I don't know that I've ever read a better dive book or travel guide. The author covers every minute detail, and somehow, it still reads well--a fascinating and well-treated subject. David Leonard shows great wit and a solid knowledge of his subject.

The photographs are amazing, too.

This warmly-written book portrays the story of receiving a gift from dolphins when befriended by them. Their behavior, emotions and intelligence are all well-documented and touching. An interesting piece in cross-species communication. Besides being a great page-turner for a myriad of ages and interests, this book can also make a special gift.

Bryson has done it again! I lived in Australia for quite a few years and reading this book brought back a rush of memories. His wit is insightful, and internationally "spot on." He doesn't really have a go at the Australians, as much as say, guitely pointing out unique quirks the Auzzies have developed for themselves down under.

I read this book on a plane ride back from Australia a few years ago, and caught myself laughing out load more than once.

Great book, Bill.

This beautifully produced book captures the vivid impressions and sharp visual statements about life in Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, by the artist and adventurer S.T.Gill. It reproduces the original watercolour sketchbook in the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Limited to an edition of one hundred, the text is printed by letterpress in the facsimile of a 1798 type face, on acid free rag paper with each of the forty-five watercolours printed in fine screen color lithography, and is quarter-bound by hand in goatskin. This book is a fine tribute to the frontiersmen of the nineteenth century.

This book should be in every library collection. It is also a handsome volume for the enthusiast or interested person.It is comprehensive, and contemporary.

Gorgeous colour plates, fully annotated.

Dealing with the mysteries of communities other than our own is a delicate matter. Beyond the more obvious impediments to clear understanding such as language, there lies a world of hidden signs and meanings that only reveal themselves slowly, and only then to the sure-footed. Castaneda has written about such experiences, and others have tried with varying degrees of success. Harvey Arden has, all in all, written a remarkable book about the Australian aborigine and his attempt to find a means of expression after the drab interlude of cultural effacement that followed colonisation.

Are we really surprised that these folk have voices of their own? Some of the more remarkable native or aboriginal people of the late twentieth century, are former alcoholics and derelicts. Seen in another life, just a few years ago, most of Western humanity would have found it degrading to even go near them. And yet these were just superficial aspects of the person, which can be seen past if the intention to look is there. Mr. Arden is such a seeker, obviously. I remember thinking at the time I read "The Dreamkeepers," what an amazing thing it was for this to have been written by an American visitor to Australia. The author seemed to have such a grasp of the people and their environment that I felt, surely it must have taken a local writer to develop this degree of understanding. But no, relative stranger to Australia that he was, Mr. Arden had the human touch required and succeeded where, in my opinion, few others would have. This is a fine book and yet another that does not deserve, at all, to be out of print.

I didn't like how it was so vivid in discribing the rituals of the dreamtime it was not for weak tummies.

This is by far the best I have read regarding the lives and hardships faced by early settlers of the Cooper's Creek region in the 1800's. John Conrick - a most remarkable man and a leader of his time. This book has made it possible to appreciate what life was like in the early years of inland exploration and settlement of Australia. A book obviously written after much research. Relates to the life of John Conrick who was brave enough to venture into the heart of Australia before white settlement. A must read.

What an engaging story! I love novels that can capture the geography and culture of a particular place in time, and this one does that in parallel. As the main character traces the steps of his fathers demise, we move between history and contemporary - between comedy and tragedy. I've always wanted to visit the Western Australian coast, and I feel like I have been there after reading this book. A beautiful and well written first novel by Peter Burke. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I used this Aboriginal story to explain about oral history... and the passing of stories from one generation to the next. I read the story to the children, we then discussed how Daisy would have remembered the story from her childhood to be retold in adulthood. After some time painting we read the story together, demonstrating how it becomes easier to remember a story if you have drawn parts of it yourself.