Reviews (3)

The how-and-why book on SASR patrols
I found this book to be very detailed and informative on how the Australian SAS approached their commitment to gathering accurate intelligence of the VC activities in Viet Nam. The author consistently allowed the soldiers to explain in their own words their experiences of patrolling in small recon/ fighting units within smelling distance of the enemy and often undetected. The book explains how the unit operated in closeknit teams and how the unit successfully adapted to the varying roles it was to perform from long range recon patrols to aggressive ambushes. It was also a personal pleasure for me to read Nev Farley's detailed contributions as a patrol commander. I had the honor of serving with Nev Farley in the early 80's when he was the Regimental Sergent Major of my battalion. His military professionalism was an inspiration to all soldiers who had the honor to be associated with him. This is the book to read if you want to know the how-and-why to patrolling deep in the enemy's turf and winning.

Slow start but great book overall....
I must say this book started out very dry, in fact I put it down several times.But as you get into the tactics, equipment used, etc then it becomes very interesting.I do recommend it!

This Book Puts YOU on POINT!!!
As the author states in the beginning of this book, it is not a historical account or individual memoir. Instead, it is a journey into the nucleus of the SAS. The PATROL is the tool used to propel this account, which is the basic SAS fighting element of six operators. This book takes you through selection and training of patrol members, preparation and execution of patrols in Borneo, New Guinea, and Vietnam. This book spares no detail of operational patrols, from the warning order to mission debrief, it is all covered here. The book reads more like a how-to book highlighted with actual accounts of mission debriefs, this is just a treasure of lessons learned, that still apply today. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the SAS, or anyone that is in the military field Reconnaissance, scouting, sniping or special operations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - General    5. Military - Other    6. Australia    7. Special & elite forces   

Subjects:  1. Armed Forces    2. Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - General    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History, Military    7. History: World    8. Military - Other    9. Military policy    10. Australasian & Pacific history    11. Australia--History, Military    12. History / Australia & Oceania    13. War & defence operations   

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - History - General    4. Faith    5. Immigrants    6. Language and languages    7. Languages    8. Linguistic minorities    9. Melbourne (Vic.)    10. Religion    11. Religion - Church History    12. Religious aspects    13. Religious life   

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Australia & New Zealand - General    3. Australia & Oceania - Australia    4. Biography    5. Discovery And Exploration (General)    6. Earth Sciences - Geography    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. Explorers    9. France    10. Great Britain    11. Travel    12. Travel - General    13. Voyages And Travels    14. Geographical discovery & exploration    15. Maritime history    16. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    17. Travel writing    18. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    19. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - General    4. Comparative    5. Education    6. Education / Teaching    7. Education, Secondary    8. Educational equalization    9. Philosophy & Social Aspects    10. Secondary    11. Social aspects    12. Social conditions    13. Students    14. Organization & management of education    15. Secondary schools    16. Academic: Education/   

Editorial Review

On December 26, 1998, 115 boats sailed out of Sydney Harbor at the startof the Sydney to Hobart race. The Syd-Hob is a grueling 735-mile race down theeast coast of Australia, across the Bass Strait, and down the length ofTasmania. Known as the toughest blue-water (open ocean) race on earth, it isalso something of a rite of passage for sailors around the world--especiallyAustralians. Aussie landlubbers also follow the race closely, greeting thewinning boat with fireworks and a city-wide celebration.Read more

Reviews (16)

Over flowery
While I realise a lot of work went into this book, and I applaud Dugard for bringing it together, I have to confess I hated it. One of my favorite books
Wow. What a great book, and yes I am a sailer. True, we describe events differently than a non sailer but Dugard tells this story so non sailers could understand. As all sailers know...sailing "tales" bore non sailers to tears, so Dugard tells the Sydney Hobart story in such a manner that I can give this book to my non sailing frinds and they can read and appreciate what happened out there on the Bass Strait. A great book that impresses upon us all what dangers may await when we cast off the last line that binds us to terra firma.

