A Pattern Of Islands
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: Reprint
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: Damaged
Pages: Good , price clipped
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Worn on binding. Large chunks missing from dust jacket, rough edges along folds of jacket. Foxing and tanning on book block but does not extend internally. Pages bright and clean.
A beloved classic of colonial memoir and travel writing, A Pattern of Islands chronicles Arthur Grimble's remarkable years as a young British administrative officer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands of the Pacific during the early twentieth century. With warmth, self-deprecating humor, and genuine affection for the islanders, Grimble recounts his immersion into a remote and enchanting Micronesian culture — learning the language, participating in local customs, and even attempting the legendary art of porpoise-calling. The narrative presents a vivid portrait of island life, balancing comic misadventures with deeply respectful observations of the traditions and beliefs of the Gilbertese people. Written with the charm and storytelling flair of a natural raconteur, it stands as both a captivating personal adventure and a valuable ethnographic record of a Pacific world that has since changed beyond recognition.
Author: Arthur Grimble
Format: Hardback
Published: 1955, John Murray
Genre: Travel & exploration
Edition: Reprint
Condition remarks:
Book: Fair
Jacket: Damaged
Pages: Good , price clipped
Markings: Previous owner
Condition remarks: Worn on binding. Large chunks missing from dust jacket, rough edges along folds of jacket. Foxing and tanning on book block but does not extend internally. Pages bright and clean.
A beloved classic of colonial memoir and travel writing, A Pattern of Islands chronicles Arthur Grimble's remarkable years as a young British administrative officer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands of the Pacific during the early twentieth century. With warmth, self-deprecating humor, and genuine affection for the islanders, Grimble recounts his immersion into a remote and enchanting Micronesian culture — learning the language, participating in local customs, and even attempting the legendary art of porpoise-calling. The narrative presents a vivid portrait of island life, balancing comic misadventures with deeply respectful observations of the traditions and beliefs of the Gilbertese people. Written with the charm and storytelling flair of a natural raconteur, it stands as both a captivating personal adventure and a valuable ethnographic record of a Pacific world that has since changed beyond recognition.