Our P lace in the World
NEW BOOKS OF THE REGION
New books by local authors are flourishing compared with 20 years ago . This became apparent at the Cairns Tropical Writers Festival 2016 hosted by Cairns Writers Inc ., where over 80 % of the almost 100 presenters were Cairns and region locals .
From fiction to sumptuous coffee table editions , many titles reflect local stories about the distinctive World Heritage reef and rainforest tropical environment and culture of our own backyard , the very things that drew us here in the first place .
Here are just three important publications of national and international significance that celebrate our special place in the world . Stockists include good bookshops , larger newsagents , art
galleries , visitor centres and online .
Into the Orchid House : in search of beauty is just the latest book from multi-award winning nature photographers Stanley and Kaisa Breeden . This time they teamed up with nearby orchid expert Bruce Gray , who has travelled the world collecting for 50 years . Kaisa and Stan visited Bruce ’ s Tablelands glasshouse once a week for 2 years , bringing home a prized selection of his 1100 species to photograph . The exquisite detail of their special technique of multiple shots is breathtaking .
The popular Tropical Food Gardening by Yvonne Cunningham from the Cassowary Coast is now in its fourth edition . It covers everything the aspiring gardener needs to succeed with tropical varieties of herbs , fruits
and vegetables in hot and humid conditions , including soil preparation , growing medicinal plants , helpful and harmful insects , drying techniques , and recipes .
Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn : science and art by Buck Richardson is a luxurious large format book of the creatures of the night in our tropical backyards . Beautifully photographed , this is the go-to book , especially for moth identifications with their scientific names for amateur naturalists , and to inspire children . Other nocturnal species , close up and intimate , are included , 1500 species in all , interspersed with artworks made from the photo images of these amazing creatures .
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