BEYOND THE HORIZON: STORIES FROM CONTEMPORARY INDONESIA
Edited by David T Hill
For many Australians Indonesia holds an irresistible attraction, shimmering on the horizon, alluring but often elusively out of reach. This collection of stories take you beyond that horizon with works by some of Indonesia's most creative contemporary authors. The stories, primarily from Indonesia's leading literary magazine Horison, span the last three decades, when the short story was Indonesia's most popular literary genre. Twenty two stories from 17 different authors, both famous (such as A A Navis, Nh Dini and Mangunwijaya) as well as new (such as M Shoim Anwar).
Monash Asia Institute, 1998, ISBN 0-7326-1164-4, 201pp. Avail: Monash University, Clayton Vic 3168, Australia.

DIVERSE LIVES: SELECTED STORIES FROM INDONESIA
Translated by Jeanette Lingard
Since the 1940s, the short story has established itself as a very popular literary form in modern Indonesian literature. This volume brings together fifteen Indonesian stories written in the 1980s and early 1990s by writers drawn from different parts of the archipelago. Boasting settings ranging from rural villages to urban slums and dealing with issues affecting the lives of the rich and powerful as well as those of the poor and powerless, the stories in this collection present a variety of characters and themes representative of the diversity of Indonesia itself.
Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1996, 123 pp, ISBN 9676531006 (pbk), Rrp US$18.95.

OUTWARD APPEARANCES: DRESSING STATE & SOCIETY IN INDONESIA
Edited by H Schulte Nordholt
In many academic studies most people go naked, in the sense that the most obvious dimension of their appearance, their clothing, is totally neglected. In this book clothes are the focus, perceived as our social and cultural skin. The authors explore the role and meaning of clothing in modern Indonesian history. Papers from a 1993 workshop. The book is dedicated to the memory of our colleague Jacques Leclerc, who died in 1995.
Leiden: KITLV, 1997, 371 pp, ISBN 90-6718-118-8, NLG 50.00.

PAPER LANDSCAPES: EXPLORATIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF INDONESIA
Edited by P Boomgaard, F Colombijn & D
Henley Issues like logging, forest fires, wildlife protection, population growth, pollution and sustainable development have drawn widespread attention in recent years to the problematic relationship between people and environment in Southeast Asia. But too much of what has so far passed for the 'historical background' to Indonesia's environmental problems has consisted of little more than thinly disguised backward projections of modern trends. In this volume, thirteen writers report on their own pioneer journeys into the paper landscapes of the colonial literature and archives in search of the real environmental history of the Indonesian region.
Leiden: KITLV, 1998, 425 pp, ISBN 90-6718-124-2, NLG 60.00.

HALF A CENTURY OF INDONESIAN-AUSTRALIAN INTERACTION
Edited by Anton Lucas
About the interpersonal relationships between Indonesians and Australians, as individuals, not as representatives of government, higher education or commerce. Herb Feith, Ailsa Zainu'ddin, Jamie Mackie, Errol Hodge, Andre Malan, David Penberthy, Ratih Hardjono, Ignas Kleden, and Keith Foulcher tell their personal cross-cultural stories. Contributions at a 1995 conference.
Dept of Asian Studies & Languages, Flinders University, South Australia, 1996, 100pp, ISBN 0-7258-0601-X, avail: Flinders University.

THE SCENTS OF EDEN: A NARRATIVE OF THE SPICE TRADE
By Charles Corn
The Spice Islands of the early 16th century tantalised European imagination to the point of obsession. 'A lucid and comprehensive account spanning the nearly four centuries of international intrigue and bloody struggle for control of the vast riches of the Spice Islands. As in most good history books, readers will be challenged by a wealth of revelatory arcana; for instance, as part of the treaty eliminating England as a player in the Moluccas, Holland traded New Amsterdam - later Manhattan - to the English for a tiny island two miles long and a half mile wide. This is as pleasurable and eye-opening a history as one would hope for, generous in its descriptions of exotic islands and exciting in its depictions of the men who made fortunes in their waters' (Kirkus Reviews).
Kodansha, 1998, 352 pp, US$18.90 (Amazon.com), ISBN 1568362021 (hbk).

INDO SURF & LINGO
By Peter Neely
The original hardcore surfer's guidebook to Indonesia. Describes all of Indonesia's surf spots in detail, with photos, maps and inside info. Features Bali's 27 incredible breaks plus tips on exploring from Sumatra through Java, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba and Timor. There's a thorough easy-to-use language section, designed specially for surfers, to help you explore off the beaten track to discover your own 'New G-Land' or 'New Nias' (From author's promo).
Peter Neely, Mass Market Paperback, 1997 (16th edition), 90 pp, ISBN 0646301152, Rrp US$22 (avail: amazon.com).

REPORT ON THE ANTI-SUBVERSION TRIALS IN INDONESIA
By International Commission of Jurists (Australian Section)
Senior Australian lawyers report their observations of the political trials of labour leader Mucthar Pakpahan and PRD members Petrus Haryanto, Ken Budha Kusumandaru, Garda Sembiring, Eko Kurniawan, Suroso, Pranowa, and Wilson bin Nurtyas in Jakarta early in 1997. The report criticises the use of the subversion law, lists procedural violations in all cases, and calls for greater access by international observers to political trials.
ICJ (Aust. section), March 1998, 34 pp, avail: The secretary, ICJ, GPO Box 173, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia.

Available from Australia in Asia:

PANGKOPKAMTIB JENDERAL SOEMITRO DAN PERISTIWA JANUARI 1974.
H Cahyono
The much-awaited account of General Soemitro's controversial role in the anti-Japanese riots (Malari) of January 1974.
Pustaka Sinar Harapan, 1998, 312pp, AU$22.

ZAMAN BARU, ISLAM BARU
D Dj Malik & I S Ibrahim
The political thoughts and actions of Abdurrahman Wahib, M Amien Rais, Nurcholish Madjid and Jalaluddin Rakhmat; pluralism within Islam.
Zaman Wacana Muli, 1998, 337pp, AU$20.

ANALISIS KEJAHATAN PERBANKAN
H As Mahmoeddin
Analysis of banking crime. The author is an economics graduate from Gadjah Mada University and former head of Bank Rakyat Indonesia.
Rafflesia, 1997, 304pp, AU$15.

TINDAK PIDANA PERBANKAN
M Sholehuddin
A study of 967 cases of crime in the banking sector between 1983 and 1996 by a PhD candidate at Diponegoro University.
Raja Grafindo Persada, November 1997, 232pp, AU$21.

Avail: Asia in Australia Pty Ltd, asiaia@netinfo.com.au, PO Box 10, O'Connor ACT 2601, Australia, tel 02-6257 2969, fax 02-6257 2162.