Islands in the Clouds: Travels in the Highlands of New Guinea (Paperback)

by Isabella Tree (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The island of New Guinea is hardly the most hospitable place in the world. Dozens of live volcanoes punctuate the mountainous terrain and tremors shake the island daily. So high are the mountains of Papua New Guinea that this most tropical of islands actually boasts snow on its highest peaks. Not until the middle of the 19th century did Europeans pay much attention to a land that apparently offered little in the way of natural resources; when the Dutch finally arrived in 1848, they claimed only the western half of the island. By the beginning of the 20th century, all of New Guinea had been claimed, but only the coastal regions were settled or explored. No one knew that hidden amidst the forbidding peaks of the central highlands were one million tribal people and the island's most fertile lands.

By the time Isabella Tree arrived in Papua New Guinea, the highlands and its people had been discovered by the West, and their lives were rapidly being transformed--not always for the better. In Islands in the Clouds, Tree takes the reader on a remarkable journey through this extraordinary, perilous land. Weaving historical events into present experience, Tree limns a moving portrait of New Guinea--its people, culture, and its rapidly vanishing way of life.

Product Description
This is the fascinating account of Tree's journeys in the remote Highlands of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya--one of the most dangerous regions on Earth. The author travels with a PNG Highlander who introduces her to his complex, traditional world, a world that is changing rapidly as it encounters new ideas, modern technologies, and the economic and political challenges of the 20the century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864423691
• ISBN-13: 978-0864423696
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,456,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Introduction to PNG, April 7, 2000

By	T. C. Ross (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Islands in the Clouds is one of the better travelogues to come out as part of the Lonely Planet Journeys series. Tree gives a good overview of the history, sociology and culture of the highlands of Papua New Guinea in an well-paced, beautifully written tale. Adding to the value of the book is its Tok Pisin glossary, which makes for a nice introduction to the pidgin/creole language of PNG.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interested in New Guinea? You'll enjoy this book very much., August 11, 1999

By	j. michalski (Morristown, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

I've been to Papua New Guinea, and I found this a very enjoyable read. Isabella Tree lets you get to know the people she meets, and her writing style really takes you along with her. This is just a short note to say "give this one a try."