White describes here as the "mysticism of objects, of which some people are initiates." I could say that this is primarily a book about an uneducated fellow in the Australian Outback who clears some land, raises a family and then dies. I would be quite correct, just as correct as I would be in reviewing Laxness' book, Independent People, as a story about sheep. But I would be leaving out, well, thunderbolts like this:

"Iron lace hung from dark pubs, and the heavy smells of spilled beer. Dreams broke from windows. And cats lifted the lid off all politeness." P.22 (in my edition).


But, more importantly, I would be omitting what perhaps can't be included, the deep sense of wonder imbued in the sinews of the work. It makes all modern novels with blurbs such as "ends by exposing the dark forces at play within the heart of man" and such like ring hollow and trite. All forces of the heart, dark and light, are at play throughout the book, from first page to last, but the reader has to let these forces slowly seep into his or her own heart and mind. They aren't emblazoned on a marquee. They aren't easily accessed. But, for that, they are the more dearly prized once they begin to stir one.

It's no great surprise that there are so few reviews here of this quiet, deep work of art. To the average reader, it must come across as ineffably boring, but, for lovers of literature and art, it is moving beyond my ability to convey, moving "with all the appearance of aimlessness, which is the impression that spiritual activity frequently gives." P.397

This is a truly extraordinary novel. It demands a certain amount of quiet to be read well. I found myself reading it more like poetry. Because of White's compelling storytelling and writing style, it held my attention despite the fact that very litte happens. Perfect to take on trains, airplanes, or to the beach.

In the tradition of DH Lawrence, Thomas Mann and Halldor Laxness, Patrick White has written a story that teases out the secrets of a family's existence and, in so doing, explores, without ever mentioning them expressly, the issues and mysteries universal to humanity.

The plot could barely be simpler. In the early days of Australia's nationhood a young man and his wife set off into the bush to begin their lives together. They find some land, build a house, have a family, grow old and finally die. Around them the dramas of life unfold: friendships, disasters, disappointments and infidelities. The book is less about them, though, than about the unremarkable moments in between. These times of quietness are White's triumphs. His unhurried prose admits us to the intimacies of the characters, their griefs, their dreams and their successes. We share in the man's unarticulated affinity with the land, the woman's chronic loneliness. We notice how many words are never spoken, how many uncertainties never resolved.

By the end, one sees that the characters' struggles are his struggles. Briefly, perhaps, one's view of life becomes wider than his self, and a larger landscape, if not a plan, crystallises in the world. You finish the last page, close the book and sit still and speechless for a second, as if someone real has died.

I have read two of White's novels: the present work and Voss. The present novel, The Tree of Man, is more complex than Voss, and unlike Voss here the author manages to breath some life into the characters.

Patrick White gained fame as the Australian Nobel prize winner in literature, and as a person with a prickly or difficult personality. He was educated at Cambridge but settled and wrote in Australia after World War II. He wrote about a dozen novels and a biography.

This is a good novel and it deserves 5 stars. After a dozen pages or so it becomes clear to the reader why White is famous: he has an unusual style and he is a gifted writer. There is no question about his writing ability. We see great writing ability in Voss and that skill is present in The Tree of Man.

The story is set in rural farm country in Australia and it follows the life of a young couple through to their deaths at old age. The male protagonist is a bit like the Voss character. In any case, we follow their lives, and the births and lives of their two children, and the lives of a few of their neighbours. The story describes the day to day life of a typical farming couple, along with the problems and challenges of raising children on a small rural farm. The story of the two children are followed into the marriage of the daughter and we follow the troubles of the adult son with the law.

I liked the way White handled the four family members. The lives of the four are realistic and interesting; they are human and one can relate to their actions. The discouraging feature of some of White's writing is that the characters seem stiff or cardboard like. His Voss character was not a man to show much emotion or talk. There are any passages that simply describe Voss's activities in that slightly dry book. The present book is much more complicated and White does a much better job with his characters. They are human and give way to temptations. Each character shows a wide range of human emotions.

Overall, I thought it was a good book and an interesting read and an interesting book to read if you are interested in the works of Patrick White.

