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MILLER, Charles C. Black Borneo
. 9838120979 [First published 1946]. Reprint 2004. Illustrated, pp 220, paperback, a very good copy. [Chronicles a remarkable journey through the wildest heart of Borneo. Charles C. Miller, with some degree of haughtiness, makes a clear distinction between an explorer and a tramp - a tramp tramps around; the explorer tries to justify it. Amply supported and accompanied by a financial backer, he set off to Borneo stopping in Java on the way to marry said financial backer! The starting point of this expedition was Banjarmasin in then Dutch Borneo (Kalimantan) where Mrs Miller promptly fell ill with malaria. Leaving her behind to recuperate, the author embarked on a journey up the Mahakam River, through Apo-Kajan territory and back down to the coast. Along the way he is beset by every imaginable hardship and misfortune. The jungle, climate and insects have a field day with Mr Miller as he is further plagued by the various adats (customs) of the native tribes that impede rather speed his exploration. Waiting for just the right omen that would determine the success or failure of his expedition is a continuous battle of the nerves. In true swashbuckling fashion, he describes his journey with such candor and humour you can’t begrudge him of his preconceived ideas of the people he meets, their lifestyle and attitudes. Observance of the various adat, which he describes most expressively, meant that he had to spend large amounts of time confined to a particular spot in the middle of a teeming jungle or a village until a suitable omen is observed. He adapts quickly to this innate obsession of adat, which dictates almost every aspect of a native’s life that he manages to come up with some of his own. His disdain for head-hunting can only be matched by his staunched belief that it is merely an act of cowardice unbecoming of a warrior tribe. He however has a healthy respect for the womenfolk and their iron-clad hold on their men. A whole chapter is dedicated to these "hell-cats" with hilarious results. He is an admirer of the physical built and grace of the Dyak he worked and lived with, their elegant posture in full costume and regalia and ability to relate everything that happens in their lives to the will and desires of the numerous spirits and ghosts that inhabit the natural world. This book is funny, charming, hugely entertaining and a definite must for any collector of books on Borneo.] (Book ref. 005112) £8.50
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Hutton, Wendy Kinabatangan (Sabah Colour guide)
. 9838120936 Well illustrated, pp viii, 100, paperback, a very good copy. [An excellent little guide to what can be discovered along Sabah's longest river. The Kinabatangan is one of the most exciting and easily accessible places to explore the rich biodiversity of Sabah. From Kampung Abai near the river mouth, on to the major village of Sukau and further upriver as far as Batu Putih, the lower Kinabatangan offers an incredible opportunity to see a large range of wildlife including Borneo’s unique proboscis monkeys, the orangutan, Bornean pygmy elephants, crocodiles, otters and countless rare and beautiful birds. This well-illustrated book reveals the fascinating history of the lower Kinabatangan; its people, the Orang Sungei, and the plants and animals that can be discovered in its differing habitats. It also acts as a practical guide to accommodation and transport in the region, easily reached from Sandakan or Kota Kinabalu. ] (Book ref. 004720) £8.50
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Pedrono, Miguel The Tortoises and Turtles of Madagascar
. 983812124X Well illustrated, large 8vo, pp vi, 147, a very good copy in dustwrapper. [Madagascar has a rich and diverse reptile fauna including several species of chelonians that are found nowhere else. It is home to such spectacular species as the Radiated Tortoise, Astrochelys radiata, the Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides, and the Ploughshare Tortoise, Astrochelys yniphora; which is considered to be the world’s rarest tortoise and one of the most endangered reptiles. The Tortoises and Turtles of Madagascar is the first book to cover all the living and extinct chelonians of Madagascar. This book is an authoritative and comprehensive guide covering every known aspect of their natural history. Recent field studies that have been carried out by the author and others to provide a better understanding of these species’ ecology are synthesised in this publication. Practical species accounts provide accurate details of species identification, distribution, ecology and conservation, and are complemented by numerous beautiful photographs of Malagasy tortoises and turtles in the wild. Up-to-date information on the status of their populations is also presented, and there are details on the best sites to observe tortoises and turtles in Madagascar.] (Book ref. 004718) £35.00
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WONG, K.M. & KAMARIAH, A.S. Forests and Trees Of Brunei Darussalam
