New Books

ISLES OF SPICE by Frank Clune.

Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney. 12/6. „ lon Idriess —most productive of Aus tralian writers and, in a financial sense, the most successful —will have to look to his laurels. This merry, irresponsible Frank Clune, who goes wandering 911 around Australia’s coasts and nearby is lands, and writing and broadcasting his adventures, seems to be giving us a new book every few months. They have little literary value. Yet they are entertain ing and instructive; and the Australian public, weary of the introspections and inhibitions of sqb-sisters, and the imag inings of crime-hungry morons, are buy ing the books freely, and joining gladly with Mr. Clune in his zestful quest of knowledge, and his rollicking good humour. His books have the salty flavour of the tropical seas, and the cleanliness of the winds in the wide, open spaces.

“Isles of Spice” is simply an account of “a vagabond voyage by air from Botany Bay to Darwin, Bathurst Island, Timor, Java, Borneo, Celebes and French Indo-China”. We thought that every

thing worth a b°ut, in these lands, had been discovered and described; but M r. Clune goes among them, like an inquisitive kid out of school, getting into much quaint mischief, re-discovering the old things, presenting new angles and new discoveries, and re-telling history in an entertaining way. His book is well worth reading, because of its entertainment value; and well worth keeping as

a record, because of the tireless industry with which he has collected hundreds of interesting and useful facts. Unfortun ately, it is not indexed.

Producer Gas For Motor

VEHICLES, by John D. Cash and Mar tin G. Cash. Published by Angus and Robertson, Sydney. 10/-.

With the threatened rationing of petrol throughout the Empire, owing to the need for conserving American funds to purchase war materials, private and commercial motorists are looking about for an efficient substitute fuel.

This timely new book sets forth con cisely and fully the case for producer gas. The principles, construction and use of gas plants are explained in detail; maintenance and driving tech nique are also dealt with. Instructions and suggestions are given that will enable mechanically-minded Islands men to build their own producer units. There are 53 illustrations and an index.

Elementary Dietetics, By G. E.

Dupain. Published by George B. Philip and Son, Sydney. 3/-.

To residents in the tropics, a thorough knowledge of food and its uses is essen tial for continued good health. In this slim volume, the author gives a “bird’s eye view” of modern dietetics in non technical language and shows how vari ous foods should be used to restore, build up and preserve first-class health.

In addition to chapters dealing with “Food Values”, “Meal Planning”, and “Food Preservation and Storage”, a section is devoted to canned foods and their uses.

Roamer Gold Sluicing, Ltd., of New Guinea, is now in voluntary liquidation.