STEVEN ROGER FISCHER is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures, Auckland, New Zealand, and has authored and edited more than 150 books and articles. For his celebrated decipherments of ancient scripts he was elected in 2010 a Fellow of the Royal Society (New Zealand).

Praise for first edition: 'A magnificent achievement - richly informative and engagingly written.' - Harvey Whitehouse, Queen's University of Belfast 'In substance and in style it has a discernably individual style that I find appealing and which will make it very useful in a range of undergraduate courses.' - Hugh Laracy, University of Auckland 'Steven Roger Fischer's History of the Pacific Islands is an excellent book that provides encyclopedic coverage of the field. It offers fascinating information not only to interested laymen, but also to students and experts working in the field and doing research in the area.' - Professor Dr Gunter Senft, Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 'An excellent, comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the Pacific Islands, from prehistoric movements to modern political and economic realities. Recommended for all students of the Pacific.' - Professor Donald Tuzin, University of California, USA 'This is, in my view, the best recent introduction to Pacific history, one ideally suited for undergraduate study and for general readers.' - H.G.A. Hughes, Corwen, Wales, Reference Reviews

• List of MapsPreface to the Second EditionPreface to the First EditionAcknowledgementsIntroductionThe First IslandersMelanesians, Micronesians, PolynesiansThe European TrespassThe Second ColonizationNew Pacific IdentitiesPacific Islanders in TransitRe-Inventing Pacific IslandsThe 'New Pacific'Selected Further ReadingIndex.

STEVEN ROGER FISCHER is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures, Auckland, New Zealand, and has authored and edited more than 150 books and articles. For his celebrated decipherments of ancient scripts he was elected in 2010 a Fellow of the Royal Society (New Zealand).

Praise for first edition: 'A magnificent achievement - richly informative and engagingly written.' - Harvey Whitehouse, Queen's University of Belfast 'In substance and in style it has a discernably individual style that I find appealing and which will make it very useful in a range of undergraduate courses.' - Hugh Laracy, University of Auckland 'Steven Roger Fischer's History of the Pacific Islands is an excellent book that provides encyclopedic coverage of the field. It offers fascinating information not only to interested laymen, but also to students and experts working in the field and doing research in the area.' - Professor Dr Gunter Senft, Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 'An excellent, comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the Pacific Islands, from prehistoric movements to modern political and economic realities. Recommended for all students of the Pacific.' - Professor Donald Tuzin, University of California, USA 'This is, in my view, the best recent introduction to Pacific history, one ideally suited for undergraduate study and for general readers.' - H.G.A. Hughes, Corwen, Wales, Reference Reviews

• List of MapsPreface to the Second EditionPreface to the First EditionAcknowledgementsIntroductionThe First IslandersMelanesians, Micronesians, PolynesiansThe European TrespassThe Second ColonizationNew Pacific IdentitiesPacific Islanders in TransitRe-Inventing Pacific IslandsThe 'New Pacific'Selected Further ReadingIndex.

STEVEN ROGER FISCHER is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures, Auckland, New Zealand, and has authored and edited more than 150 books and articles. For his celebrated decipherments of ancient scripts he was elected in 2010 a Fellow of the Royal Society (New Zealand).

Praise for first edition: 'A magnificent achievement - richly informative and engagingly written.' - Harvey Whitehouse, Queen's University of Belfast 'In substance and in style it has a discernably individual style that I find appealing and which will make it very useful in a range of undergraduate courses.' - Hugh Laracy, University of Auckland 'Steven Roger Fischer's History of the Pacific Islands is an excellent book that provides encyclopedic coverage of the field. It offers fascinating information not only to interested laymen, but also to students and experts working in the field and doing research in the area.' - Professor Dr Gunter Senft, Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 'An excellent, comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the Pacific Islands, from prehistoric movements to modern political and economic realities. Recommended for all students of the Pacific.' - Professor Donald Tuzin, University of California, USA 'This is, in my view, the best recent introduction to Pacific history, one ideally suited for undergraduate study and for general readers.' - H.G.A. Hughes, Corwen, Wales, Reference Reviews

• List of MapsPreface to the Second EditionPreface to the First EditionAcknowledgementsIntroductionThe First IslandersMelanesians, Micronesians, PolynesiansThe European TrespassThe Second ColonizationNew Pacific IdentitiesPacific Islanders in TransitRe-Inventing Pacific IslandsThe 'New Pacific'Selected Further ReadingIndex.