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THE ADMIRAL'S BABY
By Laurens Van Der Post
Laurens Van Der Post was a British soldier interned in Java by the Japanese during World War II. In the revolutionary aftermath he played a remarkable peacemaking role, mediating between the Indonesians with their 'tough and urgent' popular nationalism, and the returning Dutch, who 'had eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear'. Van Der Post afterwards became a well- known writer on Africa and on the human spirit. He died just after this book was written, aged 90.
William Morrow, 1997, 352pp, hbk ISBN 0688151043, Rrp US$27.50.
NATIONS AND STATES IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
By Nicholas Tarling
A provocative book on the emergence of the nation-states of modern Southeast Asia, from the eighteenth century to the present. The first section gives a broad historical overview, the second reflects on problems in understanding Southeast Asia's past and present, the third explores the current state of writing Southeast Asian history. Reflects a lifetime's scholarship and will become a major interpretive synthesis of modern Southeast Asia.
Cambridge University Press, May 1998, 152pp, pbk ISBN 0 521 62564 5, Stg 12.95.
ASIAN FREEDOMS
The idea of freedom in East and Southeast Asia
Edited by David Kelly & Anthony Reid
Western ideas of freedom have become widely accepted in Asia, and are the key determinant for measuring a range of legal, ethical and political practices. But modern conceptions of freedom throughout Asia are rooted in local histories, institutions and practices, becoming adapted to local contexts. The book avoids cultural relativism and blanket generalisations, but does find a number of common ideas relating to freedom across the region. A prestigious group of contributors explores freedom from historical, religious, political and ideological perspectives, acknowledging the many variations in the theme of human liberation. Tony Reid wrote the chapter on Indonesia.
Cambridge University Press, May 1998, 240pp, pbk ISBN 0 521 63757 0, Stg 14.95.
BALI STYLE
By Barbara Walker, Rio Helmi (photos)
JAVA STYLE
By Peter Schoppert, Tara Sosrowardoyo (photos)
Sumptious books celebrating the architecture, interior design, furniture and lifestyles of Bali and of Java. Shown here are traditional bamboo dwellings in Bali, the temples that dot the countryside, palaces, and a profusion of sculptures. In Java, we see the pavilions of a 500-year old mosque, the colonnades of the sultan's palace, the courtyard of an old Chinese mansion.
Thames & Hudson. 'Bali style': 1996, 231pp, ISBN 050023714X, AU$85 at Nusantara Bookshop; 'Java style': 1997, 208pp, ISBN 0500018081, AU$79.95.
ORANG-UTANS IN BORNEO
By Gisela Kaplan & Lesley Rogers
Photography by Gisela Kaplan
Orang-utans have been the least appreciated of the great apes. Although Hollywood has taken a fancy to them, few people can accurately picture them as they are in real life - fruit-eating, brachiating, solitary (or semi-solitary) primates living high in the rainforest canopy. 'Orang-Utans in Borneo' represents the most comprehensive book-length behavioural work to be published so far. Based on field work observations by the authors, as well as incorporating all previous field work results in the area. (From the foreword by Gary Shapiro).
University of New England (UNE) Press 1994; Publications Office, UNE, Armidale NSW 2351, Australia, tel 61-026773-2819 AU$A30. USA orders to: Primate Information Center, 1101 Westlake Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109-3527, USA, tel 1-206-543-4376, fax 1-206-616-1540, email otsuka@u.washington.edu (Chizuko Otsuka-Gooding) US$23.50 (originally $49.95).
MEGADIVERSITY: EARTH'S BIOLOGICALLY WEALTHIEST NATIONS
By Conservation International
More than two-thirds of the earth's biological resources are found within just 17 countries, only two of which are developed nations. If these countries are ranked according to endemism and species diversity, the top countries include Brazil, Indonesia, Colombia, Australia, Mexico and Madagascar. As much as 80% of the world's most endangered biodiversity occurs within the megadiversity countries. It is hoped that this book will be a tool to prioritise global conservation efforts, in order to
safeguard earth's biological wealth.
Conservation International, 2501 M Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037, USA, tel (202) 429-5660, fax (202) 887-0192, US$60. Megadiversity data tables are included in CI's Web site, http://www.conservation.org/.
THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
By Jenne de Beer & Melanie McDermott
'Non-timber forest products' include foods, medicines, spices, oils, resins, gums, latexes, ornamental plants, wildlife, fuelwood and raw materials like rattan, smallwood and fibres. Until now they have been grossly undervalued. While the
exploitation of virgin tropical forest for timber has been, with only a few exceptions, devastating, the exploitation of non- timber forest products can leave the forest very much as it is.
Netherlands Committee for IUCN, October 1996 (revised ed), 200pp, pbk ISBN 90-75909-01-2. Avail: 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK, tel (44)-1223-277175, fax (44)-1223-277136; or: Netherlands fax +31-20- 6235203, email mil-boek@dds.nl, http://www.iucn.org.
THE BIRDS OF PARADISE
By Clifford Frith & Bruce Beehler
Birds of Paradise have long played a central part in human mythologies and captured the imagination of collectors, scientists, and naturalists - and fashion designers. This is the first comprehensive, up-to-date monograph on the behaviour, biology, ecology, biogeography and natural history of the most ornate and dramatic group of birds on earth. Following the other volumes in the series the illustrations are first-rate. The 12 colour plates depict all 42 species, while the line drawings illustrate many behavioural traits never before recorded.
Oxford University Press (UK), July 1998, 610pp, ISBN 019-854853-2, Rrp Stg 50.
Three Indonesian books:
PERJALANAN HIDUP A H NASUTION
Biography of Indonesia's best known and rather loved old soldier, described here as 'a general without troops, a politician without a party'.
Pusat Data dan Analisa Tempo & Institut Studi Arus Informasi,
1998, 416pp, AU$29.
MENGGUGAT POLITIK ORDE BARU
Syamsuddin Harris
Well-known liberal academic analyses the New Order during its dying moments.
Pustaka Utama Grafiti & Institut Studi Arus Informasi,
1998, 357pp, AU$25.
ABRI PUNYA GOLKAR
Golkar, the government political party that sustained the New Order, always had the military at its core.
Institut Studi Arus Informasi, 1997, AU$15.50.
Asia in Australia Pty Ltd, asiaia@netinfo.com.au, PO Box 10, O'Connor ACT 2601, Australia, tel 02-6257 2969, fax 02-6257 2162.
THE POLITICS OF INDONESIA
By Damien Kingsbury
Indonesian political life encompasses power plays, the making and winning of fabulous fortunes, loyalty and betrayal, jealousy and intrigue, and violence, both symbolic and real. Charting the rise and fall of President Suharto, this book provides an up-to-date overview of the contentious issues of corruption, human rights, economic development, the political role of the armed forces, and national unity. As one of Asia's most important nations, the world's fourth largest state, and its biggest Islamic nation, Indonesia is increasingly finding itself at odds with the rest of the world.
Oxford University Press (Melbourne), August 1998, pbk ISBN 0- 19-550626-X, AU$29.95.
Inside Indonesia 56: Oct-Dec 1998
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