Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Australia & New Zealand - Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - General    4. Convict ships    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Penal colonies    9. Prisoners    10. History / General   

Reviews (8)

The Civil War: one battle at a time
Ed Bearss is a crown jewel of civil war history: As a historian, author and field guide. Fields of Honor views the Civil War through the lens of battlefield tours that Ed has conducted over the years. His unique perspectives are enjoyable just for reading or for one visiting a battlefield he so aptly describes. I have read the book twice sine purchasing earlier this year and it is a keeper.

The Dividers
Regrettably, I have not yet read this book as I have been too busy taking pictures. My photographs illustrate the cover and year dividers so I feel like I was as much a part of the production of this volume as was Ed Bearss.It took a long time to get this volume out, but in the final analysis I like the way the book looks. My pictures in this book show only a few of the battlefields I have shot but these images are among my favorites.

A 'must' for any avid Civil War student
FIELDS OF HONOR: PIVOTAL BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR is the first book gathered from Edwin Bearss' recordings of his battlefield tours, gathering the Civil War's history and offering details on fourteen pivotal battles throughout the war. Bearss has presents over six decades of battlefield study, and surveys strategies used by both sides: his is a fine survey which pairs over seventy black and white photos and nearly twenty maps with detailed descriptions of leaders, maneuvers, and conflicts. A 'must' for any avid Civil War student.
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Subjects:  1. 1861-1865, Civil War    2. Campaigns    3. Civil War, 1861-1865    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History: American    7. Military    8. Military - United States    9. Military History - U.S. Civil War    10. United States    11. United States - Civil War    12. Civil war    13. History / Polar Regions    14. History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877)    15. USA   

Editorial Review

The late Bruce Chatwin carved out a literary career as unique as any writer's in this century: his books included Read more

Reviews (51)

Best of the best
This is the kind of writing/reflecting many people do while travelling and is not a "how to" type of travel guide.I've recommended this book to several thoughtful people, given it to many thoughtful teens as they begin to self-discover, and re-read the book twice.VERY nice writing, good thoughts, great ideas about humans.

The Songlines
As i never wanted to go to Australia, i have to say that after reading this book i have not changed my mind, but it is not a point. It is not a book about traveling in Australia. It is more a book about walking, for example. As i like walking, i have found in this book so many great examples of what the walking is about, it is not just moving from one point on the Earth to another, it is also philosophy. And so on...this book is highly recommended for those who knows what the word "travel" means. In present time many people travel, but just a few ones deserve to be called "traveller". Bruce Chatwin is among them.

Read before you go!
I wish I had read this book prior to our traveling to Australia.
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Subjects:  1. 1940-1989    2. Aboriginal Australians    3. Australia    4. Australia & Oceania - Australia    5. Chatwin, Bruce,    6. Description and travel    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. General    9. History - General History    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Social life and customs    12. Travel    13. Chatwin, Bruce    14. Ethnic studies    15. Journeys    16. Social Science / Anthropology / General    17. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

Melding superb research and the extraordinary expedition photography of Frank Hurley, Read more

Reviews (147)

An essential book
This is such a good book, because of the way it is written, and also because of the incredible adventure it describes.It is the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to Antarctica.Shackleton had been to the Antarctic twice before.The first time he accompanied Robert Falcon Scott in 1901 in an attempt to reach the as yet unclaimed South Pole and claim it for Great Britain.They were unsuccessful and came very close to losing their lives.The significant problems that went with traveling in the Antarctic were that no one lived there (and so no one was there to help if you got into trouble), nothing lived in the interior (no plants or animals to feed on), and the climatic conditions were horrific (snow, ice, wind speeds of up to 200 miles an hour and temperatures as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit).Scott proved to be a very difficult man to travel with -arrogant, abusive and not particularly competent, which is not what you are looking for in the leader of such an expedition.The next time he journeyed south, in 1908, Shackleton, as the leader, chose his own men, and made his own mistakes, such as taking a team of ponies that were supposed to pull the sledges.The ponies were very ill-suited to such an environment and were eventually shot and eaten.This expedition was also a failure, but Shackleton had again learned a lot from the experience.By the end of 1912 the South Pole had been conquered by the Norwegian Amundson, and Shackleton's rival, Scott, had perished with all of his men only eleven miles from a supply depot that would have saved their lives.Now the only significant prize left to be achieved in the Antarctic was the traversing of the continent from one side to the other.Thus Shackleton's 1914 expedition was called the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Real adventure
It's a book that takes you to an incredible adventure. Photogrpahs make it even more exciting !

