It’s a lovely slim Folio Society volume, illustrated with some very nice wood engravings and beautifully printed. It came with a slip case, like all Folio books. I picked it up in one of the second hand bookshops in town. It was very enjoyable. What a joy to read a first hand account of the initial encounter between 18th century English sailors and the people of Tahiti. At first it was quite hostile. The Tahitians attacked and tried to take the ship, but with only stone age weapons, they were easily driven off by muskets and canonfire with serious losses. However, after that inauspicious start relations soon became much more friendly with much trading and even more famously sexual relations between the young women and the sailors. It seems that there was no stigma in prostitution in Tahitian society and the girls were even encouraged by their families to have sex with the sailors in return for iron nails, which they greatly coveted. Robertson is a very sympathetic, and relatively impartial witness, and often shows much empathy for the islanders. It’s a little repetitive at times, a bit like my diary, but it relates the daily rhythm of life for the sailors on the island. It seems that many were very sad to leave when the time came.