A Pattern of Islands by Arthur Grimble

A Pattern of Islands by Arthur Grimble is a highly engaging memoir of life in the remote islands of the central Pacific, written by one of the best-known British colonial administrators to have served in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, territories now principally associated with modern-day Kiribati and Tuvalu. First published in 1952, the book combines travel, autobiography, anthropology and island history in an entertaining account of Grimble's years living and working among Pacific island communities.

Rather than presenting a conventional administrative history, Grimble fills A Pattern of Islands with personal encounters, local customs, traditional beliefs, folklore, fishing expeditions, village life and the practical challenges of travelling between isolated islands. His recollections provide an unusual first-hand record of a Pacific world undergoing considerable social and political change during the early twentieth century.

Illustrated throughout and accompanied by a sketch map, A Pattern of Islands remains an interesting title for collectors of Pacific history, colonial memoirs, travel literature, anthropology and vintage exploration books. Arthur Grimble's accessible narrative style also makes the book enjoyable simply as an adventure and travel memoir.

This is the 1956 John Murray Cheap Edition, retaining its attractive pictorial dust jacket depicting islanders travelling by canoe. Copies retaining their original jackets are particularly desirable compared with the numerous jacketless examples encountered on the second-hand market.

Condition - Very Good

Hardcover in an unclipped pictorial dust jacket protected by a plastic covering. Tape stains and prior ownership inscription to the endpapers, with light foxing present. Binding remains sound and the jacket presents well.