Exciting new book from Otago University Press

Ground-breaking biography of Dumont d'Urville

Press release

Explorer Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d’Urville (1790–1842) is sometimes called France’s Captain Cook. Born less than a year after the beginning of the French Revolution, he lived through turbulent times. He was an erudite polymath: a maritime explorer fascinated by botany, entomology, ethnography and the diverse languages of the world. As a young ensign he was decorated for his pivotal part in France’s acquisition of the famous Vénus de Milo.

D’Urville’s voyages and writings meshed with an emergent French colonial impulse in the Pacific. In this magnificent biography Edward Duyker reveals that D’Urville had secret orders to search for the site for a potential French penal colony in Australia. He also effectively helped to precipitate pre-emptive British settlement on several parts of the Australian coast. D’Urville visited New Zealand in 1824, 1827 and 1840. This wide-ranging survey examines his scientific contribution, including the plants and animals he collected, and his conceptualisation of the peoples of the Pacific: it was he who first coined the terms Melanesia and Micronesia.


D’Urville helped to confirm the fate of the missing French explorer Lapérouse, took Charles X into exile after the Revolution of 1830, and crowned his navigational achievements with two pioneering Antarctic descents.


Edward Duyker has used primary documents that have long been overlooked by other historians. He dispels many myths and errors about this daring explorer of the age of sail and offers his readers grand adventure and surprising drama and pathos.

Author

Edward Duyker was born in Melbourne to a Dutch father and a Mauritian mother. He received his PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1981 before working as an intelligence officer with the Department of Defence. In 1984 he settled in Sydney as an independent historian, and also served as the honorary consul of the Republic of Mauritius in New South Wales 1996–2002.

Edward Duyker has published 17 books, many dealing with early Australian, New Zealand and Pacific exploration and natural science. My personal favorite is Nature's Argonaut, a biography of Daniel Solander, who sailed with Captain Cook, and wrote down Tupaia's vocabulary.

Others include Citizen Labillardière (2003), a biography of the naturalist Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière, which won the NSW Premier’s General History Prize in 2004; and François Péron (2006), which won the Frank Broeze Maritime History Prize in 2007. In 2000 Duyker was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French government. He was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government in 2003 and the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004. He is an honorary senior lecturer in the Department of French Studies at the University of Sydney. He is married with two sons and is now a grandfather.

Listen to an interview with Edward Duyker

How important are book tours?

More from my interview with Lincoln Paine, award-winning author of The Sea & Civilization

THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOK TOURS 

Now to the matter that other authors will find riveting, that being your opinion of the importance of book tours.

Book tours are important for all sorts of reasons. If you don’t go before unknown audiences of diverse kinds, you’re stuck in an echo chamber of your friends and relations who aren’t going to challenge your writing or assumptions terribly much if at all. If you write for a wide public, you should be willing (if not necessarily eager) to meet it.

Is it necessary to have good sales and great reviews before the book tour begins?

Positive pre-publication reviews from outlets like Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, Choice, and Library Journal (Seavilization got the first three) obviously don’t hurt, but publishers are most eager to promote books in their first month in print. And because many venues book not much farther ahead than that, you can’t wait for editorial reviews to come out.

Are book tours worth the cost? Even if the travel is covered by the publisher, there is not just lost writing time for the author, but the costs of daily living, too.

I was in a position to market myself a bit, and was willing and able to travel. Most of the personal expense was driving and eating. Flights were always covered by someone else, and I don’t think I paid for more than one night in a hotel, and that only because of a bad flight connection. Most of the time I stayed with friends or family.

It’s hard to say it’s worth it when you have twenty people show up at a signing and sell one or two books, or sixty people and sell none because your host didn’t arrange for any to be available. However, thanks especially to the media age, virtually every venue I attended was promoted on the web as well as in print media, and it is difficult to even guess the ripple effect from that. Several of the larger venues record and post podcasts of their guests’ talks, as do interviewers, which have can reach fairly substantial audiences, thus getting your name out even if it seems no one is actually listening to an hour-long presentation.

