Australia & Oceania Books

Hawaii The Big Island Revealed; The Ultimate Guidebook

Andrew Doughty, Harriett Friedman

List Price: $14.95 By: Wizard Publications Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 240 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Best Hawaiian guidebooks 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

First rate guide to the Big Island. I bought their Kauai book years ago when I visited, and this one is just as good. You truly feel like your getting insider tips, and not just a project for a travel writer on assignment. Don't hesitate on this one.

Good recommendatons 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I found this book to give good recommendations for places to see on the island. Some were not as spectacular as described. Also it would have been helpful to have better overview maps. Those are obtainable for free in other publications such as rental car guides. Places to eat were good recommendations.

Editorial Review:

Most travel titles are put together in a few weeks by visiting travel writers. Wizard guidebooks take over a year to compile and the writers are residents who personally and anonymously review every facet of the island. Their maps are the best you'll find. From restaurants to helicopter companies to scuba to beaches to trails. They see it all and show you the best the island has to offer. They also reveal who's the worst and who to stay away from. All told in a frank, humorous way that keeps the reading fun.

The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook

Andrew Doughty, Harriett Friedman

List Price: $12.95 By: Wizard Pubns Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 420 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We read the book cover to cover, and with our previous experience with Oahu Revealed, found the same informative detail on Kauai. My wife would not put the book down for two evenings. It has really gotten her interested in the trip, which adds so much more enjoyment. The book explores all aspects of the island and does a great job.

Excellent guidebook! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I thought this book was excellent and really helped make my trip to Kaua'i a great one. I followed the recommendations closely and was happy every time. It could be organized better. For example, the region overviews and the activities in each region are in separate sections of the book which made it hard to figure out where I read something to go back to it. Once I got used to the structure of the book, I was ok. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

This new third edition has more useful information, up-to-date maps, and scores of hidden gems listed nowhere else. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes the Garden Island so special. "An excellent book . . . strongly recommended".--"Conde Nast Traveler".

In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson

List Price: $25.00 By: Broadway Amazon Marketplace: 150 new & used starting at $0.10

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 402 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion up, down, and over the Appalachian Trail (well, most of it) resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. Now he has traveled across the world and all the way Down Under to Australia, a shockingly under-discovered country with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. In a Sunburned Country is his report on what he found there--a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiosity.

Australia is a country that exists on a vast scale. It is the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. Despite being the most desiccated, infertile, and climatically aggressive of all inhabited continents, it teems with life. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else: sharks, crocodiles, the ten most deadly poisonous snakes on the planet, fluffy yet toxic caterpillars, seashells that actually attack you, and the unbelievable box jellyfish (don't ask). The dangerous riptides of the sea and the sun-baked wastes of the outback both lie in wait for the unwary. It's one tough country.

Bill Bryson adores it, of course, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond the beaten tourist path. Here is a place where interesting things happen all the time, from a Prime Minister lost--yes, lost--while swimming at sea to Japanese cult members who may have set off an atomic bomb (sic) entirely unnoticed on their 500,000-acre property in the great western desert.

Wherever he goes (and Bryson goes just about everywhere) he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging--the beaming products of a land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine. On occasion the Aborigines, a remote and mysterious race with a tragic history, make a haunting appearance in this book. But by and large Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide. Published just in time for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, In a Sunburned Country offers the best of all possible introductions to what may well be the best of all possible nations. Even with those jellyfish.

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Basic Books Amazon Marketplace: 170 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 392 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazing Testament into the Power of Leadership 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The true story of Shackleton's exploration is an amazing testament into the power of strong leadership. Shackleton's leadership skills helped the entire crew to overcome seemingly impossible circumstances to achieve the end goal. This book chronicles a life lesson for all of us to know and understand. Although parts of it are hard for the non-seaworthy to understand, the book is still a good read. I found it hard to put down.

Editorial Review:

The astonishing saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time magazine put it, "defined heroism." Alfred Lansing's scrupulously researched and brilliantly narrated book -- with over 200,000 copies sold -- has long been acknowledged as the definitive account of the Endurance's fateful trip. To write their authoritative story, Lansing consulted with ten of the surviving members and gained access to diaries and personal accounts by eight others. The resulting book has all the immediacy of a first-hand account, expanded with maps and illustrations especially for this edition.

Eyewitness Travel Guide to New Zealand

List Price: $25.00 By: DK Travel Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $3.79

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Use this DK travel guide like a shopping catalogue 3 out of 5 stars.
26 of 27 people found this review helpful.

This DK travel guide to New Zealand is quite good at describing that island nation in a general sense, and offering lots of beautiful color illustrations and photographs of neat places to go. But it's not so great as an actual travel guide. First of all, it's a bit heavy to carry around. Second, it is broad, rather than jam-packed with helpful details. Third, it offers up mostly white-bread, been-there-done-that activities and sites.

I suggest that you consult this DK guide **before** you head to New Zealand, in order to get familiar with the country and to pick the mainstream places and monuments you want to see. Then leave it at home, and bring a more dense, helpful guide along with you (such as "The Rough Guide to New Zealand").