This book documents the sexual perversion, physical abuse, and gratuitous cruelty inflicted on defenseless boys as young as seven years old by Irish Christian Brothers in the Mount Cashel orphanage for homeless boys in St. John's, Newfoundland during the 1970s-80s. It is also the story of a massive cover-up perpetrated over a period of some fifteen years which involved high ranking justice department officials as well as the chief of police.

It is a tragic story, which doesn't have quite the ending which I would have liked. Why, for example, were no public officials ever punished or, at least, dishonored for their corruption? And, where was the well deserved lynch mob which might have at least frightened the perverts and abusers when their long delayed time for justice finally arrived? And, why didn't the punishment for the `brothers,' once convicted, fit their crimes as did that of the priest in Louisiana who was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor without the possibility of parole? And why, for God's sake, did they only investigate what happened in 1975 and, even then, only allow the testimony of the eight boys questioned in that year? Surely, there were lots of other boys being sexually abused and tormented long before and long after that year. And, just as surely, there were other `Christian brothers,' yet unnamed, who also deserve punishment. And, finally, why didn't they reinstate the well intentioned cop who got drunk and tried to break the story ten years earlier?

This is a hard read, partly because of its subject matter but mostly because it is so meticulously documented. This, at times, makes for tedious reading. But, if you want to learn just how deviant and cruel even a respected man can be, and just how devious and corrupt public officials can become, then this is the book for you. But don't expect to see the justice you might have hoped for, for in this case justice was denied - at least denied the children.

The author did a lot of work in writing this book. His research was accurate but his findings were often off the mark because he just didn't understand some of the nuances. He painstakingly went over all the data, included accurate quotes, and came to mostly accurate conclusions. Unfortunately, some of his conclusions missed the mark. A good effort. He should be congratulated for his effort if not for his conclusions.

i lived through a similar orphanage childhood in artane school dublin city ireland,1949-58.owned ,run by the same religious order,the irish christian brothers.cruel wicked evil beyond my own ability to put into english language.i wish mr harris would make a docu-drama narrative about artane industrial school thank god for courageous journalists and publishers.

Having grown up in newfoundland and being present there while the Mount Cashel scandal came to light and underwent inquiry, I can assure the other reviewers that this book is indeed truthful. The circumstances the book describes are so incredibly shocking that I can readily understand why readers would have skepticism regarding its basis in reality. That just makes the story so much more worth reading.

As the Catholic Church is again rocked by priest sexual abuse scandal in 2002 and the situation has now become explosive as a result of the absolutely intolerable (yet not surprising) arrogance of some members of the clerical hierarchy, this is an excellent book to gain perspective by.

Michael Harris documents the story of the Newfoundland Orphanage, Mount Cashel, and the Irish Catholic Brothers who abused countless numbers of their charges -- without reprove -- for at least a twenty year period from the 1970's onward, While reports first were made in the mid-seventies and attempts were made to take legal actions as abuse became known, the Brothers enjoyed the protections of the blind-eyed legal system and members of the Catholic faithful that had set them on a pedestal. Charges were quashed over and over and police reports were re-written lest the "powerful Church" become alienated in Newfoundland.

At the same time in the U.S., cases were becoming public at an unpredented rate charging members of the Roman Catholic Clergy with an epidemic of sexual abuse allegations.

As a result of this last wave of Clergy Sexual Abuse, the Catholic Church promised change. Reporting and investigation polices were established to be certain that there was never again such an arrogant denial and insensitivity when cases came to light. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernandin even subjected himself to the scrutiny of the review policies that he had set in place in his own Archdiocese when he was falsely accused of sexual abuse. He was innocent, yet he felt that he had committed his diocese to the new policies and he must be an example of how they are to be practiced. Bernardin was highly praised for his humility and his willingness to "practice what he had preached."

Yet now again in 2002, we find that some Bishops and Cardinals were only paying lip service to the policies that had been set in place over a decade ago.

Among the worst offenders, the esteemed Cardinal Archbishop of Boston who continued to systematically practice denial, obfuscation and who continued to demonstrate little regard for the victims of priestly abuse in his Archdiocese. From Boston a new wave of explosions arose across the country and in other nations. We await the outcome.

