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Captain James Cook: Idylls of the South Pacific

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

Voyages of the Great Explorers

Essential Reading

Item EXPAC180. Buy these 5 items as a set for $106 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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Blue Latitudes, Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

Blue Latitudes, Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

by Tony Horwitz

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES

Sailing on a replica of Endeavour, Horwitz mixes history, fun and adventure in this hilarious recap of Cook's daring voyages around the world. (EXP31, $17.00)

A Traveller's History of New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands

A Traveller's History of New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands

by John Chambers

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A brisk portrait of New Zealand, and its culture, economy and society, this concise history also covers the settlement of the Pacific Islands. (NZL60, $16.95)

Pacific Journeys

Pacific Journeys

by Peter Hendrie

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 224 PAGES

A striking portfolio of 330 color photographs of the people, nature and landscape of the region, Hendrie's gorgeous book includes images from his many journeys to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to Tahiti and the Marquesas, Tonga, Fiji, Easter Island and Hawaii over the last 20 years. (PAC183, $45.00)

The Happy Isles of Oceania

The Happy Isles of Oceania

by Paul Theroux

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 480 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The peripatetic author flies off to Australia and New Zealand with a kayak and ends up exploring much of Melanesia and Polynesia, including Tonga, Fiji and the Marquesas in this wickedly funny, wide-ranging tale. (PAC03, $15.95)

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean

by Paddy Ryan

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

The best-selling, take-along guide to coral reefs, coral-reef fishes, invertebrates and plants of the Indo-Pacific. With 200 color photographs. (DIV18, $21.99)

 
South Pacific Islands Map

South Pacific Islands Map


by Nelles

  • MAP

Covering the Pacific from Pitcairn to Papua New Guinea at a scale of 13:000,000. With 30 individual island maps, including Easter Island, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Marquesas, French Polynesia, Vanuatu and Fiji. (PAC164, $13.95)

Easter Island, the Essential Guide

Easter Island, the Essential Guide


by Kay Sanger

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 169 PAGES

Sanger covers the history, archaeology, people and practicalities in this authoritative guide, published by the Easter Island Foundation. (EIL17, $20.00)

Moon Handbook South Pacific

Moon Handbook South Pacific


by David Stanley

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 976 PAGES

Stanley covers the South Pacific from French Polynesia to Tonga, Fiji and Easter Island in detail in this comprehensive overiew. (PAC100, $24.95)

Island at the End of the World

Island at the End of the World


by Steven Roger Fischer

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 215 PAGES

Fischer's cultural and political history takes in the full sweep of Easter Island from prehistory through civil rights protests of the 1960s. (EIL18, $24.95)

Serpent in Paradise

Serpent in Paradise


by Dea Birkett

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Intrigued by legends and romance, journalist Dea Birkett gets herself to three-square-mile Pitcairn Island for a sojourn among the descendents of Captain Bligh's mutinous crew. (PAC28, $17.00)

Oceanic Art

Oceanic Art


by Nicholas Thomas

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

A concise, cogent and colorful overview of the gorgeous art of the Pacific Islands. Organized thematically with 182 illustrations, 26 in color. (PAC06, $19.95)

On the Road of the Winds

On the Road of the Winds


by Patrick Vinton Kirch

  • ARCHAEOLOGY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 424 PAGES

An excellent scholarly review of the prehistory and archaeology of Pacific civilizations before European contact. (PAC101, $39.95)

The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia

The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia


by Adrienne L. Kaeppler

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 210 PAGES

Kaeppler's covers the range of textiles, bark cloth, body ornament carving and ornament throughout the Pacific in this lively, authoritative survey. With 100 illustrations, most in full color. (PAC214, $27.95)

Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All

Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All


by Christina Thompson

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

In this endearing, offbeat memoir, anthropologist Thompson effortlessly alternates tales of mostly disastrous early encounters with the Maori and the story of the love of her life, Seven, the Maori she married. (NZL96, $16.00)

Gauguin, The Quest for Paradise

Gauguin, The Quest for Paradise


by Francoise Colchin

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 195 PAGES

Concise and beautifully illustrated, this overview of the artist, his work and life features a significant section on his time in Tahiti. The book includes many paintings as well as excerpts from his journals and other writings. (PAC27, $12.95)

Getting Stoned with Savages, A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu

Getting Stoned with Savages, A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu


by J. Maarten Troost

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Troost (Sex Lives of Cannibals) follows up his hilarious account of life in Kiribati with an equally amusing romp in Fiji and Vanuatu. Coaxed back to the islands by promises of a simpler life, Troost faces dangerous weather, potent drugs, tribal chiefs and fatherhood with his wit intact. (PAC168, $13.99)

In a Sunburned Country

In a Sunburned Country


by Bill Bryson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 335 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The intrepid, ever-resourceful Bryson revels in Australia's eccentric characters, dangerous flora and fauna, and other oddities in this wildly funny, effortlessly informative travelogue. (AUS83, $15.99)

In the South Seas

In the South Seas


by Robert Louis Stevenson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 283 PAGES

A set of Stevenson's personal sketches describing a year of travels in the Marquesas, Paumotus and the Gilberts, first written as magazine articles and then reworked to incorporate detail on local peoples and history, published posthumously. (PAC147, $16.00)