Do you think that book tours help sales?   

It’s hard to say how much these appearances affect sales, but as I said that’s only part of the reason to go, if you can. Publishers obviously think they help at least a little; but they have a complex calculus that means they can spend lavishly on books with an obvious appeal—well-known author, hot topic—and less on those that don’t. I’m not sure where mine fell, but I would guess somewhere closer to the latter than the former. But I’ve been on one side or the other of publishing my whole career and I get it. Lincoln Paine is not Stephen King, and although most of the characters I introduce are dead by the end, it just doesn’t have the same page-turning quality as a King novel.

Does agreeing to tour make for good relations with your publisher?  Make it more likely that they will write a contract for another book? 

Publishers do notice whether you put yourself out there, and it does matter, as it should. If the publisher knows you’re willing to stand behind—or travel for—your book, they are going to see you as a partner, and writing and publishing is a partnership.

Rare books in donation box

Mystery surrounds donated books

From the DominionPost

Alexander Turnbull Library rare books curator Ruth Lightbourne shows off the two rare books discovered among donations for a Kapiti book fair.

The hunt's on for the owner of two ancient and rare books mysteriously donated to a Kapiti book fair.

Lions Monster Bookfair spokesman Joe Franklin said he spotted the old books three weeks ago among about 60,000 donated annually, and decided to do some research.

To his surprise he discovered one was 326 years old and the other 264.

He contacted the Alexander Turnbull Library and found the first book, Poole, Annotations Upon the Holy Bible, vol.2 was published in 1688 and is one of just 16 known worldwide and one of only two in the southern hemisphere.

"The date was in Roman numerals. It was only when I got it home and Googled it, I realised how old it was."

The author, Matthew Poole (1624-1679), was an English non-conformist theologian who fled from England to Amsterdam after he became a target for assassination because of his alternative religious views.

The book was completed by his brethren and published after his death.

Measuring 400 x 240 x 70mm, it sets out to "explain the Bible's contradictions and resolve questions and doubts".

The second book, D.Juvii Juvenalis, et Persii Flacci Satirae, was published in 1750 and only 18 other copies are known worldwide. There is one other in the southern hemisphere, at Fisher Library in Sydney.

A much smaller book and written in Latin, it is part of a collection of poems written by Decimus Junius Juvenal in the late 2nd century AD, published in 1750.

"It is also showing its age, with a cover detached, but its pages are still in very good condition," Franklin said.

"The name ‘K Buchanan 1936' is written in ink in one of the endpapers, which might give a clue to who owned it.

"We would love to find out where the books came from."

Many cartons were left throughout the district or delivered anonymously and collectors had been canvassed but none knew who donated the books.

The books had been gifted to Alexander Turnbull Library and rare books curator Ruth Lightbourne was also keen to find out who had owned them.

"It is surprising for rare books like this to be dumped at a book fair. Someone might have thought, ‘what the heck is this old thing?'

"I would love to know the story behind the donations, where they have come from. If the family is happy we like to put the former owner's name in our catalogue records."

Lightbourne said copies of Annotations Upon the Holy Bible could have been in a church or cathedral library in England, whereas the Latin book was probably in a private collection.

Because of their condition, she believed their monetary worth would be in the hundreds rather than thousands.

The books had been wrapped in acid-free paper and put on a list for attention. "Conservators these days tend to do less rather than more. A researcher does not want to come in and see a highly restored book that was done last week. If it is an old book they want to see it as it was."

The Fifty-Week Book Tour

Interview with Lincoln Paine.

Sea & Civilization is an outstandingly well-researched, erudite, yet readable book, well deserving of great sales, wonderful reviews, and a lengthy book tour ... but fifty weeks?  "Congratulations!" said I. "And now that you are finally back home," I said, "there must be many memories." (And tips for authors about book tours, too, I thought.)