What an Adventure, and Pictures,Too.
I don't know why I keep reading these sagas of sufferring and adventure about polar expeditions,but I do.Of course, Shackleton's Anarctic expedition is one of the best of the bunch.
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Subjects:  1. (1914-1917)    2. 1874-1922    3. Discovery And Exploration (General)    4. Earth Sciences - Geography    5. Endurance (Ship)    6. Expeditions & Discoveries    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition    11. Polar Regions    12. Shackleton, Ernest Henry,    13. Sir,    14. Special Interest - Adventure    15. Travel    16. Biography: general    17. Geographical discovery & exploration    18. Ireland    19. Journeys    20. Shackleton, Ernest Henry    21. Travel / Adventure   

Editorial Review

An extraordinary volume--even a masterpiece--about the early history of Australia that reads like the finest of novels. Hughes captures everythingin this complex tableau with narrative finesse that drives the readerever-deeper into specific facts and greater understanding. He presentscompassionate understanding of the plights of colonists--both freemenand convicts--and the Aboriginal peoples they displaced. One of thevery best works of history I have ever read. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

Fatal Shore
It was very detailed about the early history of Australia's settlement colonies including in Norfolk Island, Van Dieman's Land(Tasmania) and New South Wales.It described famous stories of cannabalism, the relationship to the aborigines, the brutality of the penal settlements and the conditions in Ireland and Great Britain that caused the convicts to be shipped half way around the globe.

The Fatal Shore
The book is a fascinating account of the history of Australia.The early years, the time of the penal colonies, are most interesting, and the material should be a story of courage and survival that will hold any reader.As the author suggests, the early history of Australia may be known to many, but rarely has it been clearly depicted in narrative form.

Masterpiece
An extremely well written acocunt of Australia in the early days of colonisation. Taken from various sources and accounts, Hughes guides the reader through a blood soaked and sun bleached story of 18th century survival. The transformation from where Australia was just 200 years ago to where it is now is a testament to the people who came to the colonies first. The Fatal Shore is their story.
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Subjects:  1. 1788-1900    2. Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - Australia    4. Exiles    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Penal colonies    9. Australasian & Pacific history    10. History / Australia & Oceania   

Editorial Review

In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off aboard theRead more

Reviews (361)

The original book of Shackleton's adventure
When the Endurance steamed south into the splitting ice pack of the Weddel Sea in the summer of 1914, she carried aboard the renowned British explorer Earnest Shackleton.The Endurance was specially designed and massively constructed by one of the world's finest shipyards, staffed with scientists and qualified volunteers and outfitted with meticulously tested equipment. Shackleton himself was an experienced polar veteran who had once come within a day's march of being the first to reach the south pole.But in spite of careful planning, the Endurance was doomed, and this expedition would be Shackleton's last Antarctic voyage.Unexpected cold weather froze the ship solidly into the ice, and 7 months later, the mounting pressure of millions of tons of ice crushed the three-foot wooden hull. The Endurance sank into the black water, and left the 30 exhausted men marooned on the treacherous melting ice flows of the storm-churned antarctic sea.For six months the poorly-equipped castaways wouldstruggle under inconceivable hardship until the drifting ice broke up enough for Shackleton to lead his expedition in three open lifeboats through freezing open water to a lifeless bit of rock called Elephant Island.With 5 companions aboard the remaining battered lifeboat, Shackleton left his crew and stuck out across the open ocean in a desperate attempt to reach a remote whaling station to obtain help.His faithful men would remain behind to weather the winter storms sleeping under the upended wreckage of a lifeboat -- their lives dangling by the frail promise that he wouldsomeday return. Alfred Lancing is an experienced journalist whose detailed research combines with direct and perfectly-paced prose and a handful of the expedition's original photographs.It is a tale ofleadership, unflagging courage, and determination in the face of impossible odds.But maybe the real definition of heroism is to be undaunted by the impossible.After sixteen days covering 900 miles of water in an amazing feat of open boat navigation, Shackleton struck land at South Georgia Island -- and after a three-day sleepless march over the 10,000 foot mountains in the huge island's interior, Shackleton and his remaining companions finally stumbled into a remote whaling outpost.And 450 days after being shipwrecked, after 5 attempts in three different ships, Shackleton managed to return to Elephant island to rescue his 22 remaining crew members in a tugboat borrowed from the Chilean government -- finally delivering all 29 of his men without the loss of a single life --and making Endurance one of the most inspiring stories of human survival every written.
An account of breathtaking courage
The author has clearly been rigorous in piecing together diary extracts and interview notes to put together this account of an adventure, or perhaps ordeal, which required of its survivors a degree of courage, composure and determination that cannot fail to humble yet uplift and inspire the reader.The style of narrative is rather matter-of-fact, rather than dramatic, and its coverage is limited to the expedition itself without dwelling much on the lives of the key players before or after.

