30 Days in Sydney, A Wildly Distorted Account  •  Peter Carey TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES An impressionistic account of Carey's native city, the result of his return visit (with a tape recorder) after an absence of 17 years. (AUS123, $13.00)
Adventuring in New Zealand, The Sierra Club Travel Guide to the Pearl of the Pacific  •  Margaret Jefferies GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 542 PAGES An overview of the culture, geography and especially the natural history of New Zealand, suitable for anyone with an interest in the outdoors. With some practical information on where to go, what to see and where to stay. It includes 25 maps and 15 illustrations. (NZL11, $20.00)
Albatrosses  •  W. L. N. Tickell NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 480 PAGES A complete and illustrated account of the albatross by British biologist naturalist W.L.N. Tickell. Organized geographically, he covers the biology and natural history of all 13 species of Diomedeidae, the most oceanic of birds. With numerous charts, graphs, an extensive bibliography, and a section of color photographs, many by the author. (FG49, $75.00)
Art in Australia, From Colonization to Postmodernism  •  Christopher Allen ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 222 PAGES By asserting that Australian art has diverged from European and American traditions, Christopher Allen seeks to find the common thread that binds the country's artistic movements over the last 200 years. Part of the "World of Art" series and featuring 180 illustrations (60 in color), this book is a thorough introduction for the curious traveler. (AUS143, $14.95)
At Home in Australia  •  Peter Conrad CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Showcasing 200 photographs from the National Gallery of Australia, this erudite book illuminates the social history of a nation. Writer Peter Conrad provides the text. With 205 illustrations, 29 in color. (AUS147, $40.00)
Auckland Map  •  Periplus Maps REFERENCE •  2006 •  MAP A city map of Aukland published by Periplus for the traveler. (NZL27, $8.95)
Australasia Map  •  Bartholomew Maps MAP A colorful map of the region from Australia to Samoa, including Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and many Pacific Islands. Shows relief on land, as well as ocean depth. Scale 1:8.5 Million. (AUS61, $13.95)
Australia By Rail  •  Colin Taylor GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A comprehensive, practical guide in the British series. This fifth revised edition features an expanded section of maps and city guides (AUS146, $21.95)
Australia Wall Map  •  National Geographic 2001 •  MAP A laminated political wall map (23 x 30) of Australia at a scale of 1:6,400,000, published by National Geographic. Our price includes separate shipping by U.S. mail in a sturdy tube. (AUS131, $19.99)
Australia, A New History of the Great Southern Land  •  Frank Welsh HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 758 PAGES In this authoritative, balanced history Frank Welsh focuses on the political development of Australia from the European discovery of the continent through colonization, its impact on Aborigines and modern challenges. Welsh, as he makes clear in the introduction, is an English (not Australian) historian and writer. With black-and-white photos and maps. (AUS165, $37.50)
Australia, A Traveler's Literary Companion  •  Robert Ross ANTHOLOGY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Arranged geographically, this collection of mostly local writers is an excellent overview of the cultures, geography and mindset of Australia. It includes stories by Patrick White, Peter Carey and other luminaries, as well as transcriptions of several aboriginal myths. (AUS38, $13.95)
Batavia's Graveyard, The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny  •  Mike Dash HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER A fascinating yet chilling account of a 17th-century shipwreck not for the squeamish. A mutinous heretic and his followers systematically murder over 100 passengers of a Dutch East India Company merchant vessel after it is marooned off the coast of Australia. Besides telling the tale in in gruesome detail, historian Mike Dash treats questions of navigation, religion, medicine, psychology and sociology in their historical context. (PAC132, $15.95)
Beginner's Maori  •  K. T. Harawira  •  T. R. Buxton LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1997 •  PAPER  • 121 PAGES • COMING IN A guide to the Maori language, written for the traveler looking for an introductory foundation to the language, culture and traditions of the Maori people. (NZL36, $8.95)
Between Worlds, Early Exchanges Between Maori and Europeans, 1773-1815  •  Anne Salmond HISTORY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 590 PAGES The second, scholarly volume in Salmond's study of early encounters between Europeans and New Zealand's Maoris. Covering the second and third voyages of Cook and the foundations of Pakeha society, while incorporating accounts of Maoris at home and traveling abroad for the first time, this book tries to paint the whole story of this pivotal time in New Zealand's history. Follows "Two Worlds." (NZL37, $40.00)
The Birth of Sydney  •  Tim F. Flannery HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Flannery's engaging portrait of Sydney from its initial settlement to the present day, incorporating observations by early visitors including Mark Twain, Charles Darwin and Captain Cook. (AUS100, $14.00)
Blue Latitudes, Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before  •  Tony Horwitz TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES A vivid tale of modern adventures, history and fun in the wake of Captain Cook by the author of Confederates in the Attic. Horwitz paints a broad picture of Cook and his time, capturing the places and personalities Cook encountered in his daring voyages around the world. Since he doesn't like the cold, the author (who sailed on a replica of the Endeavor as a crewman) skipped the Antarctic. (EXP31, $16.00)
Captain Cook, A Legacy Under Fire  •  Vanessa Collingridge BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES European discoveries are much in question these days and in this well researched book Collingridge takes on an 18th-century British hero and his discovery of Australia. Nevermind that the English bucanner William Dampier had already landed on Australia well before Cook in 1688, Collingridge looks into the long-forgotten research of a distant cousin that showed that Portuguese explorers mapped Australia in the 16th century. The author, a journalist and British televison news anchor, intercuts elequent chapters on Cook's explorations with the tale of George Collingridge (who she rescues from obscurity) and a nice account of her own travels. Like Cook, the author ends her book on the shores of Kaelakekua bay. (PAC125, $14.95)
