Double Ghosts: Oceanian Voyagers on Euroamerican Ships (Sources and Studies in World History) [Hardcover]

David A. Chappell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Chappell (history, Univ. of Hawaii) has combed hundreds of records to identify 250 Pacific Islanders, sometimes called "Kanakas," who sailed on Western ships in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sailing by choice or through "blackbirding," Islanders were found in great numbers on American whaling ships and vessels in the China trade. As they moved around the Pacific, sometimes reaching North and South America and even Europe, they suffered physical mistreatment, cultural devastation, and diseases often resulting in death; a few were even exhibited as curiosities, much like circus freaks. Chappell is concerned with the effects on their cultures and on the peoples with whom they came in contact. His work, with extensive notes and bibliography, is a fresh approach, rich in detail but remarkably lively. It deserves a readership beyond the academic community.?Harold M. Otness, Southern Oregon State Coll. Lib., Ashland
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 231 pages
• Publisher: M E Sharpe Inc (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563249987
• ISBN-13: 978-1563249983
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,113,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Double Ghosts a great read for students of Pacific Rim history., February 22, 2012

By 

konajack - See all my reviews

This review is from: Double Ghosts: Oceanian Voyagers on Euroamerican Ships (Sources and Studies in World History) (Paperback)

If you are in to history, Double Ghosts is a great read. As a resident of Kona, Hawaii for twenty years, I can really appreciate Dr. Chappell's exploration of the sociological and cultural interplay between the indigenous peoples of the Pacific and their European conquerors within a historical context. Even more interesting, what began as the indentureship if indigenous peoples shifted as Polynesians began to volunteer to go on voyages and eventually began using the ships and captains for their own purposes. Dr. Chappell's book lends a rare and valuable insight into present day relationships between Polynesians and the world beyond.
Jack Kelly, Author, "Kamehameha and Vancouver, Rendezvous in Paradise."