An incredible book
Alfred Lansing's book, Endurance, dramatically details the 1914 expedition to the Antarctic led by Sir Ernest Shackleton.Although a non-fiction book, Lansing manages to make it read like a thriller, adventure.He wrote his story using first person accounts, interviews of survivors, journal entries, etc.While sometimes history can be a bit dry, this novel truly makes you feel a part of the adventure and reads very quickly.Ernest Shackleton's leadership abilities ensure not only the survival of the crew, but demonstrate his character as a man.Crew and officers were treated alike and shared in the duties of survival.Order was maintained and his personality and command of the situation enabled the group to survive what could have been a disaster. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1914-1917)    2. 1874-1922    3. Adventurers & Explorers    4. Antarctica    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Endurance (Ship)    9. Historical - British    10. Historical - General    11. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition    12. Shackleton, Ernest Henry,    13. Sir,    14. Travel    15. History / Polar Regions    16. Journeys    17. Shackleton, Ernest Henry   

Reviews (2)

A classic
This is a real classic in the history of anthropology, published in 1922, and unlike another classic from the same decade, Coming of Age in Samoa, it has worn well, too.This is where modern ethnography begins.Malinowski tells us how to do ethnography, in no uncertain terms, as he explains Trobriand kula expeditions. I found it to be a delightful read and I was continually amazed at the intellectual sophistication of his work, given its age.I believe I learned more about ethnography from this book than from any other I have ever read, and I have been a professional anthropologist for 30 years.It is, I must warn you, a long book, and I doubt that many will be willing to read it from stem to stern, but I think every anthropologist should study the introduction at least.It is perhaps the "sacred charter" for the ethnographic project, complete with felicitous phrases such as the "ethnographer's magic," "the imponderabilia of actual life," "the native's point of view," and "the hold life has."In addition, it is certainly essential reading for anyone interested in magic, because it is as much about magic as it is about kula exchange. An essential work in this history of anthropology
Don't be misled by the occasional discouraged student, this is an important work that must be read by someone seeking to understand the nature and history of the social sciences. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Barter    2. Economic Anthropology    3. Ethnology    4. Folk-lore    5. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    6. History - General History    7. History - U.S.    8. New Guinea    9. Social Science / Ethnology    10. Sociology    11. United States - State & Local - General    12. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore   

Editorial Review

There is a clarity, elegance, and beauty to Conway's Read more

Reviews (42)

no title
I related to and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Conway's descriptions of Australia are beautiful.She has written a follow-up book which I would like to read also.And on second reading, I feel more and more that perhaps her mother had some chemical imbalance, because she changed so drastically.Either that, or her repressed emotions after the deaths of her husband and her oldest son in the space of five years, led her to the bitter old woman she became.

An Excellent Choice - The Road from Coorain
I'd recommend the The Road from Coorain anytime.I thought Jill Ker Conway's description of Australia was wonderfully descriptive. I felt I was there as she described her life in the bush as well as the city.Her ability to convey her feelings and her understanding of her situation growing up in a less than idealic life came through the pages as each situation developed. The book left me admiring her strength of character and understanding.
I loved this one and loved Sujoya Roy's novel too
If you enjoyed this book, try For Ganesh: Remover of Obstacles, by Sujoya Roy. Both books tell compelling stories of coming of age of trailblazing women who came to the U.S. from other countries to pursue education. Ker Conway brought her Australian experience; Roy's heroine brought Hindu and India culture. Both have contributed significantly to our world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1934-    2. Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - Australia    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Childhood and youth    9. Conway, Jill K.,    10. Country life    11. Historical - General    12. Literary    13. Presidents    14. Smith College    15. Women    16. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    17. Biography: general    18. Conway, Jill K    19. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (4)

