DOC The Holocaust Encyclopedia by Judith Tydor Baumel in History

Description

This vivid book retells the story of Captain Cook’s great voyages in the South Seas; focusing on the encounters between the explorers and the island peoples they “discovered.” While Cook and his men were initially confounded by the Polynesians; they were also curious. Cook and his crew soon formed friendships―and often more intimate relationships―with the islanders. The islanders; who initially were not certain if the Englishmen were even human; came to experiment with Western customs and in some cases joined the voyagers on their expeditions.But familiarity quickly bred contempt. Shipboard discipline was threatened by these new relationships; and the culture of the islands was also changed forever. Captain Cook; initially determined to act as an enlightened leader; saw his resolve falter during the third voyage. Amicable relations turned hostile; culminating in Cook’s violent death on the shores of Hawaii.In this masterful account of Cook’s voyages; Anne Salmond―a preeminent authority on the history of the south seas―reimagines two worlds that collided in the eighteenth century; and the enduring impact of that collision.