Australia does not have the strong tradition of Nature writing that America does. One exception to this is Western Australian writer William Lines. This book, the title of which pays its respects to an Eric Newby classic, is the story of his walk he did along a previous version of Western Australia Bibbulman Track which runs south from Perth. Lines deftly describes the every day aspects of the walk but intertwines his descriptions with an account of the history, a rather sad one, of Western Australian forests as a result of greed, ignorance and stupidity. An Australian environmental classic.

It is one of the few guides which actually covers the North Coast and the Kimberley of Australia, the extreme northwestern area of the continent. The coverage is limited to about 20 pages of approximately 400, but at least it recognizes the area.

This suspensful story of courage, bravery, and traitorousness is a must-read for everyone. Whether Bligh was a harsh cruel captain or whether Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutiny was the one who was out of line has yet to be proven, but one can easily form their own opinions on the truth within the first few chapters. I beseech anyone who is contemplating whether or not to read this to give it a chance, and I guarantee you'll love it!

I happened to come across this book while actually in Koror, Palau (Koror was the capital of the Nan'yo, the Japanese governing body for Micronesia) during a vacation and read it while I was there. In general, it is worth reading if you are are a student of Japan's occupation policies of southeast asian countries during the war. It is very detailed but could have focused more on military strategy, but the book is not really about that, its about how Japan built up, governed, then lost its colonies in Micronesia-- colonies which would most likely be in a much better economic state than there are in now, arguably, if the Japanese were still there running things.

This book is a revelation! I thought I knew quite a bit about the annexation of Hawaii into the United States, but Tom Coffman has gone back to original sources and come up with a new and compelling account. This book shows how the annexation of Hawaii was engineered by American planters and how mainland public opinion was manipulated into accepting the takeover. It also places the annexation in context of the imperialism and colonalism that was sweeping the world in the late 19th century. Finally, it shows the resistance of the Hawaiian people to being submerged in the American nation and gives us an idea of what is behind the sovereignty movement in Hawaii today. This book is not an easy read -- it's packed with detail and unfamiliar names and places. But if you want to look beyond "beautiful Hawaii" and read some little known US and world history, you will find this book fascinating.

In this book we have a survey of the problems suggested by a composite picture of the New Guinea tribe's culture drawn from three points of view. It is interesting to read about Papua New Guinea people (Iatmul), Rites and ceremonies, Ethnology. I do recommend this book by Gregory Bateson (1904-1980)

This book has all the practical and background information -- and more -- that any backpacker or ecotourist would need to visit this mindblowing destination, truly one of the wildest, most exciting, and most remote places left on the planet (recently renamed Papua or West Papua). This place has it all -- some of the most pristine and richest rainforests anywhere, amazing and vibrant tribal cultures (some, like the Asmat and Dani are retain many of their traditional customs), loads of interesting, colorful, and strange critters (ex. Birds of Paradise), and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. (Irian/Papua has the tallest mountains between the Himalayas and the Andes). Muller gives ample and well researched descriptions of the natural history, political background, and cultural context of Irian/Papua, as well as what any traveller will naturally want: practical tips on where to stay, what to do and see and how specifically to do it. There is also other essential stuff on recommended travel items, medical info, and other key stuff you'll want to have handy. There simply is no other book that gives so much background material as this one. For that matter, Muller's other guidebooks on Indonesia are similarly excellent. The Lonely Planet and Moon guidebooks to Indonesia are OK for other parts of the country, but very inadequate when it comes to Irian, so if you're headed there or thinking of going, this book is definitely the one you want. The pictures are also great, and will get you rearin' to go. I would have given it 5 stars, except for the fact that it doesn't have much info on several interesting parts of Irian -- but that's not Muller's fault, there are just some places that are just about impossible to get to. That said, there is more than enough data here on the obvious places (Baliem Valley, Jayapura, Biak, Asmat, Birds Head) that a first, second, or third time traveller to Irian/Papua will want or need.

This was a fun book to read while traveling in Fiji. It provides a great perspective of the history of the islands complete with interesting and sometimes entertaining antecdotes of the author's travels through Fiji. The text alternates between the author's personal travel experiences and a drier (but still interesting) history of Fijian native culture and colonial influences.

A subject to often ignored by every audience in the world is of the pacific islands. I suggest everyone read, if not this book, a book on the pacific islands because of their extermely unique situation in history, not to be found anywhere in the rest of the world. For this work, Dr Crocombe focuses on the relationship between the United States and the islands that stretch across the Pacific Ocean. One the great aspects of this work is its effort to encompass all fronts of this relationship. From the diaspora of islanders in the US to the unusual legalities of territoral claims by the USA. The one key problem, however, is not with the work itself. In the recent past, since the book was published in 1995, many aspects of this relationship have been altered, reevaluated, or redirected. For example, the momentum of the Hawaii sovereignty movement has quieted, territorial claims in Micronesia were forthcoming at the turn of the century, and Japanese economic strength and hegemony has continued to decline. Perhaps, Dr. Crocombe analysis might have become out of touch with the relationship as it stands today. This, however, should not underestimate this great comprehensive and concise work. It would be fabulous for use as an university text because of its clarity and its ability to encompass all audiences interests.

This is simply a map of Australia and a good one. With all of the interest in Australia due to the Olympics, it is helpful to be able to locate the places frequently refered to in the media. Easy to read with some city center maps. Good legend. Thanks!