James Sinclair died in 2017 and was a prolific author on a range of matters including aspects of Papua New Guinea.
He was undoubtedly the most authoritative contemporary source for this study of the colonial discovery and development of the PNG highlands from 1934. His authority stems from, amongst other things, being the last Australian district commissioner of the Eastern Highlands and having participated, as a younger man, in a number of the last exploratory and uncontrolled area patrols in the post world war two era.

The existing published review material makes the fatal mistake of describing the discovery of the highlands as 'european conceit' and that the area was known to Indonesians and Asians before this. Let there be no mistake that the middle kingdom was unknown to the entire world including the German colonial occupiers of New Guinea until 1914. The middle kingdom was absolutely discovered by a combination of activities of prospectors, missionaries and Australian government patrols in the 1930s.

Sinclaire uses his vast personal experience to paint the background to the circumstances of the discovery which itself has rarely been mastered. The circumstances of the initial joint prospector and Australian government walks into the great central highland valleys are dealt with in detail together with the parallel activities of the Australian government in Papua and significant patrols of discovery into the southern regions of the highlands. Sinclaire reveals that aviation played a significant role with the initial walks follwed up with rudimentary airfields and resupply by transport aircraft. He deals with the indigenous reaction in a balanced and informative pen no doubt also drawing on his direct practical experience in the areas being resarched.

Sinclaire deals with the administrative issues arising from the Pacific war and the thwarting of Japanese interest in occupying parts of the highlands then concludes his account with a detailed analysis of the frenetic post war economic activity that enseured the geo political position of the highlands at independence in 1975.

i recommend the book to anyone who has an interrst in a fuller history of our closest neighbour and for those requiring a deeper insight into the regional politics of the present day.