An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean: With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language. Compiled and ... years resident of those islands. Volume 1 [Paperback]

John Martin; William Mariner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2001

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1818 edition by John Murray, London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: Adamant Media Corporation (March 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402178050
• ISBN-13: 978-1402178054
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,407,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > South Pacific

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands, June 26, 2008

By 

B. Young "Pacific Wanderer" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean: With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language. Compiled and ... years resident of those islands. Volume 1 (Paperback)

For anyone interested in the history of the Pacific Islands, this book is a must read. It is a gripping true story of a young English sailor who was captured by the Tongans in 1806 when they attacked his ship, murdered most of the crew and then burned the ship. Mariner was "adopted" by one of the Tongan chiefs and used in the local wars to fire the cannons which were taken from the ship. Today you can still dive into Mariner's Cave in Vavau in northern tonga and visit many of the places named in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very significant book, November 18, 2010

By 

Ms Mariner - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean: With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language. Compiled and ... years resident of those islands. Volume 1 (Paperback)

This book was written almost 200 years ago and yet remains an essential historical text. As the most significant description of pre-Christian Tongan society, and also as an astonishing account of Britain's maritime tactics against competing empires, this book provides a broad backdrop describing how European empires moved into the Pacific.

Apart from this, William Mariner's story as a teenage castaway in Tonga is a riveting survival tale of a very resourceful young man.

It is still a popular book to this day for those interested in adventure tales, British privateers, early accounts of Tongan and Samoan cultures, and especially for William Mariner's many Polynesian and British descendants.