Description: THE GREAT OCEAN: Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush - David Igler (2013 Hardcover) The Pacific of the early eighteenth century was not a single ocean but a vast and varied waterscape, a place of baffling complexity, with 25,000 islands and seemingly endless continental shorelines. But with the voyages of Captain James Cook, global attention turned to the Pacific, and European and American dreams of scientific exploration, trade, and empire grew dramatically. By the time of the California gold rush, the Pacific's many shores were fully integrated into world markets-and world consciousness. The Great Ocean draws on hundreds of documented voyages--some painstakingly recorded by participants, some only known by archeological remains or indigenous memory--as a window into the commercial, cultural, and ecological upheavals following Cook's exploits, focusing in particular on the eastern Pacific in the decades between the 1770s and the 1840s. Beginning with the expansion of trade as seen via the travels of William Shaler, captain of the American Brig Lelia Byrd, historian David Igler uncovers a world where voyagers, traders, hunters, and native peoples met one another in episodes often marked by violence and tragedy. Igler describes how indigenous communities struggled against introduced diseases that cut through the heart of their communities; how the ordeal of Russian Timofei Tarakanov typified the common practice of taking hostages and prisoners; how Mary Brewster witnessed first-hand the bloody "great hunt" that decimated otters, seals, and whales; how Adelbert von Chamisso scoured the region, carefully compiling his notes on natural history; and how James Dwight Dana rivaled Charles Darwin in his pursuit of knowledge on a global scale. These stories--and the historical themes that tie them together--offer a fresh perspective on the oceanic worlds of the eastern Pacific. Ambitious and broadly conceived, The Great Ocean is the first book to weave together American, oceanic, and world history in a path-breaking portrait of the Pacific world. FREE MEDIA MAIL SHIPPING TO DOMESTIC ADDRESSES! PRIORITY MAIL available for speedy delivery! International buyers may use eBay's International Shipping Program. And see my other books for sale here!
Price: 19.99 USD
Location: Tacoma, Washington
End Time: 2025-01-21T19:59:55.000Z
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Narrative Type: Nonfiction
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Book Title: Great Ocean : Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush
Number of Pages: 272 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Topic: Natural History, Indigenous Studies, Commerce, Australia & Oceania, Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Customs & Traditions, Oceania
Publication Year: 2013
Item Height: 0.9 in
Illustrator: Yes
Genre: Travel, Social Science, Science, Business & Economics, History
Item Weight: 17.6 Oz
Author: David Igler
Item Length: 6.3 in
Item Width: 9.3 in
Format: Hardcover