. 9917-1-033-7 NEW. Well illustrated, small 8vo, pp (6), 109, paperback, a very good copy. [Packed into the relatively small area of Brunei Darussalam is an amazing plant diversity of nearly 3500 species of indigenous seed plants. Almost 3% of these are extremely rare and endemic to Brunei, and nearly half of the overall Brunei seed-plant flora is not known outside of the botanically rich island of Borneo. Of the species documented, more than half of the total 1900 species are trees. This book gives an overview of Brunei Darussalam's varied rain forests and its incredibly rich plant wealth, and explains why the rain forests are an important aspect of conservation.] (Book ref. 003679) £12.00
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Ibbotson, Ross Silimpopon - a Borneo Coal Mine
Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2007. 9789833987009 Well illustrated, large 8vo, pp x, 199, a very good copy in dustwrapper. [In the early 20th century, the Silimpopon Coal Mine - the only such mine in Sabah (then known as North Borneo) - operated for more than 25 years in a remote location a few miles upriver from Tawau. Owned by the London-based Cowie Harbour Coal Company, the mine was staffed with European managers and engineers. While some locals were also employed, the majority of the mine labourers were Chinese coolies imported directly from China. At its height the mine housed a community of more than 3000, greater than the population of Tawau at that time. It was a self-contained community, with its own shops, hospital and police as well as the necessary workshops. A railway with Andrew Barclay locomotives provided the only means of transport to the Silimpopon River - for both coal and people. This book provides a detailed look at the Silimpopon Coal Mine. It not only includes many technical details (and illustrations) of its workings and accounts of the numerous technical reports commissioned (and often ignored). The financial (mis)fortunes of the mine are also closely followed. Readers more interested in social history than coal mining will be fascinated by the extraordinary collection of historical photographs which illustrate accounts of mine life - from the very primitive underground working conditions to the social life of the mine managers and their wives. (Book ref. 005125) £35.00
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KEITH, Agnes Newton White Man Returns
Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2008. 9789833987290 (Originally published in 1991). pp xii, 310, paperback, a very good copy. [This book relates how, after the release from captivity of Agnes Keith, her husband and her young son during the Japanese war in Borneo, they returned to the shattered British colony in North Borneo. She writes as a woman, as a wife and a mother, and her book is purely a personal experience story, related with a fine flair for detail and her keen sense of humour. White Man Returns is a sympathetic and sensitive story of the relationships between a devoted white family and the Chinese, the Indians, the Muruts and the Eurasians whom the Keiths in so many ways have tried to help. But above all, it is a record of the author’s own growth in understanding and love for her fellow human beings the world over.] (Book ref. 005117) £11.50
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EVANS, Stephen R.; Abdul Rahman Zainal & Rod Wong Khet Ngee The History of Labuan (Victoria Island)
Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2007. 9789833987207 (Originally privately published in 1996). Illustrated, pp viii, 108, paperback, a very good copy. [A very detailed account of Labuan's history from its time as a British colony (under various administrations), Japanese occupation, its inclusion in the post-war colony of North Borneo, and its handing over to the Federal Government, which has made in an International Offshore Financial Centre.] (Book ref. 005113) £6.99
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Inger, Robert F. And Stuebing, Robert B. A Field Guide to the Frogs of Borneo. (Second edition).
. 983-812-085-5 Very well illustrated, 8vo, pp viii, 201, paperback, very good copy. [Covers the species most likely to be seen, and identifiable without the aid of a microscope. Introduces the non-specialist reader to the natural history of this diverse, colourful, and sometimes bizarre-looking section of the fauna of Borneo. About 150 species of frogs are now known from Borneo and the number continues to grow. Many of these species are unique to Borneo, and a number of them are still known only from one or two sightings. As these animals live in all sorts of environments from stream banks to forest canopy, from lowland rice fields to montane forests, they are likely to be encountered by hikers with an interest in natural history. For each species, a description and summary of natural history are presented. 81 species are illustrated by a colour photo. In addition, introductory chapters summarize the general biology of frogs and their ecology, enabling the reader to understand how these animals fit into the complex ecosystems of Borneo.] (Book ref. 002967) £14.00
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Foreign & Commonwealth Office EXCHANGES of DESPATCHES and LETTERS concerning the GUURANTEE by the UNITED KINGDOM and the MAINTENANCE of the MINIMUM STERLING PROPORTION by certain OVERSEAS STERLING AREA GOVERNMENTS. September 1968..
