Recognized as the principal guide to Pacific peoples, their cultures, and history, The Pacific Islands has been a standard reference and text for scholars and students for many years. Containing extensive revisions and additions based on the large number of more recent historical and anthropological writings about the Pacific, this edition is a comprehensive view of the geography, economics, history, ethnology, and politics of the island groups up to 1950 (when changes of different kinds and tempos began to occur).

Since their discovery by Europeans centuries ago, the Pacific Islands have been undergoing rapid and profound changes. With compassion and insight, Professor Oliver tells how their native peoples have fared in recent centuries and presents the facts that will determine their future.