Tonga is a unique place in being the only Polynesian kingdom to maintain its culture and government through the colonial period that brought down similar cultures in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific. Queen Salote adds to this uniqueness by being the ruling queen of Tonga in the first half of the Twentieth Century, an era dominated by male chauvenism. This story of her life and reign provides a wonderful view into the culture and history of this island kingdom. For papalangi (the Tongan word for people of Western society) this is not an easy book because there is a lot of Tongan names, geneology, and customs necessarily involved in the biography of their queen. Yet the very things that make it difficult also make it a rewarding book to read. What makes the book most enjoyable is the portrayal of this marvelous woman who ruled Tonga for almost 50 years. She ruled without use of force during a time of dissent from rival nobles and emerged one of the most revered leaders in Tongan history. She convinced her British advisors of her ability to rule and her island adversaries that their independence depended on her rule. I can recommend this book without reservation to anyone interested in women's studies, international biography, Polynesian history, or British colonial history.

I sincerely recommend this book for all Tongans out there as well as those who are interested in discovering one of the most beloved Monarchs of our time. Queen Salote was not only a charismatic leader but also a progressive woman who brought Tonga to the forefront of the modern era by re-establishing its past. She restored the cultural pride of her people at a time when native cultures were suffering the ill-effects of Westernization.

This book will be a sweet recollection for those who were fortunate to witness her reign, and it will be a source of inspiration for younger generations who are seeking to learn about their themselves.

Truly, a remarkable book for a most remarkable person!

What a fine read. It even sounds like radio, which is an accomplishment in itself. And as regards the South Pacific, it's not a bad sound at all. Seward has a great ear, and the book is actually interesting. You learn something about this 'exotic' place at the same time you enjoy learning it!

According to the publisher, this books is now out. Do you have it on order? When will you have it?

This is a great book that everyone of all ages should read! (No heavy duty reading, but great photos and descriptive text.) An article about racial issues in a parents' magazine prompted me to find this book, because it -is- possible for children of multi-racial backgrounds to grow up harmoniously together! I grew up in Hawaii with friends of all colors, lived on both coasts of the mainland (Continental U.S.), returned to Hawaii, and realized that while growing up, we rarely had to deal with serious racial issues. As Mr. Fassler and Mr. Frank DeLima so eloquently state in the text and foreword, as kids we acknowledged our differences, likenesses, and even poked fun at each other and ourselves (thanks to wonderful comedians like Mr. DeLima!). We were still able to live side-by-side with each other -- probably from an ingrained attitude that when one lives on an island, you have to get along to survive! There is hope! Aloha and Mahalo for a great book that aptly illustrates this!

The title of this book truly describes Hawaii's children. In no other place in the world will you find the mixtures of races as you do in Hawaii. This book, utilizing pictures of children, show the rest of the world the racial harmony does exist. The pictures of the "golden children", where east meets west, are beautiful and enchanting. Being a "local" made me homesick but also very proud of my heritage as one of these kids. Copies of this book should be placed in school and public libraries across the country as a testimonial that a multi-racial society can and does exist in beautiful Hawaii. Aloha and Mahalo to Mr Fassler who did a wonderful job.

This is, quite simply, the best set of pictures of North America's west-coast maritime forests that I have come across. These forests are interesting, beautiful, and abundantly alive; they are also very hard to photograph. Through the lens they can seem messy and disordered. The unaided human eye screens out extraneous clutter, but the camera eye does not. There is order there, of course, but it is a chaotic sort of order, with many levels of order-within-disorder. Some photographers strive for excessively neat, tidy compositions, which give an entirely misleading impression of these forests; Graham, on the other hand, conveys the rhythms within the disorder. Many of the pictures are texture-rich without a sharp focus of interest. It is a style well suited to the subject. The text by Wade Davis, what there is of it, is good, but this is most definitely a picture book first.

This book is really special. Ok I am a mate of Graham's which some might see as a bias - but this book is oustanding none the less. Osborne is a biologist (infact a botanist) by trade I believe. It simply doens't matter though, because clearly what he does best is take photos. *Very* good photos. I don't mean as in 'Oh, thats a nice photo' as my mum would say to me when from four packets of snaps I produced one relatively balanced composition. I mean as in drop-that-frying pan, walk-into-that lampost, draw droppingly good photographs. This guy has had three or four calanders of his work produced for goodness sake. The book, which, ok I admit, he gave me, is always on my coffee table, and I must confess, I have chopped up the calendars and made them into nice framed pictures.

Reasons to buy it:

i) it will enhance your life ii) it will take your breath away iii) it is pretty reasonably priced

reasons not to buy it..

i) you hate temporate rainforests...