Kon-Tiki, Across the Pacific by Raft

Kon-Tiki, Across the Pacific by Raft


by Thor Heyerdahl | F. H. Lyon

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

The hugely popular account of a daring 1947 voyage sailing along the Humboldt and Equatorial currents from Peru to Tahiti. Apart from the sheer adventure, Heyerdahl wanted to show the world that Polynesians could have settled the region. With photographs. (PAC10, $5.99)

The Bounty, The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty

The Bounty, The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty


by Caroline Alexander

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 491 PAGES

Alexander's follow-up to her phenomenally successful The Endurance is a lively account of the familiar misadventures of William Bligh, including a fresh look at the fate of the mutineers back in England and at Pitcairn. This is a rousing tale of class barriers, the British courts and remarkable seamanship. (PAC134, $17.00)

The Fatal Voyage, Captain Cook's Last Great Journey


by Peter Aughton

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 203 PAGES

Aughton's enthralling tale of Cook's search for the elusive Pacific entrance to the Northwest Passage draws on letters, log records and the diaries of those involved in the voyage. Sailing from England in July 1776, he discovered the Hawaiian archipelago before mapping and charting the formidable northwest coast of America, from Vancouver Island to the frozen northern coastline of Alaska. He sailed through the Bering Strait and reached the entrance to the North West Passage, only to be defeated by a sheer wall of ice. Retreating back to Hawaii, he was killed at Kealakekua Bay. (EXP62, $17.95)

The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific


by J. Maarten Troost

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Dragged unwittingly with his wife to Kiribati, the author settled down to explore the island and its eccentric inhabitants in this hilarious, disturbing first book. It's a fascinating, decidedly unromantic glimpse into island life. (PAC146, $14.00)

The Shark God, Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific

The Shark God, Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in the South Pacific


by Charles Montgomery

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 370 PAGES

A wry account of travels in the footsteps of the author's missionary great-grandfather in the Solomon Islands, revealing the legacy of Christianity and traditional Melanesian religion. (PAC182, $17.00)

Vaka Moana, Voyages of the Ancestors: The Discovery and Settlement of the Pacific

Vaka Moana, Voyages of the Ancestors: The Discovery and Settlement of the Pacific


by R. K. Howe

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 368 PAGES

This richly illustrated collection of scholarly articles on Pacific voyaging, past and present, features 400 color and black-and-white photographs, maps and diagrams, along with contributions by Ben Finney, Sam Low, Anne Salmond and other experts. (PAC177, $61.00)

We, the Navigators, The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific

We, the Navigators, The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific


by David Lewis

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 464 PAGES

This engaging classic examines how Stone Age Polynesians may have navigated the Pacific. The scholarly volume will appeal to seafarers and modern Pacific travelers. (PAC35, $31.99)

30 Days in the South Pacific, True Stories of Escape to Paradise

30 Days in the South Pacific, True Stories of Escape to Paradise


by James O'Reilly | Sean O'Reilly | Larry Habegger

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 226 PAGES

This anthology, which presents its stories as a month-long journey, features 30 tales of visitors and vagabonds taken in by the South Pacific. (PAC159, $14.95)

Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny on the Bounty


by James Norman Hall | Charles Nordhoff

  • LITERATURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 379 PAGES

The well-known (and loved) fictional account of the voyage of the HMS Bounty, greatly enjoyable despite its probable lack of accuracy regarding Bligh's personality. (PAC11, $15.99)

South Sea Tales

South Sea Tales


by Jack London

  • LITERATURE
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

London draws on his voyages aboard the Snark in 1907-09 though Polynesia and the Solomons for these eight tales, vividly evoking the turn-of-the-century colonial Pacific. (PAC85, $13.00)

South Sea Tales

South Sea Tales


by Robert Louis Stevenson

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 289 PAGES

Towards the end of his life in the late 19th century, Robert Louis Stevenson lived in Samoa and traveled widely around the South Pacific. These entertaining tales, set among both real and mythical islands, show Stevenson's keen observations of island life. (PAC15, $17.05)

Tales of the South Pacific

Tales of the South Pacific


by James A. Michener

  • LITERATURE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

The first of the big Michener novels, set in World War II Polynesia. It's great fun, and the basis for the Rogers & Hammerstein musical "South Pacific." (PAC18, $7.99)

The Explorers

The Explorers


by Tim F. Flannery

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 385 PAGES

Through 67 personal accounts selected and introduced by Tim Flannery, this collection reveals the human experience of exploring and settling Australia. (AUS89, $14.00)

The Nutmeg of Consolation

The Nutmeg of Consolation


by Patrick O'Brian

  • LITERATURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 315 PAGES

This 14th installment in the Aubrey/Maturin series finds Captain Aubrey and his crew shipwrecked and making their way to the penal colony at Botany Bay, the notorious first European settlement in Australia. (AUS17, $15.95)

A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific

A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific


by H. Douglas Pratt

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 409 PAGES

This landmark field guide with chapters on the islands and habitats features superb color plates by Pratt and a checklist of birds. (HWI32, $45.00)

Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific, New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands

Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific, New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands


by John Randall

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 770 PAGES

This extraordinary handbook by leading authority John Randall features 2,018 color illustrations of South Pacific fishes. (PAC161, $77.00)

Reef Fish Identification, Tropical Pacific

Reef Fish Identification, Tropical Pacific


by Paul Humann | Ned Deloach | Gerald Allen | Roger Steene

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 450 PAGES

This comprehensive guide to Indo-Pacific reef fishes features 2,500 color photographs. (DIV49, $48.00)

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Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.