And, as you will see, Lincoln Paine, author of Sea & Civilization, was incredibly generous with his time.

The Fifty-week book tour

The statistics are impressive.

·         13 readings and signings at bookstores and libraries

·         16 talks and signings at clubs and societies

·         10 lectures at academic and research institutions

·         6 talks at museums and historical societies

·         3 presentations at conferences

·         18 interviews with print, radio and TV journalists (including BBC Radio 3, and NewsTalk 106-108, Dublin

Obviously, this was an intense experience.  So what tips and memories does Lincoln Paine have to share with us?

Follow my blog over the next five days, and find out.

Smile!

With thanks to Catherine Mayhew

WOWed by Wellington

I can't believe that this is the first time we have been to Wellington's world famous World of Wearableart (WOW) show.  All our friends and acquaintances have raved about it, but somehow we haven't been here at the right time.

And we only went to give a couple of small granddaughters a treat.  It says something about this iconic event that for three hours they were riveted, and sat absolutely still.

And we were enraptured, too.  The energy, enthusiasm, beat, sound, effects, and color were all unmatchable.  Definitely worth a trip downunder.

And meantime...

Ancient waka proves Polynesian migration to New Zealand

The Navigator, by Herb Kane

An enthralling discovery

An ancient waka found on the South Island’s West Coast has created a scientific sensation around the world.

The 600-year-old canoe, with a turtle carved on its hull, is proving that Polynesians sailed between what is now French Polynesia and New Zealand.

A study of the waka by University of Auckland researchers appeared yesterday in the prestigious US Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Golden Bay resident Tony Nicholls was out on the West Coast Anaweka estuary for a family picnic after Christmas in 2011 when he saw something unusual.

He and his grandson saw a piece of wood sticking about 40 centimetres out of the creek bank. After almost three hours of digging, Nicholls and his family had unearthed a 6.2-metre section of an ancient waka.

The significant find is a well-preserved length of carved matai, with dozens of holes along the edges and "extraordinary" carvings on the hull. One of the most distinctive carvings is in the shape of a sea turtle.

"We knew it was something of interest but we still were not sure until we got down to the hull," Nicholls told Stuff in January 2012.

Today his hunch was proven with Live Science website reporting the researchers who examined the shipwreck say the vessel is more impressive than any other canoe previously linked to this period in New Zealand.

"It kind of took my breath away, really, because it was so carefully constructed and so big," said Dilys Johns, a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

The hull measured about 6 metres long and it was made from matai. The boat had carved interior ribs and clear evidence of repair and reuse. Carbon dating tests showed that the vessel was last caulked with wads of bark in 1400.

The Auckland team which included Geoffrey Irwin and Yun Sung say it's likely that the hull once had a twin, and together, these vessels formed a double canoe.

Johns told Livescience  the boat was surprisingly more sophisticated than the canoes described centuries later by the first Europeans to arrive in New Zealand.

The newly described canoe seems to represent a mix of that ancestral plank technology and an adaptation to the new resources on New Zealand, since the boat has some big, hollowed-out portions but also sophisticated internal ribs, Johns and colleagues wrote.

The turtle carving on the boat also seems to link back to the settlers' homeland.

Turtle designs are rare in pre-European carvings in New Zealand, but widespread in Polynesia, where turtles were important in mythology and could represent humans or even gods in artwork.

The study notes that in many traditional Polynesian societies, only the elite were allowed to eat turtles

The study published by Proceedings is titled “An early sophisticated East Polynesian voyaging canoe discovered on New Zealand's coast” and says the colonization of the islands of East Polynesia was a remarkable episode in the history of human migration and seafaring.

