The infamous Bounty mutiny of 1790 culminated in nine mutineers taking up residence on the small Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific. Rivalry over Polynesian women soon led to homicidal strife and, by 1808, when American sealing vessel Topaz stopped at the island, John Adams was the only mutineer alive. He, however, headed what was soon discovered to be a utopian like Christian society. Beginning with a background look at the circumstances surrounding the mutiny, this volume contains a detailed history of the Pitcairn islanders from the original settlement through the opening years of the 21st century. The island's isolation is contrasted with the international attention garnered from its captivating history, making the society a one-of-a-kind historical conundrum. Unlike previous volumes, this history takes a look at the Pitcairn Island of the 20th and 21st centuries, examining such subjects as the effect of the World War II and the 2004 sexual abuse trial and conviction of six Pitcairners. Helpful maps and photographs enhance the reader's experience.

In the 400 years from Magellan's entrance into Pacific waters to 1920, the lives of the people of the South Pacific were utterly transformed. Pacific people died from exotic diseases from Europe and America. The worldwide influenza pandemic was particularly deadly for islanders. Ardent missionaries changed the belief systems and lives of nearly all Polynesians, Aborigines, and those Papuans and Melanesians living in areas accessible to westerners. By 1920 every island and atoll in the South Seas had been claimed as a colony or protectorate of a power such as Britain, France or the United States. Factors aiding this imperial sweep included European outposts such as Sydney, ability from the 18th century to prevent scurvy, a marine chronometer that measured longitude accurately, the work of missionaries, a desire to profit from the area's relatively sparse resources, and international rivalry that led to the scramble for colonies. The coming of westerners, as this book points out, was not entirely negative, as head-hunting, cannibalism, chronic warfare, human sacrifice, and other practices were diminished.

Faulkner's People is an essential reference for the student and general reader of Faulkner who seeks guidance in identifying and interrelating the more than 1,200 characters in Faulkner’s novels, short stories, and sketches. The book will help even experienced readers make their way through the labyrinth of Faulkner’s style and plots and distinguish the interconnections between all of Faulkner’s writings.   The guide is constructed as follows: The novels from Soldiers’ Pay (1926) to The Reivers (1962) are listed by title in the order of their publication. Under each title, all of the named characters who appear or are mentioned in the work are listed alphabetically, together with the number of every page on which the character’s name occurs. A concise account of the actions of each character is given, together with a description of that character’s salient personality features. The name under which a character is listed in the guide is often supplied in brackets when a nickname, maiden name, or other variant is used in the sketches. Major characters in each novel are indicated by boldface type.   Immediately following the section devoted to the novels appear the named characters in all of Faulkner’s short stories and sketches, which are also treated in the order of their publication. Carryover characters who are handled inconsistently by Faulkner are marked with an asterisk and treated further by the authors in the appendix.   The authors have also included genealogical charts of the Sartoris, Burden, and McCaslin-Beauchamp-Edmonds families, as well as a map of Yoknapatawpha County. Finally, an alphabetically arranged master index of characters lists every work in which their names occur. Specific bibliographical information concerning editions is given, together with other editions, American and British, with the same pagination. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1963.