At this point American Catholics are found to be far less forgiving than they were a decade ago.

When and how will this arrogance end? A re-reading of Michael Harris' book (or perhaps a first reading) along with Jason Berry's book, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" might be required assignments for every Catholic leader in the Church (including the Pope!). Perhaps some eyeopening reading -- along with personal liability and true consequences for failure to report abuse -- might be a good first steps.

At the very top of any priorities must be the interests of the victims of these crimes. They have been repeatedly abused, as children, and have been again as adults, when seeking action for what they were made to suffer only to suffer attempts to make them out to be unfairthful liars.

As proud and historically significant as the Catholic Church had been, the time for true and profound changes is now -- not a century from now!

These decisions can no longer be optional, nor can they be subjected to the whim of the Pope -- or any of the other members of the official Catholic hierarchy. The Catholic laity must be heard! And, it is doubtful that this time they will be too quick to be content with efforts to cease the discussion!

Harris' book is an important part of the canon of excellent books on Religious Abuse in North America. Well written, highly readable and extremely compelling!


James J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota USA

This book was terrific. I could hardly put it down. I felt like I was right on the ship with the rest of the transportees.
I liked the book so much I went out and bought the rest of the series. A friend's daughter is now reading them and is really enjoying them too.

Anyone that wants to read a book filled with romance, suspence, excitment, and renewed Christian faith should read this book, Voyage of the Exiles. I don't want to tell you too much and spoil the story, so all I will tell you is that the most unexpected things happen. When you least expect them to! I know that when you start to read this book you won't be able to put it down. I didn't! It has left me yearning for the next book in its series.

I loved the whole series, but book one is my favorite. Even if you're not big on the whole religion aspect, this book is an amazing mix of adventure, heartache, family values, and has great historical aspect. I love historical fiction, and I have read a lot of it, but this book was one of the prime examples of the Australian-Penile-colonies .
I got totally caught up in the entire storyline, and I was unable to put the book down, and once I finished it, I read the rest of the series, then I read the whole series all over again. The characters are so well developed, and it's as if they were real people, living a real life, not like other books where everyone seems so fake, and the situations they get involved in are so fanciful and everything is just perfect. The author keeps things real, and shows you how like would have really been.
It's a great book that I recommend for everyone to read.

This book is not a typical Christian romance. It's much better. The characters aren't thrown into improbably sappy situations, in fact, it's quite the opposite. These characters are flawed, abused, and not destined for your typical fairy tale ending. People get sick, die, have to live down doing bad things, and don't necessarily end up with the first romantic pairing they are put in. This isn't normal for a Christian romance and it's refreshing to find a book that is historically realistic and still very readable.

I wait with great interest to see how things go now that the storyline has finally reached Australia.

If you enjoy suspence, romance, and excitment then you will enjoy Voyage of the Exiles. When George is arrested for pickpocketing and sent on a ship to Southern Whales he thinks all is lost, including his daughter Katy and wife Amelia, little does he know that his daughter is sailing on the same ship as the captian's maid and his wife is on another ship for being wrongfully accused of stealing! I'm sure you will like this book and the strong messange it shows you about faith in Jesus Christ through hard times when everything seems bleak.

Unfortunately I gave this gorgeous book away as a gift! It is visually beautiful, wonderfully written and leaves you wanting to book a ticket downunder

Michael Cooper's WINE ATLAS OF NEW ZEALAND is the first wine atlas dedicated just to New Zealand - a nation becoming known world-wide for its high quality wines. Michael Cooper has over 25 years experience researching and writing on his subject and is the perfect professional choice for producing a guide which reviews the nation's climate, soils, ten wine-making regions, and nearly 300 wine companies. Add color photos of labels, countryside and productions throughout and you have an important basic reference.

