The Fatal Impact: An Account of the Invasion of the South Pacific 1767-1840

Penguin Books, Great Britain, 1968. First Edition. Softcover. Fair Condition. First softcover edition. Size: 12mo Small. 283 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. Pages lightly tanned throughout. Edges browned slightly. Text marked with Library stamps, but very discreetly, spine unmarked, in all other respects in very good condition throughout. The book has been read and may carry some marks and creases. The book is available and ready to ship. Moorehead has followed up his fascinating trek into Africa (The Blue Nile & The White Nile), with a short, but equally elegant "account of the invasion of the South Pacific, 1761-1840." The hero here, of course, is Captain James Cook, with Moorehead concentrating on the voyage to Tahiti, New Zealand & Australia, & the later exploration of the Antarctic Circle & the South Pole. As acknowledged, he's drawn heavily on the historian J.C. Beaglehole's definitive volumes, as well as from other weighty sources. But this should not dismay the layman. He has the novelist's eye, not only in his firm but sensuous descriptions, but also in his stunning ability to evoke character, interweave various tales, & see a Jumble of facts & conjectures as a means of releasing whatever dramatic moments are around. The confrontation between aggressive Europeans & innocent primitive tribes affords ample opportunity. The book is a requiem for an idyllic past, moving in its picture of a wild civilization slowly eroding. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Category: History; South Pacific; 18th century; Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 9676. .