The DK guide to New Zealand will make a handsome souvenir reference once you return home.

Editorial Review:

The guide that shows you what other travel books only tell you! New Zealand is one of the most spectacular and least spoiled countries on the planet and DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide: New Zealand guide does full justice to its astonishing volcanic landscape, wildlife reserves and fjord-like coastline. More than 1,100 full-color photographs, detailed street-by-street maps, and listings of all major attractions help provide endless fun for any vacation. Whether visiting the capital city of Wellington, the panoramic views of Auckland, or the smaller enclaves on the North and South Island, there is plenty to see when traveling to this rich and vibrant landscape. DK's guide gives extensive treatment of the fascinating Maori culture and art as well as solid information on outdoor activities, New Zealand's fine wines and innovative Pacific Rim cuisine.

We Die Alone

David Howarth

By: Canongate Books Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $15.41

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An amazing story. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I first read this book when I was about eleven, over thirty years later I bought it again, and the story was just as amazing to me as an adult as it was when I was a child. Jan's story has to be read to believed.

Phenomenal, Unforgettable Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My husband and I both read this book after seeing a History Channel documentary of this man's story. It is hard to believe that the book is a true story, though, of course, it is. This book is not only the tale of an incredibly brave man who would defied death again and again, but it is also, and of equal interest, a testament to the people of Norway and their courage during the Second World War. I am buying this book for everyone on my Christmas list this upcoming year.

A beautiful lesson in heroism 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The will of a Norwegian resistance during World War II, who injured will fight to survive in extreme conditions. What lesson of heroism! The victory at the end of suffering is a lesson of humanity. Great book.

An usual mix... 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

There are so many 5-star reviews that I thought I'd add a little detail so potential readers can know more about this before diving in like I did.
The story starts out as a plan for espionage againsts Nazis. This part is brief. The main guy, Jan, ends up almost dead and staggering into a home with extreme frostbite. The interesting parts of this story are the familes that helped him, risking death to themselves. So the parts of the book where the author could interview people that helped Jan are interesting from a human drama, sacrifice, courage standpoint. However, Jan was out of it for most of the story, so the potentially interesting time when he was alone, burried under snow towards the end of the book - we know almost nothing about. Jan doesn't know, and nobody was there. So we don't get a survival tale like Into Thin Air, other than learning about him cutting his toes off. Then near the end of the book, they are taking him with reindeer toward Sweden. They get shot at, and start running toward a big lake (forget the name), but the ice has started to thin because they took longer than planned (it is now Spring, versus Winter) to get there. Then the book ends, except an eplogue about once they got across the border it was some distance until they got him to a hospital. This would have been an exciting part of the story if told. Why tell details of him cutting his toes off and contemplating suicide, only to leave out an exciting chase. So this is not an exciting escape/outwit Nazi WWII story. This is not detailed man against nature because when he is alone, he is so near death he does not remember what happened so that is not told here. It is tidbits told about the people who helped this guy. So 3 stars of interest about their bravery, but this wasn't very exciting (chase scenes, Nazi's close behind), nor was he surviving based on extreme wit, luck (well, sometimes), or training. Enjoyable, but easy to put down. I feel let down by how things transpired - seems the author took too much time on some areas, and skimped on more interesting/exciting areas. At least this one is not fabricated like "The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
by Slavomir Rawicz". So exciting and fake (The Long Walk) or true but only moderately interesting (We Die Alone). What a choice!

Eyewitness Travel Guide to Australia

DK Publishing

List Price: $29.95 By: DK Travel Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $0.15

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Good Supplemental Reference 3 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

The DK Eyewitness Travel book for Australia is a decent travel guide, which includes a lot of pictures to help the traveler see what the attraction is while doing their planning. This 2006 revised edition runs over 600 pages, and includes an introductory section as well as 8 sections on the various areas of Australia, including one for Sydney by itself. It also has a section for Travelers' needs, which include accommodations, restaurants, and shopping information, and a section titled "Survival Guide" which contains a lot of useful information for travelers.

While the pictures are quite striking, they do seem to come at a price of more information about each of the attractions as well as the general areas. For my trip, I found the section on Tasmania to be rather sparse. The section on Melbourne was significantly better, but even there it would have been nice to have more information. I also question the practice of grouping all the hotels and restaurants together in a single section for the entire country. It seems as if the traveler would be better served if information of that sort was included in each of the sections rather than all together. They do organize the items by region within those sections, but in a hurry one might not notice if they stray outside of their area.

This is a useful reference, but I think it works best as a supplemental reference along with other material. If one needs a single reference, you should look elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.