Great book about the dreamers of the South Pacific. It is a collection of short stories of important and not so important dreamers who have wanted to make a name for themselves in the South Pacific. Stories range from brutal mutiny to the early history of the Hawaiian Islands.

I read this book several times and would recommend it to any one interested in the history of the South Pacific. I have read most of his books, and found it to be one of his best. I enjoyed Tales of the South Pacific, but his non-fiction work was very informative.

I bought this book a few years ago after happening across it on the internet. What a beautiful book. The selections are well-chosen and the photos are unreal. Buy it. You won't regret it.

A goldmine for any fan of Chandler's Marlowe novels and short stories, I couldn't put this book down. It finally gave context to the vistas I had only been able to imagine previously, and I'll never be able to pick up any hard boiled detective story set in Los Angeles without flashing on the images painstakingly chosen to be included in this volume by Ward and Silver. An invaluable asset to any Chandler and noir fan.

The first couple of stories are the least fun. After that, it's a great compilation. The five-page diary of V. Swanson is worth the price of the book - and as affecting as any Robert Service poem. The compilation is good enough that I have tried to find some of the excerpted books, and will look for more of them. (John Haines's book was pretty good. A co-worker enjoyed it, too.) The acknowledgments at the end are useful.

This is a marvelous collection of essays written about life and travel in Alaska during the past 100 years. It has lots of well-known contributors: John McPhee, Ann Morrow Lindburgh, John Muir, Charles Kuralt, et al. But almost every piece, even from the most obscure writer, had me mesmerized. Perhaps the most haunting tale was a reprint of the diary entries from a man known only as "V. Swanson," who perished in a cabin in the wilderness in 1917.

I was fascinated by the stories of daredevils doing unbelievably brave and crazy things: climbing through ice caves buried within glaciers where the climbers literally had to inhale in order to squeeze through, knowing a shift in the ice could kill them all at any moment...climbing the face of Denali in winter, losing toes to frostbite...coming face to face with a grizzly who smashed in the window of a tiny cabin. Being decidedly NOT a daredevil myself, I would get most of the way through each of these stories scratching my head as to the motivation of these people. Generally, by the end of each story, I understood what made them tick. Reading these essays has made me feel life in Suburbia is just a little too boring, too timid, too soft.

This entire book is online at http://www.winfinity.com/beachwalla/rebels/rebels.htm

Check it out!

This classic book in labor history combines the highest level of historical research with riveting story-telling. It is dramatic, poetic, honest - and indispensable in understanding the wild history of the I.W.W. in the Pacific Northwest.

The entire text is available free online at ...

This classic book in labor history combines the highest level of historical research with riveting story-telling. It is dramatic, poetic, honest — and indispensable in understanding the wild history of the I.W.W. in the Pacific Northwest.

I read this book years ago and find it quite interesting. Many of the concepts in this books were explained in my transportation class. Mopac was an very important rail line in the Southwest and many of the present day U.P. Managers (i.e. Dick Davidson) came from this railroad. I hope people can draw the history and basic concepts to understand present day railroad operations.

This book gives a good look at the forces that shaped the Missouri Pacific Railroad during its final era, from job forces, line acquisitions and locomotives to corporate doings and "pleasing the stockholders." It also includes excellent black-and-white photographs and informative maps. Despite the fact that I am primarily a Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad fan, I still found this book to be extremely interesting and thorough. It reads quickly, presenting the information in a concise, well-organized manner. I highly recommend this book to any railroad fan who is interested in the history of railroads, particularly that of the "MoPac" and its closest rail competitors.

In Rest Area Review: Northwest Edition, RV travelers Gerald and Sharon Hammon share their personal reviews for every roadside rest are in the states of Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The provide the car, truck, and RV traveler with maps, details about amenities, the names and addresses of the state tourist bureaus, and more. Each of the 201 reviews is engaging, informative, and fun to read with generous infusions of humor and common sense. Rest Area Review: Northwest Edition is a regional, thoroughly user friendly travel guide, and a "must" for all motorized travelers passing through or touring the American northwest.

Review from the Dec. 2000 issues of Bookwatch, the official newsletter of the Midwest Book Review. In Rest Area Review: Northwest Edition, RV travelers Gerald and Sharon Hammon share their personal reviews for every roadside rest area in the states of Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. They provide the car, truck, and RV traveler with maps, details about amenities, the names and addresses of state tourist bureaus, and more. Each of the 201 reviews is engaging, informative, and fun to read with generous infusions of humor and common sense. The book is a regional, thoroughly user friendly travel guide and a "must" for all motoring travelers passing through or touring the American northwest.