Captain James Cook  •  Richard Hough BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 398 PAGES A vividly written narrative of the life and three great voyages of Captain Cook. This fine book includes a gripping account of his discoveries throughout the Pacific -- and his demise in the Sandwich Islands. (PAC24, $50.00)
Carnivorous Nights, On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger  •  Margaret Mittelbach  •  Michael Crewdson  •  Alexis Rockman TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES In this comic adventure, two Brooklyn naturalists and an artist friend head to Tasmania in search of the probably long-extinct Tasmanian Tiger. It's an entertaining travelogue, interweaving Tasmania's history, landscapes, fauna and people. Mittelbach and Crewdson also wrote Wild New York, about the city's natural features. With illustrations by Alexis Rockman, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker. (AUS164, $14.95)
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith  •  Thomas Keneally LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES A classic story set in the Australian outback of one man against an unjust, racist society. (AUS30, $13.95)
Claiming a Continent: A New History of Australia  •  David Day HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES • COMING IN A provocative social history of Australia from 1770 -- when the English claimed the land as their own -- until the present. Day tackles Australia's racial divisions, and the recent embrace of Aboriginal culture by white Australians. Written for a popular audience, this is an outstanding revisionist history of the country, updated for this edition. (AUS18, $17.95)
Continent of Hunter-Gatherers, New Perspectives in Australian Prehistory  •  Harry Lourandos CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 412 PAGES A well considered, scholarly survey of the archaeology of Aboriginal Australia with chapters on colonization, and geographic diversity and variation from the tropical north to the arid center of the continent, temperate southern reaches and Tasmania. Lourandis, who writes well, stressses the complexity and dynamism of Aboriginal Australia throughout the book, a direct challenger to earlier static views with more of a focus on the environment as a determinging factor in cultural change. With drawings and 50 maps. For travelers with a serious interest in Australian archaeology and prehistory (and a taste for theoretical debate). (AUS129, $50.00)
Daisy Bates in the Desert: A Woman's Life Among the Aborigines  •  Julia Blackburn BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES In this wonderfully original biography, tBlackburn recreates the life of Daisy Bates (1861-1951), who abandoned her comfortable surroundings in 1913 to live for 30 years in the wilderness. It opens memorably "There was once a woman who lived in the desert" -- setting an appropriate tone for a book which artfully combines biography, fiction and history. Blackburn consulted the archives and interviewed contemporaries to create this absorbing portrait of a fascinating character. (AUS37, $13.00)
Death of a River Guide, A Novel  •  Richard Flanagan LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES The first novel of Tasman's man of letters, Flanagan, which has, as its narrator, a river guide in the last moments of his life at the bottom of the Franklin River. No simple tale of adventure gone wrong, Flanagan conjures the ancestors of his guide, evoking the complex, tangled history of Tasmania and its original colonial settlement by convicts. Like many Tasmanians, Flanagan's memorable guide is of English, Slovenian and Aboriginal descent. (AUS125, $13.00)
Dirt Music, A Novel  •  Tim Winton LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES Among Australia's finest writers, Tim Winton fashions powerful and elegant tales set within the arid outback of Western Australia. An alcoholic mother and a down-on-his luck poacher are the protagonists of this recent novel, where landscape and nature play just as much a role as the characters themselves. (AUS151, $15.00)
Discover the Northern Territory  •  Jocelyn Burt NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES This photobook book captures the landscapes, people and wildlife of Australia's Northern Territory. (AUS57, $19.95)
The Discovery of Slowness  •  Sten Nadolny  •  Ralph Freedman LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 325 PAGES A late 20th century fictional biography of the 19th century polar explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847), whose disappearance in the Canadian Arctic prompted an unheralded -- and unsuccessful -- search and rescue. Sir John, once the governor of Tasmania, was the subject of a S&R thanks to the tireless agitation on his behalf by his wife, the Lady Jane. Nadolny (who also wrote an inventive biography of the god Hermes) uses Franklin's life as a point of departure for an inward exploration of the life of a deliberate man. A reprint of the excellent Freedman translation, originally published to much acclaim in German in 1987. (ARC59, $16.95)
Discovery, The Quest for the Great South Land  •  Miriam Estensen EXPLORATION •  2000 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES In this engaging narrative history Estensen traces the idea and discovery of Australia from Greek philosophers to Captain James Cook's voyage of 1755. With black-and-white illustrations throughout. (AUS82, $14.95)
Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Australia's Great Barrier Reef  •  Len Zell FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A practical, illustrated guide to diving and snorkeling sites in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Outer Coral Sea and Torres Strait. With a short overview of the marine setting, ecology, coral reefs and inhabitants. The 17 maps, and many aerial and underwater color photographs are reason enough for an interested diver or snorkerler to buy this slim book. (AUS27, $24.99)
English Passengers  •  Matthew Kneale LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 446 PAGES An accomplished novel, funny yet wrenchingly serious, of cultural collision and rebellion in Tasmania in the 19th century. Its English settlers -- opportunists in a land at the edge of the world -- coexist less and less easily with Tasmania's Aborigines. Winner of the UK's Whitbread Award. (AUS109, $14.95)
Erewhon  •  Samuel Butler  •  Peter Mudford LITERATURE •  1970 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES Butler's satirical account of a journey across the mountains to an upside-down country at the end of the world (Erewhon is an anagram of Nowhere), where sick people are thrown in jail and murderers are taken to the hospital. Erewhon is also a place in New Zealand where Butler, not coincidentally, ran a sheep ranch for several years in the 1860s. Upper Rangitata, in the foothills of Canterbury, retains its wild beauty (featured in the movie Lord of the Rings). Butler not only exposes the hypocrisy of Victorian society, church and education but also does a fine job of evoking the landscape of the region. First published privately by Butler in 1872. (NZL65, $14.00)