Here's a region-by-region profile to over 280 wine companies accompanying in-depth profiles of 10 selected New Zealand winemakers and packed with maps and new photos. Analysis of climate, soils and wine styles accompany an illustrated history of the wine industry and a regional organization just perfect for the destination-oriented New Zealand wine fan. But you don't have to be traveling there to appreciate the extensive geography and wine grape facts packed into Michael Cooper's Wine Altas Of New Zealand: with John McDermott's color photos gracing nearly every page, armchair wine fans have a lot to enjoy, too.

At the Montana New Zealand Book Awards 2003, announced 22 July, Wine Atlas of New Zealand, by Michael Cooper, won the Montana Medal for the supreme work of non-fiction. The judges' commented that "the final decision on the winner of the Montana Medal was influenced by our collective view that the Wine Atlas of New Zealand could not possibly be improved upon - it is elegantly written, superbly designed and produced and its impact on the community has been considerable. Michael Cooper has written many superb books on wine in New Zealand - this is unquestionably his Magnum Opus."

There's not much more to say than that this is a fantastic treatment of its subject. The book is well laid out, fantastically researched, beautifully photographed and a joy to look at (let alone read!). It is little wonder this won the Montana Book Award - Cooper has meticously researched his subject.
The book starts off with an introduction (as they tend to do) then explores the fascinating history of viticulture in New Zealand before tracing the impact of New Zeland wine on the world market. We also get to explore the most commonly grown grape varieties in New Zealand and how they are characterised in New Zealand wines.
General information out of the way, Cooper then explores in detail the wine regions of New Zeland with fantastic maps, photographs and notes on individual wines and wineries.
The book is also indespersed with profiles of key players in the New Zealand wine industry and history.
To sum up - its a beautiful book and a must for anyone interested in the area. It is by far the most comprehenive treatment of New Zeland viticulture, and worthy of the accolades it receives.

The only bad thing about Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy (FIFTH BUSINESS, THE MANTICORE, WORLD OF WONDERS) is that it had to end! Sparklingly clever, bawdy, poignant, erudite, and laugh-out-loud funny, Davies entertains in a wonderfully rich, old-world style.

A friend of mine (who recommended the books, and to whom I will be forever grateful) put it this way: "Reading Robertson Davies is like sitting in a plush, wood-paneled library--in a large leather chair with a glass of excellent brandy and a crackling fire--and being captivated with a fabulous tale spun by a wonderful raconteur."

This is the best novel of the century's best English language novelist. The plot is sure-fire (kid runs away with the carnival), the characters memorable (sideshow freaks, revealed to be--human beings! theater people, great and small, revealed to be--human beings!), the sins enormous (pederasty, pride, perhaps even murder), the virtues marvelous (love, devotion to love). The theme of this book, as with the other books in the trilogy, is search for self--the main character of this book lives four different lives during his life. This book works on every level; it reads well as a story, gives you something to think about, and stands up to any number of readings you'd care to give it. (I've given it at least five.)

The theme of the novel "World of Wonders" by Robertson Davies, is "search for self"(Warlton 4) Through ought the novel, there is a constant search for who the main character, Mangus Eisengrim, truly is. The majority of the novel is Mangus telling his life story. During this story, Mangus lives "four different lives"(Warlton 5) First he was born with the given name Paul Dempster, a Reverend's. At the age of ten he ran away with the carnival and became Cass Fletcher and controlled a mechanical card-playing machine as a carnival act. Later he named himself Fastus LeGrand and worked as a stunt double in a travelling play. He finally became Mangus Eisengrim, a world famous illusionist. Countless times during his story he asks the question, "Who was I?"(61).

At the beginning of Paul Dempster's life there was no trouble with who he was. He was born prematurely and so, right from the start, he was a survivor. He also was a Reverend's son, and his mother was known to others as a "hoor"(24). He knew exactly who he was, but anted to be someone else. After running away with the carnival, or as he said "The carnival ran away with me.", he recalls that he was "prepared to do anything rather than go home." At the carnival he became known as Cass Fletcher. This initial change in who he was was the first sign that there was a conflict with who he was.