Harpers authors encouraged to sell directly

From Digital Book World

There's an extra ten per cent in the deal

First Publisher to Pay Higher Royalties for Direct E-Commerce Sales

New York, NY (October 2, 2014) — HarperCollins Publishers today announced the launch of an e-commerce program which will allow its authors to earn an additional 10% net royalty on print, e-book, and physical audio products sold through the HarperCollins platform. As an example, authors earning a 25% net royalty will now receive a 35% net royalty on e-books sold through the HarperCollins platform.

Authors can participate in the e-commerce program in multiple ways. They can add a HarperCollins “buy” button to their site, which will take consumers to www.hc.com to complete their purchase, or they can integrate the HarperCollins shopping cart directly into their website. Additionally, authors can use social media to direct consumers to purchase their products from HarperCollins.

“While our first priority is to sell books through as many different retail channels as possible, we are pleased to provide this platform for our authors who want to sell directly. Our authors can also be certain that their books will always be available to consumers through HarperCollins, even if they are difficult to find or experiencing shipping delays elsewhere,” said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. “Since we view this program as both a service to our authors and a partnership with them, those who participate will receive additional earnings.”

The e-commerce program will start in the U.S. and roll out to other HarperCollins divisions over the coming months. Royalties will be paid through the royalty system and will appear on an author’s royalty statement.

In July, HarperCollins Publishers announced the launch of www.hc.com, a redesigned version of its website that includes the capability to sell print, e-books, and physical audio books directly to consumers.

Franklin wreck identified

It's Erebus

A shipwreck uncovered beneath the icy wastes of northern Canada has been identified as long-lost HMS Erebus.

The Victorian-era vessel became part of nautical folklore after it vanished in the mid-19th Century.

Its captain, Sir John Franklin, had been searching for the fabled Northwest Passage.

Experts on Thursday confirmed that the wreck, discovered last month, was indeed the celebrated Royal Navy vessel.

"It is in astonishing condition,'' said search team member John Geiger, president of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. "We're over the moon."

The ship set sail from England in 1845 under Sir John's command.

He was accompanied by a second ship, HMS Terror, captained by Francis Crozier.

Alongside Sir John were 128 officers, all of them aiming to find the elusive sea route linking the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Arctic seas off northern Canada.

The two vessels were last seen in the summer of that year bypassing whaling boats in Baffin Bay, off the coast of Greenland.

But soon afterwards, the ships vanished.

Inuit hunters told tales of starving white men who had been seen in the freezing wilderness over the following months and years.

Historians speculated that the ships had become trapped in the vast ice floes of the Canadian Arctic.

But until Thursday the exact fate of HMS Erebus had not been known.

The ship was discovered after the Canadian government ploughed millions of pounds into an extensive search operation.

It was found under just 11 metres of water near King William Island, 2,000km (1,200 miles) north-west of Toronto.

Useful Latin phrases for Indie authors

Acta est fabula, plaudite!  "The play is over [and was fabulous], applaud!" A common ending phrase of ancient Roman comedies that could readily be used as a finale for your masterpiece.

Ad captandum vulgis: "To appeal to the crowd" — often used of politicians who make false or insincere promises appealing to popular interest, but also applicable to romance and thriller authors.

Ad hoc: "For this" — i.e. improvised, made up on the spot.  That speech you have to make without warning during book signings etc.  Also a remedy for writer's block.

Ad libitum (often shortened to ad lib): "At ease" — means "do as you please", "improvise", "just ramble on." Another remedy for writer's block.

Ad nauseum: "To the point of nausea."  Applies equally to overly graphic and repetitive sex scenes and overly graphic and repetitive bloody violence.

Amor vincit omnia: "Love conquers all." The indispensable ending for the romantic novel.


Cacoethes scribendi: "Bad habit of writing" — i.e. an insatiable urge to write. Originally used by Juvenal, but very useful when giving the reason for turning out all those novels.  To be quoted with a mock-apologetic wave of the hand. 