The Explorers  •  Tim F. Flannery ANTHOLOGY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 385 PAGES A diverse, thoroughly engaging survey of the literature of Australian exploration, selected and introduced by Tim Flannery. A mammalogist and popular writer, Flannery demonstrates his usual wit in this selection of 67 accounts by Captain James Cook, buccaneer William Dampier and even modern adventurers like Robyn Davidson (who crossed the continent on a camel). (AUS89, $14.00)
Eyewitness Guide Australia  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 616 PAGES A compact guide to sites, attractions and places throughout Australia featuring excellent maps and hundreds of full color photographs and site diagrams. With select recommendations on where to eat and stay. (AUS101, $30.00)
Eyewitness Guide Sydney  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES This superb guide to Sydney features color photography, dozens of excellent neighborhood maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (AUS25, $23.00)
Farther Than Any Man, The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook  •  Martin Dugard BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A fast-paced account of the discoveries of the 18th-century navigator. Dugard, a sailor and adventurer himself, is especially attuned to the demands of long sea voyages under difficult circumstances. (PAC127, $14.00)
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia  •  Ken Simpson  •  Nicholas Day FIELD GUIDE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 440 PAGES A handbook and field guide to Australia's birds with 2,000 vivid color illustrations, each accompanied by a brief description and revised range map. This more compact seventh edition features 16 new or revised color plates, new maps and condensed information. (AUS06, $39.50)
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia  •  Graham Pizzey  •  Frank Knight  •  Peter Menkhorst FIELD GUIDE •  2007 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 576 PAGES • COMING IN The eight edition of the classic handbook and field guide to the birds in Australia, featuring 250 stunning plates. Covering 820 species, this favorite guide includes multiple illustrations of most birds showing male, female, immature and other plumage variations. (AUS65, $29.95)
Fiordland Underwater, New Zealand's Hidden Wilderness  •  Paddy Ryan  •  Chris Paulin NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES (NZL58, $34.95)
Fishwatcher's Field Guide, Great Barrier Reef  •  Idaz Greenberg FIELD GUIDE •  PLASTIC CARD A double-sided, laminated card (even punched with a hole to hang on your wrist) covering the reef fish of Australia, Papua New Guinea and the tropical Pacific. (DIV41, $7.50)
The Floating Brothel, The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts  •  Sian Rees HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A richly detailed account of the 1790 voyage of the Lady Julian -- and the unlikely cargo of 240 mostly poor women deported from England and sent on a yearlong journey to save the colony. Drawn from historical sources and carried by Ms. Rees' "robust, clear prose" (NY Times Book Review), it's an earthy tale steeped in the details of 18th-century Australia. (AUS124, $13.95)
Fodor's Australia  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 688 PAGES A popular, practical guide. (AUS138, $24.95)
Fodor's New Zealand  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 592 PAGES A practical guide featuring suggested itineraries, recommended restaurants, shops and hotels, and good coverage of outdoor activities. (NZL56, $22.95)
Fodor's See It Australia  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES An inaugural volume in this new line of guides by Fodor's this book is notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the country. Each page displays full-color photos accompanied by much useful information on how to eat, sleep, shop, and sightsee in Australia. (AUS161, $24.95)
The Future Eaters, An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People  •  Tim F. Flannery NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES An ecological history of the region, focusing on human impact on local environments and animal populations in the recent geologic past. Flannery, the prolific author of "Throwim' Way Leg," as well as many more books (often about nature and/or Australia), sets out a powerful tale, none too flattering about the intelligence or foresight of our own species. (AUS48, $16.00)
Gap in Nature, Discovering the World's Extinct Animals  •  Tim F. Flannery  •  Peter Schouten SCIENCE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 184 PAGES An illustrated, informative tribute to 103 species that have perished in the last 500 years. Not surprisingly, islands are well represented, including (famously) the dodo which once roamed the forests of Mauritius and many birds and mammals from New Zealand. Flannery and Schouten, who visited museums around the world to see specimens and collect information, focus on animals that could be realistically re-created. The paintings, which are spectacular, were all drawn at life size in the original. Organized by date of extinction from the Upland Moa (1500), Dodo (1681) and Steller's Sea Cow (1768) to the Passenger Pigeon (1914), Darwin's Rice Rat (1929) and Guam Flying-fox (1974). (SCI55, $34.95)
The Garden Party and Other Stories  •  Katherine Mansfield LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES This collection of short stories, the last in a distinguished career by the sharp-witted writer, features a number of tales set in Mansfield's native New Zealand. Many are set in Wellington, where she lived before she moved to England in 1909. (NZL23, $14.00)
Gould's Book of Fish, A Novel in Twelve Fish  •  Richard Flanagan LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 404 PAGES The third book by this Tasman author, a wildly inventive novel steeped in the 19th-century history of the island and its brutal colonial prison. Interweaving past and present, Flanagan keeps the reader guessing with a dizzying mix of history, fantasy and word play. Billy Gould, his bawdy convict narrator, contributes the paintings that introduce each section, reproduced in this paper edition in black-and-white. (AUS126, $14.00)
Great Barrier Reef  •  David Doubilet NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 186 PAGES • COMING IN Underwater master of color and light Doubilet captures the beauty and diversity of the 1,250-mile-long Great Barrier Reef in 125 stunning photographs. (AUS118, $40.00)
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia's Tropical Paradise  •  Alison Cates NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES • COMING IN A handsomely illustrated overview of the nature and attractions of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. Divided geographically, it includes chapters on the Far North, Cairns, Townsville, Central and South regions. (AUS71, $49.95)