Amundsen was funny!
This book was a lot of fun, in a geeky documentary sort of way.
The Norwegian Method
Roald Amundsen's "The South Pole" is a detailed, even exhaustive account of his successful 1910-1912 expedition to the South Pole.Amundsen's expedition was the first to reach the South Pole, after failures by other expeditions.
Preparedness Leads To Success
In the Foreword, Roland Huntford describes Amundsen's narrative as "all that Scott's is not".How right he is!This a very large book, but nonetheless an easy read.Amundsen relates a fascinating tale of fortune, misfortune, hardship, and ultimately - success.The narrative is detailed, but not overly so.In many places, a dose of humor is weaved in.Complete with numerous photos, maps, and scientific data, this book should be considered one of the great narratives of exploration.The great moral lesson of this tale is that preparedness ultimately leads to success.Is it any wonder that Roald Amundsen and his comrades won the race to the South Pole? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1872-1928    2. Amundsen, Roald,    3. Antarctica    4. Discovery and exploration    5. Expeditions & Discoveries    6. General    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Norwegian    11. Polar Regions    12. South Pole    13. Travel    14. Geographical discovery & exploration    15. History / General    16. True stories of endurance & survival    17. c 1900 - c 1914   

Editorial Review

Bill Bryson follows his Appalachian amble, Read more

Reviews (361)

"Que Sera Sera"
I checked this out of the library and read it on the way to Australia to visit my daughter during her study abroad semester in Brisbane. She read it while we sailed the Whitsundays and dove on the Great Barrier Reef - well, not when we we actually in the water. Before whe started reading it, in conversations I regularly sited Bryson having commented on many of our topics, by saying something, "Just like in the book," or, "Bryson talks about that in the book." A little like Seinfeld having done so many topics, that we live parts of them in our daily lives. Anyway, we left the book on a plane. So, I'll buy a copy for the library and one for me - money well spent. It was a great introduction and punctuated much of the trip. A bus driver in Brisbane was actually whistling "Que Sera Sera," which,I think, was mentioned in the book. I'll find out when I read it again. I'd read Bryson's Sort History of Nearly Everything a couple of years ago. It's also a good read.

Audio CD review: His prose is annoying when spoken aloud
You get your money's worth here--there are a ton of CDs in this audio book. Unfortunately, I found Bryson's prose (which I enjoyed a lot when reading silently, as I have done with his other books) to be greatly irritating when spoken aloud. To me, he sounds kind of 'affected' in parts, and sometimes there is a sort of "moist" sound when he pronounces words. Hard to describe until you hear the CD, but trust me on this one. I think a lot of the positive reviews on here are for the book, and not the CD. I would stick with the written word on this one.

Why I read it twice...a review in two parts.
I took this book with me on a recent trip to Central America and absolutely loved it.While there is less narrative flow than, say, A Walk in the Woods, reading Bryson's thoughts on Sydney harbor, Australian-rules football, former Prime Minister Harold Holt (peace be upon him), forever walking through Canberra, and his near run-in's with a seemingly endless list of nasty (and apparently deadly) native animals was engaging and thoroughly enjoyable.He does this all the while encountering some pretty terrific and endearing folks, drinking many Victorian Bitters, and relaying an impressive and affectionate recounting of Australian history.There really is a lot to like here.So much so that upon finishing the book while still in Central America, and realizing that I committed the unpardonable sin of only bringing one book with me to read (you try finding a decent bookstore in Central America), I turned to the first chapter and started all over again.And it was equally engrossing, witty, and informative if not more-so.I can think of no higher compliment for a book and I recommend it whole-heartedly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Australia    3. Australia & Oceania - General    4. Australia/Oceania - Australia    5. Bryson, Bill    6. Description    7. Description and travel    8. Essays & Travelogues    9. Travel    10. Travel - General    11. United States - General    12. Humour    13. Journeys    14. Travel / General    15. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    4. Design - Decorative    5. History - General    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign   

Reviews (4)

