There are many books which follow the explorations of Capt. James Cook as he traversed the South Seas. This volume, however, looks at Cook's discoveries from an anthroplogical point of view, telling about his encounters with the indiginous people of Tahiti, New Zealand, Tonga, Hawaii and other locations. Meticulous research went into the writing of this book, and the author has spared no detail in telling this very fascinating history. She looks at the way Cook and his sailors interacted with the natives, how their cultures clashed, how they were harmonious. South Pacific languages, trading goods, religious worship, warfare, sexual practices, ceremony, dance, navagation, crime and murder - all these subjects and more are contained within the book's pages. A very readable, and very thorough, endeavor. ( )