The Great Barrier Reef: History, Science, Heritage  •  Margarita Bowen  •  James Bowen HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 474 PAGES A serious-minded history of the Great Barrier Reef, its exploration, natural history and conservation. The focus is on the ecology, history and European impact from discovery through modern science. With chapters on Navigators and Naturalists in the Age of Sail, Origin and Structure of Coral Reefs: From Forster to Darwin, and The Conservation Controversy. Recent winner of the New South Wales premier's prize for Australian history. (AUS160, $58.00)
Great Southern Landings, An Anthology of Antipodean Travel  •  Jan Bassett ANTHOLOGY •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 344 PAGES Ranging from travel accounts to flights of fantastic adventure, these tales provide a cultural portrait of Australia and New Zealand over the last four centuries. It includes 90 extracts from the likes of Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Jonathan Swift and Jules Verne. (AUS63, $45.00)
The Happy Isles of Oceania, Paddling the Pacific  •  Paul Theroux EXPLORATION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES • FAVORITE Here's Theroux at his best: wickedly funny, open-minded and enormously well informed. In this best-selling book, he flies off to Australia with a kayak and ends up exploring much of Melanesia and Polynesia as well. This book is a terrific introduction to the region, combining history, anecdote and acutely observed detail on people and place. (PAC03, $15.95)
The History of New Zealand  •  Tom Brooking HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 250 PAGES A compact, authoritative history of New Zeland geared for university students. The author is a professor of history at the University of Otago. (NZL73, $49.95)
Indigenous Australian Voices: A Reader  •  Jennifer Sabbioni ANTHOLOGY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 330 PAGES • COMING IN This anthology brings together diverse stories, poems, novel excerpts and artwork by 36 contemporary Aborigine writers and artists. (AUS45, $25.00)
Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide  •  Gerald Allen  •  Roger Steene FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 378 PAGES • COMING IN This comprehensive identification guide to coral reef fishes and invertebrates from Hawaii to the Red Sea features 1,800 color photographs. It also includes chapter on marine mammals, turtles and birds. The authors, Gerald Allen and Roger Steene are the reigning authorities on the region (and fine photographers). Highly recommended. (DIV48, $40.00)
Insight Guide Australia  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER A volume in the award-winning Insight series, this guide is noted for its wonderful photography, superb production and informative short essays. It is a thoroughly illustrated, comprehensive guide to the history and culture of Australia. (AUS67, $24.95)
Insight Guide New Zealand  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES A profusely illustrated overview of New Zealand, featuring concise essays by well-regarded authors on natural history, politics, and culture. It also includes hundreds of photos and maps, along with some limited practical information. Local writer Gordon McLaughlin led the team of experts who contributed to the book. In addition to a survey of attractions throughout both North and South Island, the book features essays on the Maori, natural history and outdoor adventures. (NZL17, $22.95)
Janet Frame, An Autobiography: To the Island, An Angel at My Table, The Envoy from Mirror City  •  Janet Frame BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 435 PAGES • COMING IN The three-volume memoir of one of New Zealand's most original writers. From her impoverished upbringing to her misdiagnosis with mental illness to her transformation into a distinguished novelist/poet, Frame's is a story of courage and creativity. Told in haunting, evocative prose. (NZL25, $19.95)
Joseph Banks, A Life  •  Patrick O'Brian BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 328 PAGES A fine biography of naturalist and explorer Joseph Banks by one of our great writers of the sea. O'Brian's account of the three-year voyage of the Endeavor -- and the discovery of Australia -- is particularly good. Chapters cover globe-trotting botanical adventures with James Cook and others in Polynesia, Australia & New Zealand, Iceland, England and France. With a few maps, engravings and illustrations. (AUS47, $18.00)
Kakadu National Park Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A visitor's map of Australia's Kakadu National Park, at a scale of 1:400,000. (AUS97, $10.95)
Kimberley Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A large scale (1:1,250,000) map of the Kimberley region, including the northern coast of Western Australia. The reverse side features brief descriptions of major sites and national parks. (AUS16, $10.95)
Lonely Planet Australia  •  denis O'Byrne GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 1068 PAGES A practical guide to Australia by Melbourne-based Lonely Planet, featuring maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a few color photographs, 158 useful sketch maps, and excellent travel information. (AUS92, $29.99)
Lonely Planet East Coast Australia  •  Verity Campbell GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide in the popular series. (AUS148, $22.99)
Lonely Planet New Zealand  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 765 PAGES The most comprehensive guide to New Zealand, this hefty book includes maps, a new color section on flora and fauna, and an extensive overview of the culture, history and nature of the archipelago. You'll also find the usual detailed treatment of accommodations, restaurants and sightseeing. (NZL21, $25.99)
Lonely Planet Northern Territory  •  Susannah Farfor GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 308 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series. (AUS150, $22.99)
Lonely Planet Perth & Western Australia  •  Sally Webb  •  Ilsa Colson GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES A practical guidebook to Western Australia with plenty of information on where to go and what to do, as well as background on history, culture and nature. (AUS140, $19.99)
Lonely Planet Queensland & The Great Barrier Reef  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 584 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide to the rain forests, reefs, off-shore islands and other attractions of Queensland with a focus on adventure and outdoor activities. (AUS107, $21.99)
Lonely Planet Sydney  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 328 PAGES A comprehensive, practical guide to the city and its history. With dozens of excellent maps, color photographs and short glossary. Sixth edition. (AUS68, $19.99)
