Fishing for Islands: Traditional Boats and Seafarers of the Pacific [Hardcover]

John Nicholson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

How would you like to cross the Pacific Ocean in a home-made boat? Sounds impossible, doesn't it? - but that's what the Polynesians did, skimming through the water at 20 km an hour with enough provisions on board for several weeks at sea. They and other peoples of the Pacific rim built boats for fishing, travelling, carrying goods, exploring and war. Fishing for Islands celebrates these traditional boats of South-east Asia and the Pacific, and shows how they were made, using bamboo, timber, vines, coconut fibre and so on. It also traces the movement of Melanesian and Polynesian people, beginning with short island-hops in bark or reed canoes and gradually extending out into the vastness of the Pacific, navigating by memory and the stars. This is a John Nicholson classic: a superbly illustrated, down-to-earth and very personal angle on history, informed by a passion for the things that people design and make.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Nicholson is the author of The Cruelest Place on Earth, Explorers of Australia, A Home Among the Gum Trees, and The First Fleet.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin Academic (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864485906
• ISBN-13: 978-1864485905
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,186,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traditional Boats and Seafarers of the Pacific, October 25, 2008

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fishing for Islands: Traditional Boats and Seafarers of the Pacific (Paperback)

Thirty Thousand years ago, the first Melanesian sailors trusting in their abilities sailed beyond the horizon in search of new lands. They settled first in the Solomon Islands and then pushed into the South Pacific. Four thousand years ago, Polynesian sailors pushed the exploration envelope by sailing as far away as Easter Island and the Hawaiian Islands. They were able to make these extraordinary voyages without the benefit of navigation tools or sophisticated maps. These are major accompolishments that are often forgotten about in Western textbooks.

John Nicholson is fascinated by the traditional boats used by these early sailors. A first rate illustrator, Nicholson describes the building techniques and riggings used by these traditional sailors. This is a book meant for school aged children but as an adult, I still found "Fishing for Islands" a fun and worthwhile read. Highly recommended.