In 1963 Indonesia took over the former Dutch colony of West New Guinea. In the decade since, this large resource-rich Melanesian area, now Irian Jaya, has undergone rapid change to become an integrated province of the comparatively resource-poor Republic of Indonesia. Under the culturally alien Dutch administration change was slow and felt predominantly in the towns. Under the equally alien Indonesian administration the pace of change has accelerated and the effects have been more dramatic, even traumatic.

The narrative of W. E. Giles is the fullest and least biased account of a voyage in a labour recruiting vessel which is known to exist. The author paints a vivid picture of the dangers - from hostile natives to drunken cooks - and discomforts of a voyage in a small ship of his day. Giles was an acute observer with the ability to record what he saw in graphic terms. He describes in detail the varied receptions which met European visitors to Melanesia in the 1870s and the manner in which Pacific islanders left their homes for work on foreign plantations.

The story of the origins of the Commonwealth Bank begins with the influence of English ideas of banking and currency reform on Australian thinking a century ago. It takes the reader through nineteenth-century financial crises, the Labor Party's early determination to control banking, the setting up of credit fonder, and the issue of state notes, to the passing of the Act to establish the Bank in 1911. Next Dr Gollan examines the role of Denison Miller as first Governor of the Bank, and the impetus given to the Bank by its crucial position during World War I.

In a country as vast as China, and one with provinces long accustomed to autonomy, each with its own sense of identity, a strong national government is essential for effective national economic planning.

This book describes and analyses the financial system in Malaya and Singapore as it had developed up to 1967, revealing, in particular, the transition from external domination to financial independence which has taken place in the last decade. While the work concentrates on the period after World War II, it also gives a complete account of historical events concerning the evolution of the system. This is the first up-to-date and comprehensive discussion of the financial problems of the Malayan region.

The existing literature on the experience of Australia and Australians in wars is surprisingly vast. Also in time of peace, particularly before the First World War, there have been vigorous episodes in the national defence debate which are well documented but in sources which are frequently difficult to discover. This volume attempts to survey and list the major historical sources in these fields, both official and non-official, for the period 1891-1939, the years which will be spanned by Volumes 7-12 of the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Sheep and their wool, the strong backbone that helped colonial Australia walk upright, have a proud place in Australian hearts and in the national record. But the romance of wool has often shrouded the hard facts, and the myths developed by and around the pioneers have distorted an important story. John Garran, sheep-breeder and historian, was convinced that the history written from the study chair be corrected from the farm. He brought a critical eye, practical experience and a great interest in genetics to tracing the origins and development of sheep in Australia.