Lonely Planet Sydney & New South Wales  •  Lonely Planet Publications GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide to the Australian province of New South Wales, including Sydney, the Blue Mountains and over 60 national parks. It has a focus on adventure and outdoor activities. (AUS145, $23.99)
Lonely Planet Tasmania  •  Lyn McGuar  •  John Chapman  •  Monica Chapman GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 335 PAGES A practical guide to Tasmania by Lonely Planet, featuring 51 maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With color photographs and excellent travel information. (AUS81, $23.99)
MacOnockie's Gentlemen, The Story of Norfolk Island & the Roots of Modern Prison Reform  •  Norval Morris HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES Norfolk Island, a small patch of land off the coast of Australia, uninhabited until discovered by Captain Cook, was once the site of a notorious prison. Using four fictionalized voices, law professor Norval Morris describes the techniques and experiments of superintendent Alexander Maconochie, who transformed it from a chaotic colony of murderers and thieves into an efficient and uncommonly humane place of penal reform. For the rare traveler to Norfolk Island (and for those who loved Hughes's "The Fatal Shore") this is a fascinating narrative history. (PAC119, $19.95)
Making Peoples, A History of the New Zealanders from Polynesian Settlement to the End of the Nineteenth Century  •  James Belich HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 497 PAGES An extremely readable and scholarly history that traces the development of New Zealand -- and the Maori -- from pre-contact to the late 19th century. With its wide, yet detailed focus, this book gives the reader a glimpse into the social forces that have formed the Maori, including the tremendous impact of colonization. It concludes with a discussion of the Pakeha, the 19th century settlers who helped shape what has become modern day New Zealand. Belich, a professor of history at the University of Aukland, continues the story in a second volume (NZL59). (NZL07, $20.00)
Maori Tattooing  •  H.G. Robley ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A new unabridged edition of the classic, illustrated sourcebook on Maori tattooing (moko), first published in 1896 and featuring black-and-white photographs and drawings by the author. Robley (1840-1930), who recognized that the traditional art of tattooing was endangered (along with the Maori themselves), pays scrupulous attention to the intricate patterns, design and cultural meaning of traditional Maori tattoos. Robley, a talented artist who had served in the British army in New Zealand, lived among Ngati Tapu at Matapihi from 1864 to 1866. (NZL67, $12.95)
Miles from Nowhere, A Round the World Bicycle Adventure  •  Barbara Savage TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 340 PAGES The adventures of a beginning cyclist and her husband who cover 23,000 miles and 25 countries in two years. The personal, unpretentious writing captures the colorful characters that cross the path of this young couple and the flavor of the countries they traverse. Sadly, Barbara Savage died in a cycling accident training for the triathlon upon her return home as the book was going to press. (BCY02, $16.95)
Monster of God: The Man Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind  •  David Quammen NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In tracking the alpha predators, Quammen transports us to four of the world's great wild regions: the Gir forest in India, the Russian Far East, the coast of northern Australia and the mountains of Romania. Much like in his award-winning Song of the Dodo, Quammen combines scholarly insight, vivid prose and travel in this latest effort, a marvelous meditation on Indian lions, Australian crocodiles, European brown bears and Siberian tigers, man-eaters all. (BST84, $15.95)
Moon Handbook New Zealand  •  Jane King GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES Now in its fifth edition, this Moon Publications handbook is an up-to-date, practical guide to destinations in New Zealand. With dozens of maps, a focus on the outdoors -- and short introductory chapters on the land, people, history and economy. (NZL01, $19.95)
Motoring Atlas of Australia  •  UBD 1999 •  MAP  • 189 PAGES A comprehensive, spiral-bound atlas with 80 pages of full color road maps and maps of 104 cities and towns. The atlas includes travel information, an introduction to each region and index. (AUS120, $21.95)
Mutant Message Down Under  •  Marlo Morgan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 187 PAGES Whether or not you believe that the author was kidnapped by her Aboriginal guides and sent out into the desert for four months (for her own good), this best-selling account of a spiritual journey in the Australian outback by a 50-year-old woman from Kansas, originally self-published, is utterly fascinating. (AUS54, $13.00)
National Geographic Traveler Australia  •  Roff Smith GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES Roff Smith, a prolific writer on Australian topics, introduces his adoptive country in this attractive, profusely illustrated National Geographic guidebook. It features color photos, maps, overviews of culture, nature, and history, and practical travel information. (AUS132, $27.95)
National Geographic Traveler Sydney  •  Evan McHugh GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A traveler's guide to the history, nature, culture, and attractions of Sydney, thoroughly illustrated in dependable National Geographic style. (AUS133, $22.95)
New South Wales Map  •  Universal Press MAP A detailed map of New South Wales for the traveler at a scale of 1:600,000, imported from Australia. (AUS59, $8.95)
North Island New Zealand Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A reference map of New Zealand's North Island at a scale of 1:1,000,000. (NZL74, $10.95)
North Queensland Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A colorful map of northern Queensland at a scale of 1:1,750,000. Published in Australia. (AUS103, $10.95)
Northern Territory Australia Map  •  Universal Press MAP A colorful, detailed map of the Northern Territory, imported from Australia. Scale 1:2,000,000. (AUS62, $8.95)
Northern Territory Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP An excellent, colorful map of the Northern Territories of Australia at a scale of 1:1,800,000. (AUS36, $10.95)
Nutmeg of Consolation  •  Patrick O'Brian LITERATURE •  1991 •  HARD COVER  • 315 PAGES Further adventures of Captain Aubrey & Co., shipwrecked in the Dutch East Indies, and finding their way to the penal colony at Botany Bay in the early 19th Century. The passage on Botany Bay is one of the most evocative (and frightening) descriptions we know of the first European settlements in Australia. If you haven't yet been introduced to O'Brian's vivid portraits of Nelson's British Navy, here's your chance to dip into this fine series. (AUS69, $24.00)
