Volcanic eruptions have killed thousands of people and damaged homes, villages, infrastructure, subsistence gardens, and hunting and fishing grounds in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The central business district of a town was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in the case of Rabaul in 1994. Volcanic disasters litter not only the recent written history of both countries—particularly Papua New Guinea—but are recorded in traditional stories as well. Furthermore, evidence for disastrous volcanic eruptions many times greater than any witnessed in historical times is to be found in the geological record. Volcanic risk is greater today than at any time previously because of larger, mainly sedentary populations on or near volcanoes in both countries. An attempt is made in this book to review what is known about past volcanic eruptions and disasters with a view to determining how best volcanic risk can be reduced today in this tectonically complex and volcanically threatening region.

This book is a sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. A party of British adventurers, who had been ballooning, but whose trip had ended by being cast away on a Pacific island, have various setbacks due to both pirates and convicts who had escaped from jails in mainland Australasia. They realise that at times there appears to be some kind of entity that is looking after them. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Onge of Little Andaman, one of the surviving important Negrito com­munities in the world, have a very small static population since last four decades. There have been several critical issues pertaining to adopting the induced changes in their habitat and economy. The volume presents detailed documentation and in-depth analysis of the situation and concerns related to their survival. The volume is the outcome of a prolonged field investigation and research presented in the form of analytical and development ethnography with eco­logical, socio-cultural, economic and political perspectives of a dwindling community listed under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of India. The Onge have been rather vulnerable toward any option for radical change, they deserve close, careful attention to ward off any untoward impact of change-initiatives. The authors, a team composed of an Anthropologist and a Human Ecologist, have tried to throw light on the degree of agreements between the induced change programmes and the peoples’ age-old survival strategy. The depth of the authors’ intimate interaction with the people, their ecology, cultural niche, psychology, economy, and in a way the livelihood as such, presents a flavour hitherto unknown. The volume is remarkably enriched with good number of rare photographs along with important maps, charts and illustrations. This work is an invaluable record for reviewing and revising process and outcome of the long continued welfare programme before further such appli­cation on the remaining groups in the archipelago. The local and global level researchers, teachers and planners, interested in foraging tribal popu­lation and issues related to their welfare, development, etc., will certainly find this volume extremely useful. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

This book describes the outstanding features of the ecology and bio geography of the Indian region, comprising former British India, Nepal, Bhutan, Ceylon and Burma. It summarizes the results of nearly four decades' studies and field explorations and discussions with students on the distribution of plants and animals, practically throughout this vast area and on the underlying factors. A number of specialists in geology, meteorology, botany, zoology, ecology and anthropology have also actively collaborated with me and have contributed valuable chapters in their respective fields. India has an exceptionally rich and highly diversified flora and fauna, exhibiting complex composition, character and affinities. Although the fauna of the Indian region as a whole is less completely known than its flora, we are nevertheless fairly well acquainted with at least the salient features of its faunal characters to enable us to present a meaningful discussion on some of the outstanding peculiarities of the biogeography of India. A general synthesis of the available, though much scattered, information should prove useful to future students of biogeography throughout the world.