London: HMSO, 1968. 20pp. 8vo. Paper wrappers. Rebound in card covers. British Parliamentary Paper. Cmd.3835. Miscellaneous No.20 (1968). Neat library/date mark. Cmd.3835. A very clean copy. (Book ref. 159463) £6.00
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Silver, Lynette Ramsay Sandakan - a Conspiracy of Silence
Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2007. 9789833987047 Fourth revised edition. Illustrated, thick 8vo, pp viii, 483, paperback, a very good copy. [It is August 1945 and World War 2 is over. Japan has surrendered. As the Western world rejoices, deep in the jungles of British North Borneo the small number of remaining Australian and British prisoners of war are massacred. Of the 2434 prisoners incarcerated by the Japanese at the Sandakan POW camp, only six, all escapees, have survived. The POWs, sent from Singapore in 1942 - 1943 to work on airfield construction, endured frequent beatings and were subjected to other, more diabolical punishment. Sustained only by an inadequate and ever-diminishing rice-ration and with little medical attention, many died of malnutrition, maltreatment and disease. In 1945, in response to an order from the Japanese High Command that no prisoners were to survive the war, those still able to walk were sent on a series of death marches into the interior. Anyone unable to keep up was ruthlessly murdered. Those left behind were systematically starved to death, or massacred. In late 1944 the Allies, aware that POWs were being ‘eliminated’, had evolved a plan for their rescue, a rescue which, after months of bungling, was finally cancelled in April 1945, in the erroneous belief that the camp had been evacuated. Gross incompetence and faulty intelligence were to blame for the failed rescue attempt. When it was realised that mistakes and stupidity were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men, those at the highest level shifted the blame to others, before embarking upon a policy of willful and deliberate suppression. Desperate to obtain information, grieving relatives wrote to newspapers, begging for information and asking the reason for the secrecy. ‘The story of the greatest tragedy in Australian military history remains to be written’, wrote one, in 1946. ‘Who will undertake the task?’ (Book ref. 005108) £14.00
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TAN HEOK HUI The Borneo Suckers - a revision of the Torrent Loaches of Borneo. (Balitoridae : Gastromyzon, Neogastromyzon.]
. 983-812-105-3 Illustrated, large 8vo, pp viii, 245, a very good copy in dustwrapper. [The systematics of the genera Gastromyzon, Hypergastromyzon and Neogastromyzon of the family Balitoridae, all of which are endemic to Borneo, are revised. These genera possess an increased number and enlarged size in the pectoral and pelvic fins, fused pelvic fins and dorso-ventrally flattened bodies. They live in the headwater and hillstreams, typically in fast-flowing water over a rocky substratum. All type material of the 21 known species of Gastromyzon is re-described, with another 15 new species described. The genus Gastromyzon, now with 36 species, is divided into 11 artificial species groups: Gastromyzon borneensis group, G. punctulatus group, G. fasciatus group, G. contractus group, G. ctenocephalus group, G. lepidogaster group, G. ridens group, G. danumensis group, G. pariclavis group, G. ocellatus group and G. auronigrus group. The status of G. borneensis and G. lepidogaster is resolved with fresh topotypical material. The taxonomy of G. borneensis, G. danumensis, G. fasciatus, G. lepidogaster and G. punctulatus is clarified with fresh material and material from a wider distribution. A lectotype is designated for G. monticola. The life colouration of 26 species of Gastromyzon is illustrated, together with line drawings of juveniles of 15 species.The genus Neogastromyzon is also revised and the identities of the two known species clarified and another four new species are described. All type material is illustrated, with life colouration of 3 species. A brief diagnosis of Hypergastromyzon is also included. An artificial key is provided for all species of Gastromyzon, Hypergastromyzon and Neogastromyzon. The biogeographical, ecological observations and biology of these balitorids are compiled and presented. (Book ref. 003757) £45.00
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LIM BOO LIAT & INDRANEIL DAS. Turtles of Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia
. 983-812-039-1 NEW. Well illustrated, 8vo, pp (8), 151, dustwrapper, a very good copy.[The Turtles of Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia provides an account of the turtles, tortoises and terrapins of a tropical region known for its rich biodiversity. In all, 25 species are described and illustrated, including two exotics that are now established. All marine, terrestrial and freshwater species have been covered. The introductory chapters include a general introduction to these reptiles and an identification key to the turtles of the region. For each species, there is a section on identification, including descriptions of males, females and juveniles, the meaning of the current scientific name, its global and local distribution, notes on natural history (including behaviour, habitats used, diet and reproduction), and conservation status. A glossary of technical terms is also given] (Book ref. 003756) £21.00