Odyssey Guide Australia  •  Carl Robbinson GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A personable, opinionated guide to his adopted homeland, the American-born author of this excellent guide is a journalist (and now restaurateur) who has lived in Australia since 1977. He includes essays and literary excerpts in addition to many useful maps and recommendations on how to have fun "down under." (AUS94, $21.95)
Odyssey Guide New Zealand  •  Elisabeth Booz GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES An illustrated, literate guide to New Zealand and its attractions for the visitor, much enhanced by color photography and maps. Compact, but includes background on culture and natural history. (NZL20, $21.95)
On Dialogue, Contemporary Australian Art  •  Anne Marie Freybourg  •  Les Murray  •  Juliana Engberg ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A study of art in Australia over the last 40 years, focusing on artists in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. (AUS144, $39.95)
Once Were Warriors  •  Alan Duff LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES You may have seen the movie. This is the controversial best-selling novel set in what would appear to be Auckland. It follows the fate of Beth, a tough young woman with a son to protect, and is an insightful, gut-wrenching look at social problems of the Maori in contemporary New Zealand. (NZL19, $12.95)
One For the Road, An Outback Adventure  •  Tony Horwitz TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 211 PAGES Good adrenaline-fueled fun by the author of Confederates in the Attic and Baghdad Without a Map. This time Horwitz is among the aborigines, outcasts and other exiled desert rats in the outback of Australia. (AUS79, $13.00)
The Oxford Illustrated History of New Zealand  •  Keith Sinclair HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 408 PAGES An balanced, illustrated history of New Zealand, from Polynesian settlement through the 1990s. With black-and-white photographs and drawings throughout. (NZL40, $65.00)
Paradise Reforged: A History of the New Zealanders From the 1880s to the Year 2000  •  James Belich HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 606 PAGES The continuation of Belich's lively, provocative history of New Zealand and its people, Maori and European. Organized chronologically, he addresses both economic and social history, looking at ties with Britain, reliance on sheep, the environment and other topics. Highly recommended. Follows Belich's "Making Peoples" (NZL07). (NZL59, $40.00)
Penguins  •  Lloyd Spencer David  •  Martin Renner NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 232 PAGES A concise, comprehensive overview of the penguins, their evolution, ecology and behavior. With line drawings, figures, charts and black-and-white photographs. A volume in a series of monographs on birds published by T & AD Poyser in Britain. Spencer, who has done field work on Erect-crested, Yellow-eyed and other New Zealand penguins is a professor at the University of Otago in Dunedin. (ANT207, $45.00)
Picnic at Hanging Rock  •  Peter Weir 1979 •  Peter Weir's confounding thriller about a group of girls and a teacher at a turn-of-the-century boarding school in Victoria, Australia, who go missing after a Valentine's Day picnic. Beautifully photographed, the film depicts the arid landscape of the outback in all its majesty and eeriness. Part of the Criterion Collection. (AUS158, $29.95)
A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, The Life of William Dampier  •  Michael Preston  •  Diana Preston EXPLORATION •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES A marvelously well researched, absorbing biography of the 17th century English explorer, sea captain naturalist and buccaneer. Long our favorite pirate, it's a pleasure to see the accomplishments of the swashbuckler laid out so effectively. A master navigator and map-maker, Dampier circumnavigated the globe three times, wrote a series of best-selling books, and reached Australia 80 years before Captain Cook. (GBR436, $27.00)
Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates  •  Paul Dallman NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES Richly illustrated, clearly written and engaging, this book is an ecological overview of the landscapes, plants and vegetation types found in Mediterranean climates. It's an eye-opening guide to California, Chile, South Africa, Australia and -- naturally -- the Mediterranean. (MED21, $35.95)
Queensland Central Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A detailed map of central Queensland, imported from Australia, at a scale of 1:1,000,000. (AUS33, $8.95)
Queensland Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A colorful, detailed map of Queensland, imported from Australia. Scale 1:2,500,000. The Great Barrier Reef extends along most of Queensland's east coast. (AUS58, $10.95)
Queensland North Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A detailed map of North Queensland, imported from Australia, on a 1:1,750,000 scale. (AUS34, $10.95)
Queensland South East  •  HEMA Maps MAP A locally produced, detailed map of southeast Queensland, scale 1:500,000. (AUS80, $10.95)
Queensland's Outback Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A detailed map of Outback Queensland, imported from Australia, at a scale 1:2,000,000. (AUS35, $10.95)
Reef Fish Identification, Tropical Pacific  •  Paul Humann  •  Ned Deloach  •  Gerald Allen  •  Roger Steene FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 450 PAGES The much-anticipated, comprehensive guide to Indo-Pacific reef fishes, featuring 2,500 color photographs of 2,000 species. The team at Paul Humann and company brought in Gerald Allan and Roger Steene, both tops in their field. (DIV49, $45.00)
Reefscape, Reflections on the Great Barrier Reef  •  Rosaleen Love NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 255 PAGES An ecology and history of the Great Barrier Reef, including its human inhabitants (who run the gamut from pirates to naturalists). Rosaleen Love employs science, anthropology and purple prose in this meditative account. (AUS98, $24.95)
The Remarkable Baobab  •  Thomas Pakenham NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES It was inevitable that Pakenham, an historian of Africa with a penchant for the world's most striking and bizarre trees, would discover the baobab. In this followup to Remarkable Trees of the World and Meetings with Remarkable Trees, he focuses on the tremendous, twisted boabab trees of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Of the world's eight species, six are found in Madagascar. With 60 large-format color photographs. (NAT71, $19.95)
Reptiles of Australia  •  Gerry Swan  •  Steve Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES A compact field guide to the reptiles of Australia featuring 930 full color photographs. (AUS152, $35.00)