Gripping!
This was one of the most vivid, compelling reads I have had in some time. Dugard is a master of description. Knowing virtually nothing of blue ocean yacht racing, I was transported into a world of driven men and the tragedy they willingly face. A must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Australia    3. Boating - General    4. History    5. Natural Disasters    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Storms    9. Tasman Sea    10. Water Sports    11. Weather    12. Yacht racing    13. Yachting accidents    14. Nature / Natural Disasters    15. Sailing    16. Tasmania   

Subjects:  1. Aboriginal Australians    2. Australia    3. Central Australia    4. Ethnic & Tribal    5. Folklore    6. Folklore & Mythology    7. History and criticism    8. History: World    9. Mythology, Aboriginal Australian    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Tales    13. Anthropology    14. Australian Aboriginal languages    15. Cultural studies    16. Ethnic or tribal religions    17. Indigenous peoples    18. Literary theory    19. Religion & Theology | Mythology & Folklore    20. Religion / Ethnic & Tribal   

Reviews (1)

Review of 'Visions of the Past'
This is an excellent book.It is comprehensive, well written and well produced.It is excellent value. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aboriginal Australians    2. Ancient Art    3. Anthropology - Cultural    4. Antiquities    5. Archaeology    6. Archaeology / Anthropology    7. Australia    8. Petroglyphs    9. Prehistoric Archaeology    10. Rock paintings    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world    14. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

From the Thick of the Action
Churchill's illfated invasion into the 'soft underbelly of Europe' wasn't so soft to the men who actually made the invasion at Gallipoli. In the thick of the campaign was the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion. This book is their story.
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Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Australia & New Zealand - General    3. Campaigns    4. Gallipoli Peninsula    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Military - World War I    9. Regimental histories    10. Turkey    11. World War, 1914-1918    12. Australasia, Oceania & Other Land Areas    13. History / Australia & Oceania    14. History, World | Australian & Pacific    15. Warfare & Defence   

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Casualties    3. Grief    4. History - Military / War    5. Military - World War I    6. Participation, Australian    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - General    10. World War, 1914-1918   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. Australia    3. Australia & New Zealand - General    4. Fishers    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Indonesia    9. Roti Island    10. Territorial waters    11. Timor Sea    12. Australasian & Pacific history: from c 1900 -    13. History / Australia & Oceania    14. Indigenous peoples    15. World history: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. 1788-1851    2. Australia    3. History    4. To 1788    5. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Australia - History    2. History Of Individual Cities    3. History: World    4. 20th century    5. Australia    6. Economic history    7. Local history    8. Social history   

Reviews (6)

A must read!
The author went through some really horrific situations but at the same time can describe the strength of the human spirit. The author also has a great sense of humor. I think books like this are rare these days in our politically correct world. Well worth the read.
Read it!
The Naked Island excellent, poignant,harrowing read
One of my first introductions to Australian and Far East reading of WW11, thoroughly enjoyable, could not put it down until it was finished.Would recommend this book to all generations. Has given me the taste to find outmore about the Far East and familiarise myself with further Australianliterature.Thought only John Pilger could write riveting literature, Iwas wrong! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Australia    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Braddon, Russell    6. Historical - British    7. History    8. History - Military / War    9. History: World    10. Military    11. Military - General    12. Military - World War II    13. Personal narratives, Australia    14. Personal narratives, Australian    15. Prisoners and prisons, Japanes    16. Prisoners and prisons, Japanese    17. Prisoners of war    18. World War, 1939-1945   

Subjects:  1. Railroads - History    2. Transportation   

Editorial Review

Most travel guides strive to be all things to all people. Refreshingly, the Read more

Reviews (1)