Great overview of mediterranean climates
This book is great.It has plenty of pictures, diagrams and drawings.Most of the pictures are not in color, however, which is its biggest downfall.It is not a detailed evaluation of mediterranean climates nor is it a good plant ID book, but provides an excellent overview for both the layman and scientist.It provides informatin on the plants that make the mediterranean climate unique and the typical plant communities that are found in them.It is great for someone who doesn't want to get bogged down with individual species and wants to see how all the parts fit together.I first checked this book out of my local library and felt it would be such a good reference book for work, play and travel that I had to have it.The book uses the most scientific and inclusive use of the term Mediterranean which means you are going to get descriptions of plant communities from San Diego to Sacramento to San Francisco.For those of us that prefer the more exclusive definitions it may come as a shock that San Francisco and Sacramento could be considered mediterranean so I'm warning you now.I am currently using this book to help plan a trip to Australia as a supplement to Lonely Planet's travel guides.This book has inspired me to visit all the world's mediterranean climates at some point in my life and I'm not even a plant lover.

Author's Credentials
Peter Dallman, a retired pediatric doctor and docent at Strybing Aboretum in San Francisco, California, spent many years
A thoughtful, beautifully produced book
This book falls into a category somewhere between botany, climatology, and geography; it looks at several different types of "mediterranean climate" around the world, and describes the different vegetational types within each region, explaining (in a scholarly but accessible way) why these plant communities look the way they do.Read more

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Botany    2. Mediterranean-type plants    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Plant communities    5. Science    6. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    7. Nature / General   

Editorial Review

If this story of espionage and survival were a novel, readers might dismiss the Shackleton-like exploits of its hero as too fantastic to be taken seriously. But respected historianDavid Howarth confirmed the details of Jan Baalsrud's riveting tale. It begins in the spring of 1943, with Norway occupied by the Nazis and the Allies desperate to open the northern sea lanes to Russia. Baalsrud and three compatriots plan to smuggle themselves into their homeland by boat, spend the summer recruiting and training resistance fighters, and launch a surprise attack on a German air base. But he's betrayed shortly after landfall, and a quick fight leaves Baalsrud alone and trapped on a freezing island above the Arctic Circle. He's poorly clothed (one foot is entirely bare), has a head start of only a few hundred yards on his Nazi pursuers, and leaves a trail of blood as he crosses the snow. How he avoids capture and ultimately escapes--revealing that much spoils nothing in this white-knuckle narrative--is astonishing stuff. Baalsrud's feats make the travails inJon Krakauer's Mt. Everest classicRead more

Reviews (57)

Amazing
This book is one of the few storys that make you think that anything is possible. The book is wonderfully writen the only downside is that towards the end of the book it feels like the story is a little repetative. A good read about survival in the arctic during WWII.

Rare account of WWII escape to Sweden
This is a wonderful story of extraordinary courage. Most of the reviews say this. I was particularly interested to learn about operations in areas that are not well documented in English. The bulk of the story takes place in Norway and I found that very interesting. I have read many World War II escape stories where the goal was Switzerland and a few to Spain. This is the first chance I have had to learn about escapes to Sweeden. This book is highly recomended.

History -
A great book.Don't miss this one if you enjoy history & stories of survival against all odds.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Baalsrud, Jan    3. Biography    4. Escapes    5. Germany    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. History: World    9. Military - World War II    10. Norway    11. Polar Regions    12. Prisoners and prisons, German    13. Prisoners of war    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Europe    16. European history: Second World War    17. History / Military / World War II    18. True Stories   

Reviews (1)

Interesting themed art book
This book features photos of artworks from many time periods showing dogs.Most of the artworks are realistic in style.Towards the end, there are a few more modern paintings.I wish the author would have included more modern paintings.Anyway, this is a great book to introduce young children to art appreciation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Art, Modern    4. Dogs in art    5. General    6. History - General    7. Special Subjects In Art    8. Subjects & Themes - General    9. Australia    10. Dogs    11. History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900    12. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    13. Nature / Dogs   

Reviews (28)

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about camels...
The beginning third of this book, in which Ms. Davidson is preparing for her trip, really should have been cut in half. I thought she'd never get going.
Essential reading
Robyn Davidson's Tracks is an epic journey of a woman travelling across 1,700 miles across Australian bush, from Alice Springs to Hamelin Pool (Western Australia), with 4 camels and a dog.Davison feels unsettled with her life in the city, so chooses to become a borderland person, living on the margins of civilized society to find her identity and a sense of place in central Australia.Davidson cleverly interweaves the injustice of Aboriginal assimilation, land issues, and racial and cultural genocide with the process of preparing for her journey and the trek itself.Here the reader not only becomes aware of Davidson's identity crisis being experienced by a white woman living in Australia, but the unsettlement of Aboriginal people who are struggling with cultural and identity displacement.

