Pick of the paperlacks

THE CROCODILE, by Vincent Eri, was first published in 1970 and was hailed as a milestone in South Pacific Islands literary history being the first published novel written by a Papua New Guinean. It did two things. It opened a window onto the Papuan scene which, less than 50 years ago, was a closed book to most people.

And it became an example to other would-be authors in Papua New Guinea and, indeed, in the other South Pacific Islands. What one Islander could do, another could emulate, so that, today, there is a growing and important circle of writers, of poetry, of prose, of plays, in Papua Ntew Guinea and, through MANA in PIM, in Fiji, Western Samoa and the other Island territories. The Crocodile is now in paperback to reach an even wider circle. Eri tells the story of a Papuan villager's dilemma —one which must exist in emerging communities all over the undeveloped world —as he finds him self between the cultures of his own world and that of the white man, between pagan ways and the ways of a Christian. His wife has been taken by a crocodile. As one born into Papuan culture he must revenge his wife's death on the sorcerer who caused it. But the beliefs and ways of the European must also be con sidered. (Penguin, $1.20.) THE BARBARIANS, by Catherine H. Berndt and Ronald M. Berndt, asks the question "Who are the bar barians?" Are they the Aborigines of Australia, the men of the New Guinea Highlands, or the people of Britain or the United States? The authors, both anthropologists, who have worked in the Australian Abo riginal field and in New Guinea, demonstrate, by contrasting the societies of the European with those of the so-called undeveloped peoples, how each society is both civilised and barbaric. After all, what's the dif ference between a shrunken human head from the Jivaro Indians of South America and a lampshade made from the skin of a Jew killed in a Nazi concentration camp? (Pelican, $1.70.)

Homosexual, Oppression And

LIBERATION, by Dennis Altman, is one man's account of his personal liberation as a homosexual—libera tion as, not from. Apart from being the odyssey of what the heterosexual

regards as an odd bod, it answers many of the criticisms aimed at Gay Lib. Before World War 11, in a court room in the north of England more than 20 men crowded into the dock for sentence for homosexual offences.

One shouted across the courtroom before being led out to start a prison term, "Our love will be recognised some day". His prophecy is coming true all over the world! For those who would wish to delve even deeper than Altman goes, there's an impressive bibliography covering eight pages. (Penguin, $1.60.)

A History Of New Zealand, By

Keith Sinclair, is a study in the de velopment of New Zealand's society from the voyages of Captain Cook and the foundation of the colony to the present day. The work was first published in 1959 and has been re vised by the author to bring it up to date. Mr Sinclair ranges wide over the New Zealand scene, covering race relations—important in a country which has a city (Auckland) with the largest Polynesian community in the world —politics, economics and cul tural change. The New Zealander, unlike the Australian, sees himself as a Pacific Islander which is perhaps why New Zealand has been so generous with the Island territories, pouring into the Islands more money and aid, per head of population, than any other country. (Pelican, $1.60.)

Britain's Legacy Overseas, By

Geoffrey Bolton, is a paperback study of Britain's relationship with her colonies and former colonies. The author is Professor of Modern History at the University of Western Aus tralia, and he brings a fresh approach to this study of the Empire, "the histories of which," he says, "have declined like the decline of the British Empire". He dives right into his subject in the first paragraph: "The British Empire was founded under Elizabeth I and dispersed under Elizabeth 11. It survived no longer than the Roman or the Spanish Em pires, but its impact was greater than that of either, because it involved a greater number and variety of peoples. Four nations, the US, Canada, Australia and NZ originated in British colonies of settlement." Full of fascinating tacts about the diffusion of British customs and institutions. (Oxford University Press, $2.10.)