History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants: Translated by John Crockett

Vaggioli (an Italian monk, and one of the first Benedictine priests to be sent to New Zealand) published this history in 1896. Drawing on first-hand accounts, he describes the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Taranaki wars, the war in Waitkato. He also recorded details of the lives and customs of the Maori people he was evangelising and presents criticisms of both Protestantism and British Colonisation. This is the book’s first translation into English.