Beautifully captivating.
When I was in New Zealand, about to go to Australia, I read this book.
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Subjects:  1. 1950-    2. Australia    3. Australia & Oceania - General    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Davidson, Robyn,    6. Description and travel    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Davidson, Robyn    11. Journeys    12. Travel / Australia & Oceania    13. Travel writing    14. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (30)

The perfect "virtual escape"
While Tom Neale did what most of us will only ever daydream of doing, his wonderfully told story, full of vivid detail, will transport you to his beloved island and allow you to escape as he did, if only vicariously. I simply loved this book, and will read it anytime I feel the need to "get away" from it all.

Suvarov sounds like a beautiful place
First of all there were 28 reviews on this book before mine, 27 of them were 5 star ratings - that tells you people really love this book. I thought it was very good & I along with most of the other reviewers would love to find a place like this to get away to. I am glad that Tom Neale took the time to write about his adventures because beautiful tropical uninhabited islands are something that don't really exist anymore. The events in this book took place just a generation or so ago & the isolation Tom Neale found there is mostly gone nowadays. In the early 1960's Tom would go up to 14 months without even seeing another human being. Compare that to 2006 - online I can see that at this current moment there are 16 sailboats anchored at Suvarov Atoll.
An amazing story of a real "Survivor"
No video cameras and immunity for Tom Neale, he did the real deal all by himself for years on a deserted atoll.
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Subjects:  1. 1902-1977    2. Description And Travel    3. Fiction    4. History - General History    5. Homes and haunts    6. Neale, Tom,    7. Oceania    8. Suvarrow Islands    9. Modern fiction    10. Neale, Tom   

Subjects:  1. College And University Faculty    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational Policy & Reform    5. Higher    6. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    7. Australia    8. Canada    9. Higher & further education    10. History / Europe / General    11. Organization & management of education    12. USA    13. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (7)

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

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

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

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Australia & Oceania - South Pacific    4. Civilization    5. General    6. Hawaii    7. History: World    8. Literary Criticism    9. Oceania   

Reviews (2)

Placing Pacific Islanders in world history
The pacific islands and people who inhabit them have long been viewed as seperate, isolated and somehow different from the rest of the world's civilizations. Patrick Kirch takes this view into contest in this revolutionizing book on the pre-history of Oceania. The People of the Pacific and Modern Exploration
At last the Pacific islands are beginning to take their rightful place in the annals of world history.It is this book that takes a major step to establish that historical perspective.Read more

Subjects:  1. Archaeology / Anthropology    2. General    3. Oceania    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Anthropology    7. Australasia, Oceania & Other Land Areas    8. Australasian & Pacific archaeology    9. Australasian & Pacific history    10. Social Science / Anthropology / General   

Reviews (150)

we love this guide book
We definitely love our REVEALED guide books.They're very informative, covering the islands like no other guide book I've seen.The writers are honest (and not always positively so) which helped us decide what we wanted to see and do, and to know what we can skip for whatever reason.We found the remarks to be right on track with what we found while there.If you're looking for a very well written, humorous, and detailed guide book, this is it.We brought ours with us as we drove around, constantly finding things to do and see.The history and island lore made it even more interesting.

Great Insight on an Interesting Island
Just returned from a great visit to the Big Island, made even greater by this book.Went from lava fields to rain forests in less than 2 hours and took some incredible back road tours that would have been impossible without this book.Found directions very clear, restaurant reviews impeccable and site reviews invaluable.On top of all that, authors have a very enjoyable way of writing, which my entire family enjoyed.Do get this book.I had also taken the Fodor and Frommer books, which I rarely opened.

Pretty Good Guidebook
We just returned from Hawaii, and stayed 5 days on the Big Island.We used this and another guidebook.For the most part, it was most useful and accurate.I can recommend the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. United States - Pacific - Hawaii    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. Hawaii    6. Travel & holiday guides