The Reservoir, Stories and Sketches  •  Janet Frame LITERATURE •  1993 •  PAPER Stories, poems, sketches and memoirs from the New Zealand writer Janet Frame. These powerful pieces are characteristic of Frame's haunting style and her search for humanity. (NZL41, $10.95)
Seabirds of the World, A Photographic Guide  •  Peter Harrison FIELD GUIDE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES • COMING IN A field edition of Harrison's definitive seabird identification guide, featuring 740 color photographs. It illustrates all the world's seabirds, many in a variety of plumages. The book also contains a convenient key to identifying the confusing albatrosses, petrels and other tubenoses, as well as range maps and information about habitats and distribution. This is the book that you'd carry on any sea voyage; our ten-year-old edition has been everywhere. (FG16, $29.95)
The Singing Line, Tracking the Australian Adventures of My Intrepid Victorian Ancestors  •  Alice Thomson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES The life and times of Thomson's great-great-grandparents, Charles and Alice (of Alice Springs) Todd, who left Victorian England in 1855 for the great unknown of South Australia. The title, The Singing Line, refers to the telegraph system from Adelaide to Darwin. (AUS88, $19.00)
Slipping Into Paradise, Why I Live in New Zealand  •  Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES In this far-ranging book, a travelogue of sorts, Masson (who left the rarified atmosphere of Berkeley for Auckland in 2000) combines his travels and tales with history, riffs on the kiwis, nature and society. This is the same author who has written a series of wildly successful books on the emotional lives on animals, including The Pig Who Sang to the Moon, which is about treatment of farm animals. (NZL69, $14.95)
The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean  •  Paddy Ryan  •  Peter Atkinson NATURAL HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES An illustrated overview of coral reefs, coral reef fishes, invertebrates and plants of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, this compact book is an excellent resource for anyone thinking of exploring the underwater world. Beginners will appreciate the chapters on learning to snorkel, reef etiquette, photography hints and first aid. With 200 color photographs. (DIV18, $19.95)
The Sound of One Hand Clapping  •  Richard Flanagan LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 425 PAGES This lyrical, award-winning novel, by a native of Tasmania, tells the story of a pregnant woman who revisits her painful past when she returns to her childhood home of Tasmania. As told by Tasmania's famous author Flanagan through a number of flashbacks, it is a powerful story of blue-collar Slovenian immigrants in the mid 20th century and a woman confronting her abusive father. (AUS84, $12.00)
South Island Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A handsome map of New Zealand's South Island at the scale of 1:1,000,000. With good topographic relief, roads and index. Traveling distances between major points of interest are indicated. (NZL24, $10.95)
Southern Exposure  •  Chris Duff TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES In this book, subtitled "A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island," seasoned kyacker Chris Duff challenges the waters of the Pacific while ruminating on the beauty of New Zealand's coast and people. (NZL63, $17.95)
Southern Land, Southern People  •  Neville Peat NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES This book celebrates the gallery of the same name at the Otago Museum in Dunedin, which opened in August 2002. It's a short, illustrated overview of the people, geology, fossil record, climate, and the flora and fauna of southern New Zealand with a focus on the Otago Region. (NZL66, $14.95)
Southern Night Sky  •  Pocket Naturalist FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD A glow in the dark laminated card showing the most conspicuous stars, constellations and celestial objects of the Southern Hemisphere. (SCI30, $5.95)
The Southern Sky Guide  •  David Ellyard SCIENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 82 PAGES A primer of the southern sky for the amateur astronomer. With 24 outstanding charts by Wil Tirion and an introductory chapter on skywatching. (SCI05, $16.99)
Spinners  •  Antony McCarten LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A striking and imaginative debut novel from New Zealand playwright Antony McCarten, this book deals with extraterrestrial visits, teenage pregnancy, overworked meat-packing high school girls, and small town life, if not necessarily in that order. Through these seemingly random occurrences, McCarten weaves an amazing mystery with as much poignancy as intrigue. (NZL35, $13.95)
Stinging Trees and Wait-A-Whiles: Confessions of a Rainforest Biologist  •  William Laurance TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 184 PAGES A scientist's memoir from the 1980s at Millaa Millaa in the tropics of Queensland, detailing the rigors of field research and the joys of discovery. But this is more than a discussion of scientific procedure and natural history, it is also a portrait of his colleagues, the story of conflicts with locals over conservation efforts, and most of all, an outsider's account of life in northeastern Australia, in the small towns and forests just outside of Cairns. The end of the book contains chapters on his travels in Papua New Guinea. With black-and-white photos and series of color plates. (AUS90, $25.00)
Story-Wallah, Short Fiction from South Asian Writers  •  Shyam Selvadurai ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES This fine anthology samples short fiction from South Asian authors including Salman Rushdie, Michael Ondaatje and Jhumpa Lahiri. The settings range from Australia, to colonial Trinidad and Sri Lanka. Selvadurai is the author of Funny Boy and Cinnamon Gardens, both set in his native Sri Lanka. (ASA43, $14.00)
Straying from the Flock, Travels in New Zealand  •  Alexander Elder TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 276 PAGES A personable account of travels in New Zealand, Australia and the Cook islands, organized into 50 chapters, each describing a single day. (NZL71, $14.95)
Surfer's Start-Up: A Beginner's Guide to Surfing  •  Doug Werner SPORT •  1999 •  PAPER An introduction to surfing for beginners with a focus on basic technique and safety. It also includes information on gear, etiquette and the history of the sport. Second Edition. (GEN329, $11.95)
Sydney Map  •  Borch Maps 2006 •  MAP A laminated map of the center of Sydney at a scale of 1:12,000. (AUS104, $8.95)
Tasmania Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A colorful, detailed map of Tasmania at a scale of 1:650,000. Published in Australia. Includes an inset of Hobart. (AUS40, $10.95)
