a joint

Vanuatu guidebook a joint venture

Vanuatu Discover Our Islands. French original by staff and pupils of the Vanuatu Institute of Technology.

English-language edition pre pared by Andrew Thomas.

Published 1981. 188 pp Price

Vt 600 F$A6).

Back in 1979 in the New Hebrides, Philippe Prud homme, a teacher at the French Technical College, and his pu pils produced an excellent French-language guidebook to these islands, called Discover the New Hebrides. This little work was revised the following year by Mr Prudhomme’s suc cessor, Louis Bonneville, and published under the new title of Vanuatu-Discover Our Islands the New Hebrides having changed its name and become ndependent in the meantime.

Now there has just appeared in English translation, with the

additional benefit of a further revision, bringing the story up to date. This one has been produced by Andrew Thomas and a great number of helpers.

This experiment in cooperat ive guidebook writing has re sulted in an invaluable and timely work on this new nation.

The book is particularly notable for a variety of well selected photographs and some excel lent, detailed maps of the islands of Vanuatu.

The 190-page book deals with the history, geography, popu lation, lifestyle, finances, econ omy, etc of Vanuatu, and progresses to a detailed descrip tion of the various island groups. It is an ideal book for visitors, because the descrip tions of most of the islands give almost a palm by palm descrip tion of what is to be seen. The book also tells you what to eat, what to wear, and how to behave in the villages. The scale maps of the main town areas of Port-Vila and Santo are es pecially valuable.

Part of the craft traditions of Vanuatu, a tall slit drum from Ambrym. This photograph is one of more than 150 in the new Vanuatu guide book.