The A to Z of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands

The "South Seas," as this region used to be called, evokes images of adventure, belles and savages, romance, and fabulous fortunes, but the long voyages of discovery and exploration of the vast Pacific Ocean were really tests of amazing logistics, navigation, grit, shipwreck, and luck. The motivations were not only scientific and geographic, but also nationalistic and materialistic.
The A to Z of the Discovery and Exploration of the Pacific Islands presents the familiar names of Laperouse, Bougainville, Cook, and Dampier, as well as intriguing stories of The Bounty mutiny, scurvy, and the mysterious Northwest Passage, Terra Australis Ignotia, and Davis Land. Also included are entries on first contacts, ships, navigational instruments, mapping, and botany. The scene is carefully set in the introduction, the chronology spans several centuries, and the extensive bibliography offers a guide to further reading. This book is more than just dry facts; it has a whiff of salt air, the clash of empires, cross-cultural beach encounters, and personal adventure.

Max Quanchi teaches Pacific History at Queensland University of Technology and has written extensively on the history of the Pacific Islands.

John Robson is the Map Librarian at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, president of the New Zealand Map Society, and New Zealand representative for the Hakluyt Society.