- 1979 edition. 296 pages
- Published by McLaren Publishing (Hong Kong) Ltd. UK
- Hardcover with dust jacket. Brown boards. Approx A4 size book.
- Very good condition, Minor shelf wear. Small owner stamp on free front end paper.
An illustrated history of the Europeans among the South Sea Islanders. Indexed.
South Sea Islands conjure up romantic images of palm-fringed coral beaches and dusky maidens. At a time when Pacific countries are gaining independence and when contact with the outside world is becoming more frequent and more superficial with the advent of package tours, it is worthwhile taking stock of the remarkable 450-year-old relationship between Europeans (and later the Americans) and the indigenous peoples of these islands.
The Pacific Ocean covers one third of the world's surface, yet the Pacific Islands were the most remote corner of the globe for Europeans to find and, when they did, they discovered what was practically another world.
The authors have examined the contact between the two cultures - European and Pacific - and have charted its origins, the misunderstandings, vicissitudes, clashes, attractions and exchanges between the Islanders and their European visitors, 'The People from the Horizon.' They have recorded changes in the islands for better or for worse, and the hopes and the disillusionment on both sides, up to the present day.
The illustrations, many being the earliest artists' records, convey the authentic atmosphere of the first tentative meetings, - sometimes friendly, sometimes hostile - and highlight the often larger than life personalities in their picturesque and strange settings.
Text and illustrations combine to give a graphic and penetrating summary of a subject at times horrendous, at times heart-warming.
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