His time spent as Cass Fletcher, roughly eight years, was the most conflicting time of his life. In the carnival Cass operated a card-playing machine called "Abdullah"(49). He would sit inside the machine spy on his opponent's cards and slip better ones into Abdullah's hand. At point in his life Cass spent most of his time inside this contraption, perfecting his spying and card slipping and when he ate, and that was seldom, he would do it inside Abdullah as well. He was almost never seen or spoken too. This neglect and abuse led him to believe that he was nobody. He mentions "I was Nobody... I did not exist.". At this time his "search for self" came to the most obscure solution possible. He believed himself to be Nobody. However, when he was seen and acknowledged, it was mostly when he was on stage as "Abdullah, the undefeatable card-playing machine". This caused him to think that when he was not Nobody, he was Abdullah. His answer to "Who [am] I?" was either Abdullah, an inanimate object and a machine to trick an audience, or nobody at all. It wasn't until he was about eighteen, when the carnival he was working for went out of business, that he escaped being trapped in Abdullah. He moved to France and became a street performer. His fake passport had "Fastus LeGrand" as his name. So finally he was no longer, and would never again be, Nobody.

Early in Fastus LeGrand's career as a street performer he was offered a job as an actor in a play called "Scaramouche"(162). He was hired as a stunt double for a man named Sir John. All Fastus had to do was walk a tightrope and juggle some plates, but he had quite a problem imitating Sir John. A fellow actor said that he couldn't "get Sir John's rhythm."(167). As he began to get the idea, he realized that he was again hiding from the audience as he had done with Abdullah.

Was this to be another Abdullah? It was, but in a way I could not have foreseen. Experience never repeats itself in quite the same way. I was beginning another servitude, much more dangerous and potentially ruinous, but far removed from the squalor of my experience with [Abdullah]. I had entered upon a ling apprenticeship to an [egotism].

Fastus had to become Sir John. Eventually he succeeded, so much so that he was later accused of eating Sir John. "You ate Sir John... You ate the poor old ham."(224). Another crisis in his identity. Fastus learned to walk, act, speak, move, stand and probably even blink exactly the same as Sir John himself. During Fastus's time with the play he was known to most as Mungo Fetch. The name was decided on by other actors who thought it sounded appropriate for a man whose job it was to copy someone else. Fastus LeGrand, the only name he picked for himself, was thought to be far too noticeable, and a stunt double was to be kept secret. Again he needed to be hidden from the world. But when Sir John retired, Fastus was no longer Mungo Fetch, nor Sir John. He was beginning to win himself back. Once again, he was known only by a single name. But "Fastus LeGrand was still not who [he] truly was, or who he was meant to be."(Pierce 318)

Soon after Fastus stopped acting in Scaramouche, he was hired to fix toys for an old rich man. It took months just to fix a single toy because of the minute tinkering took to perfect the movement. But there were hundreds of toys that needed to be fixed. So Fastus spent almost every waking hour of his time working on them. Thus, he had virtually no contact with the outside world. He was even given residence with his employer, so he didn't even have to leave the old mans mansion. Now, instead of hiding behind Abdullah or Sir John, he was hiding behind his work. It was during his time fixing toys that Fastus changed once again. As he continued fixing toys for the old man, Fastus met the old mans niece, Lisel, whom he fell in love with. Since Fastus LeGrand was not his real name and he didn't care for it much they decided to change it again. Fastus would by no means return to being Paul Dempster, and even less so did he want to go back to Cass Fletcher. So Lisel named him Mangus Eisengrim. Becoming Mangus was the "final conflict with who he was."(Pierce 553) Mangus was finally rid of his former lives and had come to the end of his search for self. He had answered the question "Who [am] I?". He lived life as Mangus and became a world famous illusionist and eventually returned to acting, since he had such a skill with imitating people. He was, from then on, Mangus Eisengrim.

I've just finished a Davies marathon: the whole Deptford trilogy in 3 days. I think it a testament to Davies' great storytelling ability that I could not put down any of the three books. I suggest reading them in close succession because the second book (The Manticore) sheds a lot of light on the other two books. It's interesting that in this book (the 2nd), we get 250 pages or so written from the point of view of a minor character: Boy Staunton's son. If you stop to think about it, the whole trilogy is structured around the question "Who killed Boy Staunton," so it shouldn't be surprising to read an account by his drunken son, the famous lawyer of his counseling sessions in Zurich. Rarely does one find such well-drawn characters these days in novels -- by the end, you'll feel like you've known Paul Demster for years, along with the simian Liesl, level-headed Ramsey and of course Demster's character, Eisengrim.

