Bali Books

Knopf Guide Bali (Knopf Guides) by Staff Knopf Travel Guides Paperback (April 1996) Knopf; Amazon

For those who want to learn from, not just visit, Bali! A rare and wonderful travel guide that goes much deeper than the regular where-to-find-hotels-and-restaurants type. Beautiful layouts of photography and artwork complement short essays on everything from detailed explainations of complex hindu ceremonies to food preparation. The information here is amazingly accurate, and well presented with cross references to basic tourist information. This would be a great book to kill the time while waiting for your ferry in Padangbai, or in the Losmen at night trying to learn more about the miracle of Bali! Enjoy!

The Food of Bali : Authentic Recipes from the Island of the Gods (Food of Series) by Heinz Von Holzen, Heinz Von Holzen, Wendy Hutton Paperback - 144 pages (April 1999) Charles E Tuttle Co; Amazon

Synopsis The extravagant beauty of Bali is reflected in its cuisine, now presented for the first time in this unique collection of recipes with lavish full-color photos plus an in-depth look at the culture and cuisine. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review: Excellent!!! My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Bali. We ate at the Ritz-Carlton, which sucked, and the Inter-Continental which was excellent, AND the local warungs. We enjoyed the warungs the most. But this book still helps give an understanding of Balinese cooking. Beautiful pictures show how elegant this simple cooking can be!!! Highly recommended. I've cooked a few of the recepies, wonderful! Come on over for dinner!!

Lonely Planet Bali & Lombok (Bali and Lombok, 8th Ed) by James Lyon, Paul Greenway, Tony Wheeler Amazon

Synopsis Packed with down-to-earth information and insider tips for all budgets, this guide offers a complete rundown on places to stay, from losmens to luxury hotels, information on diving and surfing spots, and 47 detailed maps. Also included are tropical island getaways and comprehensive notes on the history and culture of Bali color illustrations. full-color section on arts and crafts. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review: Accurate and informative are the two best words to describe this book. If you are coming to Bali, be sure to arm yourself with the latest edition of the Lonley Planet/Bali guide book. Unless you live in Bali, you won't find anything that comes as close as does the latest edition of the book. We like it so much, we link to it, and to Amazon.com from our web site. In a word. Complete.

The Folk Art of Bali : The Narrative Tradition (The Asia Collection) by Joseph Fischer, Thomas Cooper Hardcover (August 1998) Oxford Univ Press; Amazon

Visually enchanting, rich in meaning Balinese folk art is not only visually enchanting; it is rich in meaning. Joe and I deal in depth with works in four media that are especially rich in narrative content: shadow puppets, paintings on cloth and wood, embroideries, and reverse paintings on glass. We focus on the meanings embedded in this unique art: its intended uses, its deep significance for the Balinese, and the narrative sources of its images in the sacred myths, legends and folktales of Bali. Plenty of plates, color as well as b&w.

Voices in Bali : Energies and Perceptions in Vocal Music and Dance Theater (Music/Culture) by Edward Herbst, Judith Becker Paperback - 224 pages Book & Cd edition (January 1998) Wesleyan Univ Pr; Amazon

a great resource on Balinese music previously covered This book was a wonderful surprise. First of all, it contains a CD which is worth the price of admission. The CD has a lot of folk songs and arja (Balinese opera) selections which aren't generally available in CD stores (which tends to just cover gamelan and cak.) For musicians, it presents detailed technical information on performance and to some degree the process of learning the vocal techiques. For musicologists, it provides quite a background on how it fits in Balinese society. I don't know if I can properly comment on how accessible it will be to people who don't play or study music. However a good deal of the information is down to earth and anecdotal, and of course the music on the CD is anything but academic.