Discovery of the Palau Islands, The
5 journalers for this copy...
This book is an edited version of George Keate's "Account of the Pelew Islands" recounting the shipwreck of the British ship Antelope and the crew's subsequent adventures.
I'm not thrilled with some of the editorial choices. Dale inserted his own notes into the text either in small print or [brackets], both of which I found distracting: I would have preferred footnotes. He also admits to removing most of Keate's comments, which probably gave a better feel for the time of the events than any 21st century writer's notes could. Modernized spelling is definitely easier to read, but I feel like some of the "flavor" of the story was lost along the way. Also, I wonder whether the original text had more illustrations than Dale chose to include here.
Sadly, the young prince's adventure ended about the way I was afraid it would. Palau may not have been as isolated as the English thought, but like so many Pacific Islanders, the natives were very vulnerable to "Western" diseases. :(
Since this is a modern edition, I would have appreciated a good map of Palau, along with one showing its location in the Pacific - perhaps something like this.
I wish this had been better, but I'll still count it as book 54/59 for NancyNova's 2013-2014 US states & territories reading challenge - Palau books are a real challenge to find!
I'm not thrilled with some of the editorial choices. Dale inserted his own notes into the text either in small print or [brackets], both of which I found distracting: I would have preferred footnotes. He also admits to removing most of Keate's comments, which probably gave a better feel for the time of the events than any 21st century writer's notes could. Modernized spelling is definitely easier to read, but I feel like some of the "flavor" of the story was lost along the way. Also, I wonder whether the original text had more illustrations than Dale chose to include here.
Sadly, the young prince's adventure ended about the way I was afraid it would. Palau may not have been as isolated as the English thought, but like so many Pacific Islanders, the natives were very vulnerable to "Western" diseases. :(
Since this is a modern edition, I would have appreciated a good map of Palau, along with one showing its location in the Pacific - perhaps something like this.
I wish this had been better, but I'll still count it as book 54/59 for NancyNova's 2013-2014 US states & territories reading challenge - Palau books are a real challenge to find!
The crew of The Antelope are off on another journey across the Pacific, probably also by ship (media mail). Hopefully this time they won't get shipwrecked!
Note: I paid a bit more for this used book than I normally would, because Palau is so hard to find a book for. I'm glad to see it traveling - that makes me feel better about paying $5 for a used book at the library sale! :)
Note: I paid a bit more for this used book than I normally would, because Palau is so hard to find a book for. I'm glad to see it traveling - that makes me feel better about paying $5 for a used book at the library sale! :)
Thank you! I will read this before the year ends as part of the US States & Territories reading challenge.
"The Discovery of the Palau Islands" documents the shipwreck of the merchant ship Antelope off of the Palau Islands. This book was clearly written as a non-fiction documentation of the crew's time on the island rather than a story that described their adventure. Even though the subject matter was interesting, westerners stumbling across a somewhat primitive tribe of island natives, the recollection of the events were dry and lacking excitement.
The King's son, Lebuu, returned to England with the crew. His introduction to the western culture could be compared to a sponge sucking up everything its exposed to. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that Lebuu's life was cut short when exposed to diseases (small pox) of the western culture.
The King's son, Lebuu, returned to England with the crew. His introduction to the western culture could be compared to a sponge sucking up everything its exposed to. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that Lebuu's life was cut short when exposed to diseases (small pox) of the western culture.
sending to book-a-neer
Thank you very much for sending this. I'm really looking forward to it. The two books I'm reading now are all set in the Pacific and it's been very interesting (re)learning about the islands.
It was really interesting to read about the people of Palau in the 1700's. The book is a bit dull actually (a diary of the time when thy were shipwrecked) which could have been improved if it wasn't written in a monotonous manner but the subject matter more than made up for it.
Reserved.
Reserved.
Sent to the winner of the Authors from Unusual Countries Sweeps winner. Congrats!
Journal Entry 9 by kiwiinengland at Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Ohh - brilliant. Thank you so much for this book which covers a bit of the world I have never even heard off. I will read this for the 666 challenge and will be sure to pass it on to another appreciative bookcrosser. Hope that makes the $5 outlay for the book more acceptable :)
Journal Entry 10 by kiwiinengland at Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Tuesday, October 18, 2016
An interesting read, although I felt like we only got a small glimpse into the life on the island as the women were mainly ignored. Very pleased to have read it.
The contents obviously reflect the attitudes of the time (all powerful males) but it also reflects the wide gap between the Pacific people and the British, one that still exists ,hopefully in a less violent way. Understanding anothers way of life is difficult enough from afar, but more necessary in close conta. Where are the women?
Journal Entry 12 by kiwiinengland at Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Thursday, September 3, 2020
Released 3 yrs ago (9/3/2020 UTC) at Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Passed to -Tui- when they visited the Capital city.
If you aren't familiar with Bookcrossing, take a few minutes to check out this very cool site. Bookcrossers LOVE books, and more than anything, they love to read books and then set them free for other people to find and enjoy. I would love it if you would leave a journal entry -- you can say where you found the book or how you liked it when you read it.
It seems, in the 21st century, a long way from the origins of this book. For people in New Zealand, the adaptation of the silors could happen today in parts of the South Island. There is much to learn.