The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea---The Forgotten War of the South Pacific

James Campbell

Amazon Price: $26.59 List Price: $34.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tantor Media Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $18.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Jungle War on a Shoestring! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is an easy read. I recommend it to anyone interested in how America's citizen soldiers fought in World War II. The book's style is similar to many of Stephen Ambroses works such as Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest or Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany.
This book follows the story of the 32 Infantry, the Red Arrow Division in Early World War II. The Red Arrow Division was composed of National Guard units from Michigan and Wisconsin and fleshed out with draftees. The unit was nationalized in 1941, before the beginning of the war and trained in Louisiana. The first section of the book focuses on these early days of the division.
The Red Arrow was originally slated to fight in Europe but with rapid advance of the Japanese, the Red Arrow was sent to protect Australia. Soon after the division completed construction of its training base, units were sent to help Australian troops in New Guinea. Several units marched over the Owen Stanley Mountains racing the Japanese back to their bases near Buna on the northern coast. Coastal shipping transported other units to the area. The account of the air attack on these ships as they tried to land supplies was gripping. None of the troops were trained or prepared for the tropical jungles and harsh conditions they faced. Niether was the United States prepared to supply troop in this environment. The troops were malnourished and soon suffered from tropical diseases such as malaria and dysentery. Trapped at the end of a long supply line before the industrial strength of the United States was brought to bear, this small band fought a battle in the jungle similar to trench warfare in World War 1.
This book focuses on the personal experiences of the front line troops in their struggle against the environment and enemy. Excerpts from Japanese diaries show that both sides suffered terribly from the conditions, which neither side was prepared for. Distant commanders demanded immediate action and that the attacks be pressed forward regardless of losses. I am amazed that the sick emaciated troops were able to walk let alone fight. I wished for more maps. Three maps at the beginning of the book meant that I was constantly turning back to the front to see if the location was on the map and where it was. The campaign in the Southwestern Pacific is almost ignored by the public who remember the Marine landings in the Central Pacific and the great carrier battles that destroyed the Japanese Navy.
I drive home from work every day on the Red Arrow Highway. When I moved here, I asked about the name and was told that it was named for a famous unit in World War I made up of local boys. Someone else told me that the Red Arrow was in combat longer than any other unit in WW II. I don't think of them the same way as I did before I read this book.

Editorial Review:

Reminiscent of classics like Band of Brothers and The Things They Carried, this harrowing portrait of a largely overlooked campaign is part war diary, part extreme adventure tale, and---through letters, journals, and interviews---part biography of a group of men who fought to survive in an environment every bit as fierce as the enemy they faced.

Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

Tony Horwitz

List Price: $26.00 By: Henry Holt and Co. Amazon Marketplace: 146 new & used starting at $0.37

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 93 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In an exhilarating tale of historic adventure, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Confederates in the Attic retraces the voyages of Captain James Cook, the Yorkshire farm boy who drew the map of the modern world

Captain James Cook's three epic journeys in the 18th century were the last great voyages of discovery. His ships sailed 150,000 miles, from the Artic to the Antarctic, from Tasmania to Oregon, from Easter Island to Siberia. When Cook set off for the Pacific in 1768, a third of the globe remained blank. By the time he died in Hawaii in 1779, the map of the world was substantially complete.
Tony Horwitz vividly recounts Cook's voyages and the exotic scenes the captain encountered: tropical orgies, taboo rituals, cannibal feasts, human sacrifice. He also relives Cook's adventures by following in the captain's wake to places such as Tahiti, Savage Island, and the Great Barrier Reef to discover Cook's embattled legacy in the present day. Signing on as a working crewman aboard a replica of Cook's vessel, Horwitz experiences the thrill and terror of sailing a tall ship. He also explores Cook the man: an impoverished farmboy who broke through the barriers of his class and time to become the greatest navigator in British history.
By turns harrowing and hilarious, insightful and entertaining, BLUE LATITUDES brings to life a man whose voyages helped create the 'global village' we know today.

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

Caroline Alexander

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Knopf Amazon Marketplace: 205 new & used starting at $1.11

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In August 1914, days before the outbreak of the First World War, the renowned explorer Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven set sail for the South Atlantic in pursuit of the last unclaimed prize in the history of exploration: the first crossing on foot of the Antarctic continent. Weaving a treacherous path through the freezing Weddell Sea, they had come within eighty-five miles of their destination when their ship, Endurance, was trapped fast in the ice pack. Soon the ship was crushed like matchwood, leaving the crew stranded on the floes. Their ordeal would last for twenty months, and they would make two near-fatal attempts to escape by open boat before their final rescue.

Drawing upon previously unavailable sources, Caroline Alexander gives us a riveting account of Shackleton's expedition--one of history's greatest epics of survival. And she presents the astonishing work of Frank Hurley, the Australian photographer whose visual record of the adventure has never before been published comprehensively. Together, text and image re-create the terrible beauty of Antarctica, the awful destruction of the ship, and the crew's heroic daily struggle to stay alive, a miracle achieved largely through Shackleton's inspiring leadership.

The survival of Hurley's remarkable images is scarcely less miraculous: The original glass plate negatives, from which most of the book's illustrations are superbly reproduced, were stored in hermetically sealed cannisters that survived months on the ice floes, a week in an open boat on the polar seas, and several more months buried in the snows of a rocky outcrop called Elephant Island. Finally Hurley was forced to abandon his professional equipment; he captured some of the most unforgettable images of the struggle with a pocket camera and three rolls of Kodak film.

Published in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History's landmark exhibition on Shackleton's journey, The Endurance thrillingly recounts one of the last great adventures in the Heroic Age of exploration--perhaps the greatest of them all.