This book is a bit "deeper" than the first two as we find ourselves transported to an almost magic-realism portrait of myth and fantastical events in the World of Wonders. I actually enjoyed the first two books more although I still think this last book is a master work. Occassionaly Eisengrim's recounting of his life gets a bit tedious, but only because we are dying to resolve the mystery which finally gets solved in the closing pages. All in all, a memorable trilogy and a gripping read by one of the great 20th century writers.

Davies uses the 'accidental' revelation of a great magician's life--by the magician himself--to complete the Deptford Trilogy and answer the mystery: "Who killed...?" Davies is at his storytelling best here, spinning out a strange, fascinating life story that begins when a young boy is captivated by a carnival magic show. By far the best book of the trilogy, this novel stands brilliantly on its own and is head and shoulders above the two recent novels that use almost the same plot: Mr. Vertigo, by Paul Auster, and Millroy the Magician, by Paul Theroux

This beautiful reference book is full of beautiful photography of aboriginal art and Howard Morphy has researched this subject in great depth having lived with tribes in Arnhem Land. A great resource for those studying for degrees in Anthropology and Art History.

Over the past two decades, Aboriginal art from Australia has been gathering momentum as a major international art movement. Christie's, Sotheby's and other auction houses hold regular, successful sales of paintings and artifacts produced at Aboriginal settlements across Australia. Major historical figures such as Rover Thomas and Emily Kngwarre can command several hundred thousand dollars for a single painting. Even though indigenous people make up less than three percent of the population, their art in recent years reportedly accounts for about half of the total dollar value of all art sold in Australia.

The appeal of Aboriginal art to non-indigenous collectors is many-sided. On a purely aesthetic level, the work is multi-layered and vibrant. Western eyes familiar with Abstract Expressionism and other post-modern art movements have a conceptual bin in which to place Aboriginal painting. Those who dig beneath the surface appeal discover that many of the paintings record the creation myths of the Aboriginal people, documenting how the land was created by mythical Ancestors during the Dreamtime. Unlike much abstract western art, which concerns itself with technical issues - "flatness" or "shininess" or "color saturation" - Aboriginal art is about something complex and sacred that's been passed down from generation to generation for tens of thousands of years. Collectors with a political bent can take satisfaction in knowing that works purchased from reputable galleries and community art centers provide money to economically downtrodden indigenous settlements while helping to validate the importance of Aboriginal culture.

In this excellent book, Howard Morphy uses art scholarship, his experience in the settlements, and a deep empathy to place Aboriginal art firmly within the context of modern Aboriginal life. The book shows how art making is a part of ritual practices used to summon and honor the Ancestors who made the world. Art - whether it's done as rock paintings or sand drawings, body painting, wood carving, or the application of ochres to bark or acrylics to canvas - is a way of animating the past by making it come alive in the present. Only designated clans or individuals have the right to perform certain rituals or tell certain Dreaming stories. Art becomes a way of asserting and establishing those rights, as well as a way of establishing rights to the land where the dreaming story occurs. Their art also enables Aborigines to open up a dialog with the dominant European culture in a way that expresses and asserts the value of their belief system.

A significant part of Morphy's achievement is granting us access to the rich body of inherited myths, rituals and symbols that Aboriginal artists draw upon to create their art. Like all great religious art, the best of this work expresses eternity in the context of a present moment. Aboriginal artists such as Uta Uta Tjangala, Paddy Sims, and John Mawurndjul, like the Italian Renaissance masters, allow us to experience something sublime. A number of women artists have also created major bodies of work. Dorothy Napangardi, Judy Watson, and Eubena Nampitjin, for example, use sweeping lines and bold colors to tell their Dreaming stories and to express personal visions of everyday bush life. In the works of the great Aboriginal artists, we are witnessing the expression of an enduring vision that has triumphed over time and, since the arrival of the Whitefellas, extremely adverse social circumstances.

