In Reply to: Bali over the last fifty years posted by Baliku on Saturday, 19. March 2005 at 17:36 Bali Time:
I have done some research on the history, use, meaning, mythology of rice in Bali. Have a look at the link below.
Most travel books such as Lonely Planet from your library will have condensed histories of Bali.
Others to look for include -
* 'At Cost Bali' - easy to carry/refer-to book. Ideal for first time travellers.
* "The Knopf Guides to Bali", travel book.
* "Bali, A Paradise Created" Balinese recent history by Australian Adrian Vickers. Periplus editions after 1996 are second printings. ISBN 0-945971-28-1. Perhaps the first book to read if you're serious about discovering the roots of the Balinese and their culture. It's very easy to read for what could be called a modern history text.
* The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok. Recent, very accurate easy to carry. http://www.travel.rough/ .
* 'The Art and Culture of Bali', U Ramseyer edited by Schwabe and Basel. ISBN 3-7965-1886-9 1977 A large and detailed work with lots of pictures to illustrate the points made in the text.
* 'The Island of Bali'. Miguel Covarrubias. One of the earliest books to describe Bali, and consequently seen as something of a classic in the history anthology list. A good perspective of the impact of tourism from the very beginning, detailed descriptions of life and everts and a host of interesting old photos.
* 'Jakarta Shadows' is a fairly new fiction and has remarkable insights into local history and culture covering Bali and Java. It is available in Bali at Ganesha Books in Ubud.
* Our Hotel in Kuta - Louise & Bob Koke. The story of the establishment of the first hotel in Kuta in the 1930s. Humorous in places and illustrated with period photos. Easy to read and entertaining.
* "Island of Bali" by Miguel Covarrubias. Originally published in the 1930's, now published by Oxford. A classic and wonderful account of Balinese life. Extraordinary. Covarrubias was a Mexican-born artist and cartoonist who lived in the USA. He was a fine artist and as well a cartoonist for "Vanity Fair' - he was really well connected in the show business circles of his day. He and his wife spent quite some time in Bali in the 1930's, and the book is the result of their experiences. Beautifully written with superb illustrations - by Covarrubias of course. Still amazingly current.
* A Short History of Bali. A very recent book (2004) which traces the history of Bali from Neolithic times to the present, including the infamous Kuta bombing. (Aus$30.) The author draws from a host of sources (all carefully documented) and provides a book that is an excellent first reader for those becoming interested in the history and development of Bali from the bronze/iron age to the recent Kuta bombing, including pre-tourist life, the Indian influence (ever wondered why the country is called ‘Indonesia'?) the Dutch and Japanese occupations, Hinduism/Islam and modern tourism.
* 'Offerings' written by a local lady, Francine Brinkworth, is available in Bali and makes interesting reading.