The Thorn Birds  •  Colleen McCullough LITERATURE •  1978 •  PAPER  • 692 PAGES A best-selling classic about life in the Australian Outback. This absorbing saga spans three generations, detailing all of the tragedies and dramas that the resilient members of the Cleary family face. Turned into an acclaimed television miniseries. (AUS66, $7.99)
To Touch a Wild Dolphin  •  Rachel Smolker SCIENCE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES Rachel Smolker, a psychobiologist is widely recognized as one of the leading authorities on dolphins. Her intimate account of dolphin life in the wild presents a closer look at their society and diverse characteristics, including modes of communication and mother-infant relationships. (NAT48, $26.00)
Tracks, A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback  •  Robyn Davidson EXPLORATION •  1995 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Davidson arrives in the outback with a dog, a little cash, and she manages to find some camels (feral in Australian desert since the 19th century) to carry her on her journey. This absorbing book is her account of her trek across the desert -- a tale of true adventure shot through with a feel for the landscape and empathy for the Aboriginal people she meets along the way. (AUS15, $14.95)
Trailblazer New Zealand, Great Walks  •  Alexander Stewart GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A guide to recommended walks and treks with 50 trail maps, plenty of practical information and an overview of the nature and history of New Zealand. With city guides to Aukland and Wellington along with sections on trip planning and camping. (NZL68, $19.95)
Tramping in New Zealand  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A thorough guide hiking in New Zealand, featuring descriptions of 50 multi-day treks, dozens of two-color topo maps, and good information on getting the most out of your adventures on foot. There's no better place on Earth than New Zealand for enthusiastic walkers. (NZL10, $21.99)
A Traveller's History of Australia  •  John H. Chambers HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 347368 PAGES A brief history of Australia from the arrival of the Aborigines to the first European settlement and the development of the modern nation state -- quite an accomplishment for such a short book. It's very well written and includes a glossary, timeline and gazetteer. (AUS64, $14.95)
The Trial of the Cannibal Dog, The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook's Encounters in the South Seas  •  Anne Salmond HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 536 PAGES An intriguing history of the voyages of Captain Cook with a focus on the relationship between the Pacific islanders and seafaring Englishmen. Salmond describes how mutual curiosity turned into animosity, culminating in the death of Captain Cook in Hawaii. (PAC138, $30.00)
True History of the Kelly Gang  •  Peter Carey LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 386 PAGES A powerful, daring novel, steeped in the colonial history of late 19th-century Australia. Outlaw, folk hero, thief and patriot, the Irish immigrant Ned Kelly and his clan figure large in the Australian mindset. Cary's novel takes the form of a series of rough, captivating letters by the barely literate gang leader to his young daughter. Kelly was hanged in Melbourne in 1880, where his mother was also imprisoned. (AUS119, $14.95)
The Turning, New Stories  •  Tim Winton LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 321 PAGES These 17 overlapping stories, steeped in everyday life on western Australia, follow the fates of a handful of characters in a small coastal town outside Perth. Winton, short-listed twice so far for the Booker Prize, has published a string of memorable novels, children's books and stories, all richly set in the working class milieu of the sparsely populated coastal desert. (AUS169, $15.00)
Tutira, The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station  •  Herbert Guthrie-Smith  •  William Cronon NATURAL HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE • COMING IN First published in 1921, this loving acount of the ecology of New Zealand focuses on Guthrie-Smith's 40,000-sheep shearing station on the shores of Lake Tutira. He covers the geologic setting, ecology and and impact of sheep on the region. With line drawings, maps and a few period photographs. A Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classic, this edition of the classic environmental history is championed by historian William Cronon. (NZL26, $24.95)
Two Wheels Around New Zealand  •  Scott Bischke TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES An amiable account of travels through New Zealand by bicycle with Scott and Kate. With route maps and some back-and-white photographs. (NZL18, $12.95)
Venus in Transit, Australian Women Travellers 1788-1930  •  Douglas Sellick ANTHOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES This collection showcases women's writing from the Victorian era through the 1920s. Writers include the artist Marian Ellis Rowan and the young pilot Amy Johnson, who flew solo to Australia in 1930. (AUS157, $24.95)
Volcanoes, Fire From the Earth  •  Maurice Krafft NATURAL HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES • COMING IN A volume in the acclaimed Discoveries series, this lavishly illustrated pocket-size encyclopedia is an overview of volcanoes and volcanology by the great French scientist (who died on the job on Mount Unzen in Japan in 1991). It's a history of our understanding of volcanoes, a profile of some of the most famous examples, and an excellent introduction to how they are formed. (GEO06, $12.95)
Voyage of the Beagle  •  Charles Darwin EXPLORATION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 468 PAGES • BEST SELLER • FAVORITE The wide-eyed tale of a young man on a five-year voyage that changed his life -- and our way of thinking about the world. First published in 1839, this book is still essential reading. Darwin's South American chapters are an excellent introduction to the Galapagos, Beagle Channel, Chile, Tierra del Fuego, the Chilean fjords and the Brazilian coast. With maps and appendices. (GPS02, $12.95)
Wake of the Invercauld, Shipwrecked in the Sub-Antarctic: A Great-Granddaughter's Pilgrimage  •  Madelene Ferguson Allen EXPLORATION •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Robert Holding was one of only three young sailors to survive being shipwrecked in 1864 on the Auckland Islands south of New Zealand. This is his story of survival and exploration as told by his great-granddaughter who twice ventured to these remote shores to trace his fate. Allen interweaves her own research and travels to the region with excerpts from Holding's 19th-century diary of the shipwreck. With modern and archival photographs. (NZL31, $60.00)
Western Australia Map  •  HEMA Maps MAP A detailed, homegrown map of Western Australia, with roads and topography, at a scale of 1:2,500,000. (AUS127, $10.95)
Whale Rider  •  Niki Caro