Early Europeans may have believed the world was flat, but by the Middle Ages there was widespread acceptance that it was, in fact, a globe. What remained a mystery, however, was what lay on the "other side". The belief in a vast southern continent went back centuries, and many expeditions set out to find it, sometimes in search of wealth, sometimes to convert its inhabitants to Christianity. This is the story of the voyages into this great unknown, by the Chinese and early Americans, the D...

Scoundrels & Eccentrics of the Pacific is a new title delving into the adventurers who once made the great Pacific their playground – from likeable dreamers to outright conmen, slavers and pirates, and even one self-titled Queen Emma. There's the extraordinary tale of James Proctor who used his wooden leg to trick natives in coming aboard his ship so he could spirit them away as slaves; or French priest Fr Rougier who used his position to amass a fortune, eventually became the "King of Chr...

A True Account of M. de Surville's Expedition to NZ and the Unknown South Seas 1769-70In 1769, 20 years before the French Revolution, two famous navigators passed within 120 kms of each other off the coast of New Zealand; the first was Captain James Cook in command of the Endeavour; the other was French East India Company Captain Jean de Surville in the St Jean Baptiste.French-Pacific historian John Dunmore MNZM recounts the bittersweet story of Fr...

With Special Emphasis on Historical NarrativesAn up-to-date guide for people embarking on their first journey into recording Aotearoa New Zealand's past. In these pages, writers will find simple, practical advice on all aspects of researching, writing, and publishing local histories, memoirs, family histories, diaries, etc. It also includes details on sourcing suitable illustrations.An essential guide for all writers wanting to preserve the past for future generati...

This is the story of an ordinary Frenchwoman of extraordinary courage and determination, who braved everything in order to stay at the side of her lover – even the perils of life aboard an 18th century French navy ship. John Dunmore, a world authority on French naval history, relates with humour and compassion the life of a small-town girl who became the first woman of any race to circumnavigate the globe.Published in 2002, and now available as an eBook for the first time.

In Cook's relatively short and adventurous life (1728-79) he voyaged to the eastern and western seaboards of North America, the North and South Pacific and the Arctic and Antarctic bringing about a new comprehension of the world's geography and its people's. He was the linking figure between the grey specualtion of the early eighteenth century and the industrial age of the first half of the nineteenth century.Richard Hough's biograpahy is full of new insights and interpretations of...

A uniquely woven story encompassing three separate centuries and three different lives. Captain Cook, best known for his heroic voyages through the Pacific Ocean, is brought to life in vivid detail. We follow his humble beginnings as the son of a farm labourer, through his convention-shattering treatment of the indigenous groups he met on his travels, and then onto his final tragic voyage which signalled the end of his revered reputation.One hundred years on from the death of Cook,...

This "thoroughly researched and sharply opinionated" biography presents a nuanced portrait of the renowned 18th century navigator ( The Wall Street Journal).The age of discovery was at its peak in the eighteenth century, with bold adventurers charting the furthest reaches of the globe. Foremost among these explorers was Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. Recent writers have viewed Cook through the lens of colonial exploitation, regarding him as ...

The Garifuna people today live all along the Caribbean littoral of Central America, from Belize, through Guatemala and Honduras down to Nicaragua, and also in some of the biggest cities of the United States. For more than two hundred years they have preserved their unique culture and language--the direct descendant of that spoken in the islands at the time of Columbus. All of them, however, trace their origin back to the island of St. Vincent--Youroumaÿn in their own language--where shipwr...

On the afternoon of 8 April 1802, in the remote southern ocean, two explorers had a remarkable chance encounter. Englishman Matthew Flinders and Frenchman Nicolas Baudin had been sent by their governments on the same quest: to explore the uncharted coast of the great south land and find out whether the west and east coasts, four thousand kilometres apart, were part of the same island.And so began the race to compile the definitive map of Australia. These men's journeys were the cul...

A rich, complex and engaging account of Cook's voyages across the Pacific, from actor and raconteur Sam Neill.Captain James Cook first set sail to the Pacific in 1768, just over 250 years ago. These vast waters, one third of the earth's surface, were uncharted but not unknown. A rich diversity of people and cultures navigated, traded, lived and fought here for thousands of years. Before Cook, the Pacific was disconnected from the power and ideas of Europe, Asia and...

Girt. No word could better capture the essence of Australia...In this hilarious history, David Hunt tells the real story of Australia's past from megafauna to Macquarie ... the cock-ups and curiosities, the forgotten eccentrics and Eureka moments that have made us who we are.Mark Twain wrote of Australian history: 'It does not read like history, but like the most beautiful lies ... but they are all true, they all happened.' In Girt, Hunt uncovers these beautiful li...