Caveat lector: "Let the reader beware." Like caveat emptor (buyer beware) it is an excellent cop-out when readers complain, or a caution if you are not sure of your facts. But don't forget caveat venditor (seller beware), because you are responsible for the promises you make in your blurb.

Cui bono: "Good for whom?" or, who benefits?  An excellent way of solving a crime, kept in mind by good mystery writers.

Damnant quod non intellegunt: "They condemn what they do not understand."  To be borne in mind when those two-star reviews arrive.

Deus ex machina: "A god from a machine" — a contrived or artificial solution, usually to a literary plot. Refers to the practice in Greek drama of lowering by machine an actor playing Zeus onto the stage — as though he were descending from Olympus — to resolve an awkward plot. Not recommended.

Editio princeps: First Edition.

Exempli gratia: for example, e.g. for short, always in lower case.

Ibidem (ibid.) "In the same place" — usually in bibliographic citations.

Id est (i.e.): "That is (to say)", abbreviated as "i.e." — sometimes "in this case," depending on the context.  It is not equivalent to "e.g.", in any context.

Imprimatur: "(It) may be printed" — an authorization to publish, granted by some censoring authority (originally a Catholic Bishop).

In flagrante delicto: "In flaming crime" — i.e. "caught red-handed." Used by both romance and mystery writers.

Incredibile dictu: "Incredibly to say."  Not recommended in the body of a novel, let alone in non-fiction.

Index librorum prohibitorum: "List of prohibited books."  Where you do not want your novel to land.

Ita vero: "That's true."  Like many nations, the Romans had no word for "yes." Useful if you are not sure whether the native you are writing about had the word for "yes."

Ipsissima verba: "The words themselves, verily" — i.e. "strictly word by word." 

Lapsus calami:  "A slip of the pen." An excellent excuse, as is, Lapsus linguae, "A slip of the tongue" and Lapsus memoriae, "Memory lapse."

Locus classicus: "A classic place" — a quote from a classical text used as an example of something.

Magnum opus: "greatest work."  

Nota bene. "Note well."  And note well that the abbreviation is in upper case, and roman, not italics: N.B.

Opera omnia: "All Works", the collected works of some author or another.

Opera posthuma. "Post-humous works."  Oh dear.  

Ophidia in herba: "snake in the grass."

Panem et circenses: "Bread and circus plays" — Juvenal, Satires 10, 81, describing all that was needed for the emperors to placate the Roman mob, and today used to describe any public entertainment.

Passim:"Throughout", "here and there", "frequently" — of a word that occurs several times in a cited texts; also, in proof reading, of a change that is to be repeated everywhere needed.

Quo vide (q.v.): "Which see" — used after a term or phrase that should be looked up elsewhere in the current document or book.

Quod erat demonstrandum (Q.E.D.): "That which was to be demonstrated" — often written (abbreviated) at the bottom of a mathematical proof.

Sesquipedalia verba: "Words a foot and a half long" — long and complicated words that are used without necessity.

Sic: "Thus", "just so" — states that the preceding quoted material appears exactly that way in the source, usually despite errors of spelling, grammar, usage, or fact.

Sic itur ad astra: "Thus to the stars" — or, ad astra, that's how to achieve fame.

Sic passim: "Thus in various places" — used when referencing books; see passim.

Sic transit gloria mundi: "Thus passes earthly glory."

Sine anno (s.a.): "Without year" — used in bibliographies to indicate that the date of publication of a document is unknown.

Sit venia verbo: "With apologies for the word" — i.e. "pardon my French."

Stanta pede: "On standing foot" — immediately.

Status quo (ante): "The state that was (before)" — the status of affairs or situation prior to some upsetting event.

Stet: "Let it stand" — marginal mark in proofreading to indicate that something previously deleted or marked for deletion should be retained.

Stricto sensu: "In the strict sense."

And the way even the best Indie author/publisher feels every now and then ...

Vox clamantis in deserto "The voice of one shouting in the desert" — thus "unheeded", "in vain."