A Traveller's History of Australia
If you're going to the Olympic Games in Sydney Australia in September, this book will provide the background you need. The author takes you from the aboriginal Dream-Time, 53,000 years ago, to the booming cities of 2000.If you want to know why boomerangs return, how in the early days ofsettlement many ex-convicts became millionaires (legally!), where is theworld's largest flat surface, at which battle in the Vietnam War theAussies killed the Vietcong 15 to 1, why Canberra and not Sydney is thecapital city, whenAustralia experienced a military coup, or who is thecricket equivalent of Babe Ruth, this is your book. There is also achronology of the main historical events and, useful for visitors, ahistorical gazeteer of the main cities and tourist spots. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & New Zealand - Australia    2. Australia & New Zealand - General    3. Australia & Oceania - Australia    4. Reference - General    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign   

Reviews (1)

Unique subject poorly written
I was not very happy with this book as compared to Eric M. Bergerud's two books.The subject was VERY VERY unique, and I like it a lot, but the book had very little detail.Much of the book was written more like a military report than like a first hand story from a vet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Commando operations    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - World War II    6. Military History - Modern    7. Pacific Area    8. Personal narratives, American    9. Personal narratives, Australian    10. World War II    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Australasian & Pacific history: Second World War    13. Australia    14. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (6)

At Home in Bali
Australian-born landscape designer and architect Made Wijaya (ne Michael White), resident on Bali since 1973, takes us on a private, guided color photo tour of twenty-four exquisite dream dwellings of the rich and famous.This lush pictorial essay displays the diversity, romance, and mystery of Balinese architecture: gorgeous bamboo and coconut wood barn houses, traditional rice storage bungalows, sumptuous estate grounds, water buffalo hide canopies, extravagant plunge pools, modern beachfront compounds hidden away in pandanus thickets, and royal water palaces.The reader's memory fills in the exotic, background atmosphere of dimly lit, shadowy courtyards; languid open-air pavilions; lava stone shrine silhouettes; the night time tinkle of village gamelan music through the thick foliage--and the sweet Asian smell of heat, flowers, and fire. low quality photography
I agree with Mr. Chiu in one of the previous reviews.I was expecting great photography in this type of book, but instead the book is filled with small, grainy, blury pictures.A much better 'Coffee Table' book is 'Tropical Asian Style', in my opinion.

beautifully photographed book
I would like to comment on a previous review, on this fine book,as a photographer i am happy to see Isabella Giananneschi work as different from the usual "sharp" "crispy" and predictable images,hers is very expressive and for someone who lives for 6 months in a year in Bali, she was able to capture the mood of the place beautifully.I also believed that she should be credited for bringing her work to a higher level of sophistication.this book is a must buy and 5 stars to the photographer and the author for thier efforts! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Australia & Oceania - General    4. Interior Design - General    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Vernacular Architecture    8. Bali    9. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    10. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides   

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Earth Sciences - Geography    3. Ecology    4. Effect of human beings on    5. Environmental Policy    6. Environmental Science    7. Environmental conditions    8. Human Ecology    9. Natural resources    10. Nature    11. Public Policy - General    12. Science    13. Science/Mathematics    14. 20th century    15. Australasian & Pacific history: c 1750 to c 1900    16. Australasian & Pacific history: from c 1900 -    17. Environmentalist thought & ideology    18. Geography | Physical    19. Science / Environmental Science    20. Social & cultural anthropology    21. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

somewhat dated (in 1999), but otherwise superb overview
I first read PACIFIC RISING in 1991, the year of publication and felt it was the absolute best overview of the Pacific I'd ever read.I'm not sure I've changed my mind, despite the intervening years.Mr Winchester, wholived in Hong Kong, connects Peru with Indonesia; Korea with Seattle; Guamwith Panama.The book is filled with anecdotes and factoids, all of theminteresting and worth knowing, but he never loses an academic focus.Thisis an absolute must for anyone who wants to understand what "thePacific" is all about. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - South Pacific    2. General    3. History    4. Pacific Area    5. Politics and government    6. Travel    7. Travel - General    8. Travel & holiday guides