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ATACK, Katherine A Field Guide to the Fishes of Kuching Rivers, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
. 983-812-113-4 Well illustrated, pp xii, 200, a good copy in dustwrapper. [Introduces the non-taxonomic reader to the variety of fish species in the mostly estuarine rivers running through the city of Kuching. Many of the species are illustrated with some of the most stunning photography yet seen in any fish guide. One hundred and two species are described with detailed information on the appearance, habitat and distribution. These species range from freshwater species that can tolerate low salinity levels to marine species that visit freshwater. This book covers the species most likely to be seen, and provides characteristics to enable identification without the use of a microscope or anatomy dissection. In addition, the introductory chapters give a brief review of Sarawak and Kuching, before providing a general outline of fish habitats, biology and ecology. A Field Guide to the Fishes of Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo will be of interest to fish biologists, anglers, biology students and anyone interested in tropical estuarine biology or with an interest in the natural history of Borneo and Asia.] (Book ref. 003684) £22.50
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Smythies, Bertram E. (Revised By G.W. H. Davison) The Birds of Borneo. [FOURTH EDITION]
. 983-812-028-6 New. In stock in UK now. Fourth edition, revised by Geoffrey Davison, and with special chapters by Tom Harrisson, The Earl of Cranbrook, Lim Chan Koon & J.D. Freeman. 57 colour plates, pp xii, 853, a very good copy in dustwrapper. [ Borneo, the world’s third largest island and the biggest land mass in the Malay Archipelago, has a rich avifauna (622 species), where 70% of the recorded bird species are dependent on the Southeast Asian lowland tropical rain forest for their survival. In recent years, severe new challenges have arisen, such as fire, drought and forest loss. This edition of a book first produced in 1960 carries newly written chapters on the Borneo environment for birds, migration, conservation, and cave swiftlets, and re-introduced from the first edition those classic chapters on birds and man, bird augury and the Iban hornbill ritual. It will provide invaluable insights as it sets the avian scene for the massive changes likely to occur in Borneo over the next few decades. There are 57 plates, illustrating 394 species, including the 45 colour and 4 monochrome plates from the first edition. Recent information about behaviour, occurrence, habitat and nesting has been incorporated, as well as an update of the history of Borneo ornithology.] [Very heavy - please enquire for extra shipping charges.] (Book ref. 003036) £85.00
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THORNDIKE E. Brunei. The definitive issues and postal cancellations to 1974.
Cockrill Series Booklet No 34., n.d. 52pp. Clean in card covers. (Book ref. WOPHB0799) £6.00
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Schlechter, R. Die Orchidaceen von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea
Koenigstein: Otto Koeltz Antiquariat, 1974. 3874290700 Two volumes. (Originally published 1911 - 1928). Facsimile reprint. Volume 1 - large thick 8vo, pp lxvi, 1079. Volume 2 - Figuren Atlas - large 8vo, 372 plates of simple line drawings. Red cloth, very slightly worn, spines faded. [Alasdair Morrison's copy with his signature in both volumes). (Book ref. 006637) £80.00
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Schlechter, R. The Orchidaceae of German New Guinea (incorporating the Figure Atlas to the above). [A Translation of Die Orchidaceen Von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea]
Melbourne: The Australian Orchid Foundation, 1982. 0959538437 [Originally published between 1911 and 1928, this is the first and only English translation]. Illustrated with line drawings, 2 folding maps, large thick 8vo, pp (12), 1180, fore-edge a little foxed, scattered foxing internally, green cloth, a good sound copy. (Very heavy - extra postage may be required if sending abroad). (Book ref. 003326) £75.00
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MARSHALL, P.J. (ed): The Cambridge illustrated history of the British Empire.
London: Book Club Associates by arrangement Cambridge Univ Press, 1996. Nr fine navy cloth h/b with gilt lettering to spine; Nr fine col illus d/w with white/black lettering, not pc or chipped. 20.75cms x 26cms, 400pp. Col map eps. Col & b/w illus throughout. Preface, intro, 3 parts (15 chaps), conc, ref guide. Clean, unmarked copy. Weight 1626g. (Book ref. 2450) £9.50
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Mogea, Johanis P.; Djunaedi Gandawidjaja (et al) Tumbukan Langka Indonesia (Rare Plants of Indonesia)
Bogor, Indonesia: Balai Penelitian Botani, Herbarium Bogoriense, 2001. 9795790366 Indonesian text. Illustrated with a few colour photographs, small slim 8vo, pp xiv, 86, paperback, a good copy from the library of the Asian orchid specialist Jim Comber with his stamp on the half title. (Book ref. 006585) £4.00
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Chong Han San & Low Al Fuah The Tamu - Sabah's Native Market
Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2008. Paperback. Very Good. 9789833987930 Well illustrated, small 8vo, pp viii, 134, paperback, the slightest signs of wear to the covers, but a very good copy. (Book ref. 006584) £10.00
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