No comments about Land of the Long Wild Road.

No comments about Beside the Seaside: Victorian Resorts in the Nineteenth Century.

No comments about The UnTourist Guide to Tasmania.

No comments about Unwilling Emigrants: Letters of a Convict's Wife.

No comments about New Zealand: A Pictorial Journey.

No comments about Sport in Australian History (Australian Retrospectives).

2 comments about Marooned: Being a Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Captain Charles H. Barnard, Embracing an Account of the Seizure of His Vessel at the.

1. This is one of the most astounding sea stories I've read. Captain Barnard's narrative is direct, simple and powerful. It really tells the story of a triple marooning--the only one I know. The introduction by Professor Dodge is a "must skip"--it is poorly written and dull. But once you get into Barnard's historic narrative, it is a compelling read. Captain Barnard's narrative begins just prior to the first days of the War of 1812. They set out upon a sealing expedition to the Falkland Islands. The Barnard family (his father is with him--also a sealing captain) is Quaker, and live a ways up the Hudson River. Once upon the Falkland Island, they set up operations (itself a remarkably interesting procedure). In the first few months of the expedition (it is supposed to last about a year or so) they see signal fires from a strange ship. It turns out to be a British ship bound from Australia to England. It has run aground on the Falklands. The Barnard family goes to the British ship's aid, knowing full well the United States is at war with the British. After the rescue (the British shipis ruined) Captain Barnard--in private--informs the British captain (there are British Marines on board) that their two countries are at war. Though they agree to neutrality during their difficulties, the Brits reneg! The British take the Barnard party prisoner--seize their ship and smaller boats, and in turn maroon Captain Barnard with two ordinary seamen on the Falkland Islands. Since few ships went to those islands then, their marooning was essentially a death sentence. The harsh winter was ahead of them. This outstanding narrative is of that marooning--and from this original marooning, things become even more complex. This is a unique read--a little known historic niche. Captain Barnard's narrative is impressive for its detail, composure and--a testimony to masterful seamanship plus mental and spiritual discipline. A must, must read.



2. This is one of the most astounding sea stories I've read. Captain Barnard's narrative is direct, simple and powerful. It really tells the story of a triple marooning--the only one I know. The introduction by Professor Dodge is a "must skip"--it is poorly written and dull. But once you get into Barnard's historic narrative, it is a compelling read. Captain Barnard's narrative begins just prior to the first days of the War of 1812. They set out upon a sealing expedition to the Falkland Islands. The Barnard family (his father is with him--also a sealing captain) is Quaker, and live a ways up the Hudson River. Once upon the Falkland Island, they set up operations (itself a remarkably interesting procedure). In the first few months of the expedition (it is supposed to last about a year or so) they see signal fires from a strange ship. It turns out to be a British ship bound from Australia to England. It has run aground on the Falklands. The Barnard family goes to the British ship's aid, knowing full well the United States is at war with the British. After the rescue (the British shipis ruined) Captain Barnard--in private--informs the British captain (there are British Marines on board) that their two countries are at war. Though they agree to neutrality during their difficulties, the Brits reneg! The British take the Barnard party prisoner--seize their ship and smaller boats, and in turn maroon Captain Barnard with two ordinary seamen on the Falkland Islands. Since few ships went to those islands then, their marooning was essentially a death sentence. The harsh winter was ahead of them. This outstanding narrative is of that marooning--and from this original marooning, things become even more complex. This is a unique read--a little known historic niche. Captain Barnard's narrative is impressive for its detail, composure and--a testimony to masterful seamanship plus mental and spiritual discipline. A must, must read.

No comments about The Volcanic Earth: Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics : Past, Present & Future.

No comments about Company Watch - Air New Zealand.(Company overview): An article from: Airguide Online.

1 comments about Lilies, feathers & frangipani (Imprint travel).

1. This is a travel journal of an Australian author, Kate Llewellyn, who spends several weeks visiting New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Instead of doing all the mainly touristy things, she meets and talks with locals, seeks out culinary delights and regional wine, muses on the many oddities and wonders she stumbles across, and thoroughly immerses herself in the culture, language and history of the South Pacific.
   
   I discovered this book in the local library while looking for things on New Zealand that weren't guidebooks, of which there are dozens. I wanted to read something about the country from the perspective of someone who had really engaged with the culture, and this short book is both insightful and well written. Kate Llewellyn's prose is lyrical and imaginative, and although she mainly concerns herself with the places she visits and the people she meets, the journal-style of the book allows us to know her quite personally through the other aspects of herself which she chooses to share with us.
   
   Because I'm going to New Zealand in a couple of weeks, that was the part of the book I was most interested in, but reading about the Cook Islands (of which I knew almost nothing) was also quite enjoyable. A couple of times I felt she lost the rhythm and style that characterised the book, particularly when she interviews the woman who was the first female Speaker of the House in the Cook Islands (with whom she also stays). It's not that I didn't find it interesting, just that it didn't really fit into the narrative that she herself had established throughout.
   
   Still, whether you're going to the South Pacific, have already been, or just like enjoying different countries from the comfort of your own home, 'Lilies, Feathers & Frangipani' is a pleasant journey through a couple of amazing countries.