Description
“Who hasn’t stayed up late reading South Sea tales? Christina Thompson’s Sea People is a South Sea tale to top them all.”—Richard Rhodes, author of Energy: A Human History and the Pulitzer Prize winning The Making of the Atomic Bomb
“Magnificent. . . . A grand, symphonic, beautifully written book. . . . Sea People is an archive-researched historical account that has the page-turning qualities of an all-absorbing mystery.”—Boston Globe
A blend of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel and Simon Winchester’s Pacific, a thrilling intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know. For more than a millennium, Polynesians have occupied the remotest islands in the Pacific Ocean, a vast triangle stretching from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island. Until the arrival of European explorers they were the only people to have ever lived there. Both the most closely related and the most widely dispersed people in the world before the era of mass migration, Polynesians can trace their roots to a group of epic voyagers who ventured out into the unknown in one of the greatest adventures in human history.
How did the earliest Polynesians find and colonize these far-flung islands? How did a people without writing or metal tools conquer the largest ocean in the world? This conundrum, which came to be known as the Problem of Polynesian Origins, emerged in the eighteenth century as one of the great geographical mysteries of mankind.
For Christina Thompson, this mystery is personal: her Maori husband and their sons descend directly from these ancient navigators. In Sea People, Thompson explores the fascinating story of these ancestors, as well as those of the many sailors, linguists, archaeologists, folklorists, biologists, and geographers who have puzzled over this history for three hundred years. A masterful mix of history, geography, anthropology, and the science of navigation, Sea People combines the thrill of exploration with the drama of discovery in a vivid tour of one of the most captivating regions in the world.
Sea People includes an 8-page photo insert, illustrations throughout, and 2 endpaper maps.
Details
Are you ready for an adventure like no other? Dive deep into the fascinating world of Polynesia with Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia, a book that blends history, geography, anthropology, and navigation science to unravel the mysteries of this remote region. If you can't get enough of South Sea tales, this is the book for you. With page-turning qualities of an absorbing mystery, Sea People will transport you back in time and make you question everything you thought you knew.
Imagine being part of a culture that colonized the vast Pacific Ocean, from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island, over a thousand years before European explorers arrived. Polynesians were the only people to have ever lived in these far-flung islands until then. How did they manage such incredible voyages without writing or metal tools?
Christina Thompson, the author, has a personal connection to this ancient history through her Maori husband and their sons. In Sea People, she expertly weaves together the stories of these ancient navigators with the research and discoveries made by sailors, linguists, archaeologists, and geographers over the past three centuries. It's a captivating journey that will leave you in awe of the human spirit and thirsting for more knowledge.
Get ready to embark on an intellectual detective story that will take you across oceans and centuries. Sea People has all the ingredients of a great adventure: exploration, discovery, and a quest to find answers to one of the greatest geographical mysteries of mankind. Join the countless readers who have described this book as magnificent, grand, symphonic, and beautifully written. Don't miss out on this opportunity to immerse yourself in the captivating world of Polynesia.
Don't just take our word for it—renowned author Richard Rhodes, known for his works on history and science, praises Sea People, calling it a South Sea tale that surpasses them all. The Boston Globe describes it as a book with the page-turning qualities of an all-absorbing mystery. This is the kind of book that will keep you up late at night, enthralled by every word.
Experience the thrill of exploration and the drama of discovery with Sea People. With an 8-page photo insert, illustrations throughout, and 2 endpaper maps, this book offers a visual feast alongside its compelling storytelling. Whether you're a lover of history, geography, anthropology, or simply enjoy a good adventure, Sea People is a must-read for anyone curious about the mysteries of the Pacific.
Ready to set sail on a journey of knowledge and wonder? Click here to get your copy of Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia and uncover the secrets of Polynesian origins.
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