Morphy covers the evolution of this art from the Wandjina and Bradshaw rock art done thousands of years ago through printmaking and photography produced today by young urban Aboriginals. He also discusses the historical and cultural circumstances that led to diverse artistic expressions on bark and wood across Arnhelm Land, and is informative on the multiplicity of painting styles that evolved out of ritual practice in the central and western deserts. He provides us with a broad and sympathetic look at artists from southern Australia, where greater exposure to European settlers led to greater suffering and cultural disruption. The concluding section on art produced by urban Aboriginals is convincing in its assertion that even though it differs from the "traditional" art produced in the settlements, it still says something important about the Aboriginal experience.

The book is lavishly and expertly illustrated, and the reader will be struck by the sheer variety of forms and methods of artistic expression. The most rewarding way to see this art is to travel to the places where it's being created and meet the artists who do it. If that's not in your budget, the best public collection of Aboriginal art in the Unites States is the Kluge-Ruhe Collection, which is housed at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. (Howard Morphy is associated the Kluge-Ruhe Collection and helped to assemble it.) If you read the book, then stand in front of some of these paintings, you will tap into one of the world's oldest continuous cultures while simultaneously experiencing the "shock of the new." As Howard Morphy amply demonstrates, the effort richly rewards you at multiple levels.

Aboriginal art having always been a great influence on my own artwork ......., I looked for weeks to find a book of this caliber. This book by Phaidon press features gorgeous reproductions in full color, history and observations of Aboriginal culture, and art interpretation written in a friendly, engaging manner. If you want to learn more about Aboriginal art, you really couldn't do better than to start here.

This book is not your standard art history, by any means. It is the story of how the Aboriginals coped with the European indruders. They had much experience dealing with strange people from overseas but nothing prepared them for their encounter with Europeans. They were at first completely baffled and also almost wiped out. The people of Tasmania were literally completely eliminated--the last native of Tasmania died in the second part of the 19th century.
Using their wits and their art, they were finally able to get through to the Europeans, to make them understand and appreciate the beauty of their whole culture, to gain the Europeans' respect and admiration. Initially dismissed as rude doodlings of savages, Aboriginal art is now esteemed world wide.
The author takes great pains to explain how the Aboriginals' art prevades their whole way of life and how knowing their cultural ways makes understanding their art possible and visa versa. The book is fascinating, beautifully written and structured and its sometimes grim but finally triumphant story makes for wonderful reading. It is hard to put down once you start it. It must be of interest to all sorts of people, not just art lovers.

A great guide for U.S. and Canadian citizens looking to relocate to the Southern Continent. Well written and full of information and fun facts. I now wish that I had purchased this guide book years ago.

Having travelled back & forth between the U.S. and Australia for 30 years, I thought I knew my way around Down Under pretty well. However, once we decided to move over permanently, I soon realized I might as well have come from another planet!! If only we had a survival guide like this to combat the daily head scratching and keep our sense of humor alive!

If you are making the trip for the first time, planning to stay awhile or just curious about the cultural differences, this little book will open your eyes to the subtle variances that are discovered only by interesting experiences. Highly recommended for keeping you safely to the left, in harmony with the Aussie attitude of 'no worries' and out of socially embarrasing moments when you might say the 'wrong' thing! Enjoy the book and the country!!

This book is packed with valuable and interesting information. The Australian-American dictionary is also valuable and humorous. I ran many of the terms by a few Australian friends, and they confirmed they use the terms all the time (terms that most Americans would NOT understand). All in all, this is a terrific book and well worth the price for anyone that's traveling to or moving to Australia.

A Review of Americans' Survival Guide to Australia and Australian-American Dictionary (Paperback)
by Rusty Geller (Author)


Having been brought up in both the US and Australia, I bought this book out of curiosity for how one side saw the other and was surprised by it's breadth. Not only is it packed with the kind of information those who are visiting or emigrating from America (US/Canada) really need to know, Geller also weaves stories of his own experiences throughout which added reality and kept me reading.

