This book provides an arresting interpretation of the history ofAustralia, New Zealand and the Pacific from the earliestsettlements to the present. Usually viewed in isolation, thesesocieties are covered here in a single account, in which theauthors show how the peoples of the region constructed their ownidentities and influenced those of their neighbours. By broadening the focus to the regional level, this volumedevelops analyses - of economic, social and political history -which transcend national boundaries. The result is a compelling work which bothdescribes the aspirations of European settlers and reveals how thedispossessed and marginalized indigenous peoples negotiated theirown lives as best they could. The authors demonstrate that thesestories are not separate but rather strands of a singlehistory.