Often guide books are presented too technically, but not so with this one. The style is easy and understandable all the way through. I have not read a book like this from cover to cover before, but this one taught me things I didn't know about Australia. There is also an extensive contents and index that pin point's particular issues quickly.

The first part of the book takes you on a journey that unveils the intricacies of all the issues you are likely to need to know about to successfully deal with a trip or move to Australia. The information is well sorted into issues and gives you the surrounding knowledge required to tackle each. For example: How do you get a car into Australia? Or use American electrical equipment? Order a beer, or migrate with your pet? Geller goes through processes like; language differences, entering the country, buying real estate and the education system, pulling the relevant information together and pointing out common pitfalls and misunderstandings you run up against when moving to a country that has so many sociological similarities. He also identifies the perplexing differences and links them comfortably back to the American vernacular. More than anything this guide gives you a gentle insight into the ways of Australia and Australians, so you are can feel out the culture and get on better, faster.

The second part is a very serviceable dictionary of Australian terms and phrases or `your cheat sheet', as Geller put it. The coverage of colloquial `Aussie lingo' is useful for any intending resident, business traveller or tourist and is an amusing read too. Have a "squiz" for yourself.

Whether you are going to spend time in Australia, or you are just thinking about it, the `Americans' Survival Guide to Australia' is worth having on your shelf and a good read to boot.

Reviewer Jack Seddon
20th October, 2007

This is an excellent book especially for beginners. I say that because the book addresses the use of essential oils for the ailments that bother us on a day-to-day basis. I own a shop dealing with aromatherapy, and the most common questions we get are related to specific ailments and essential oils that might be of benefit. This is the book we most often recommend.

I have been practicing, teaching and selling aromatherapy for ten years. As such, I have many books on aromatherapy. This one is unique. I purchased AROMATHERAPY FOR COMMON AILMENTS for the full page, breath taking photographs of 13 essential oil plants. But - it is much more. Illnesses and ways to heal these illnesses with essential oils are discussed. Massage techniques are illustrated and explained. Safety guidelines are outlined. Recipes for blends are given. This is a good book for the beginning aromatherapist. It can also be useful to the more advanced person. Shirley Price is a professional, practicing aromatherapist. Her love and respect for the profession shines through-out this text. Highly recommend!

This book is a great quick reference if you enjoy aromatherapy and wish to use it as an alternative medice to aid the aleviation of physical (and mental) ailments. It provides great overviews of the plants and their uses.

this is an excellent book for the begining aromatherapist. the book covers the uses of the most common essetial oils and gives detailed profiles on them.The pictures are awesome. Simple blends are given for everyday ailments such as , headaches, stomach problems, menstrual discomfort, and basic first aid. The text is clear and concise. Blends for skin & hair problems are also included as well as blends to address emotional concerns.

This book offers a fantastic opportunity to view some of Peter Lik's best known work - panoramic images of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Twelve Apostles, the Great Barrier Reef, and other Australian icons. To view the full range of Peter's books and posters visit PortraitAustralia.com.au

If you want to go or have ever been to Australia this is a must have book. It will intise you to visit or will remind you of all the natural beauty this amazing country has to offer. Peter Lik is a truley amazing photographer I have been to his galleries in Cairnes and Port Douglas in Australia and his work is breath taking. www.peterlik.com Also you can see what an amazing deal this is here at Amazon.com, this book usually retails for $70 US. Wonderful Masterpiece Peter!!

i just got this book as a present, and we're getting ready to go. very reminiscent of galen rowell's work (high praise) with lots of dawn/evening atmospherics. but this one is full of double page panoramics - nothing is lost in the crease - of the incredible australian landscape. get another book if you want people, animals or cities.

These are photographs of aspects of this vast country that many Australians never see. Contrast the reds of the desert with the greens of the rainforest. The magnificence of Uluru with the tranquillity of Dove Lake. The ageless beauty of the rain forest with the beauty of our beaches.

Australia is a beautiful place. This collection of photographs by Peter Lik makes that beauty more accessible to all of us.

Highly recommended to those interested in images of Australia.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith