“The book is most successful in providing a serious review of environmental changes around the Pacific Basin … the list of almost 1,000 references provides a comprehensive documentation of diverse sources of data and is a valuable resource for future students of the Pacific region. An example of the value of this type of regional compilation is the recognition, throughout the Pacific Basin, of the synchronicity of the general cooling trend in the late Holocene and the importance of the abrupt change in climate between the Little Climatic Optimum and the Little Ice Age around 600-700 BP. Possibly this is the book’s greatest strength – to show that it is possible and rewarding to study natural phenomena at a regional scale as huge as the Pacific Basin … Patrick Nunn’s book richly illustrates the value of seeking regional patterns to support local evidence. The author is to be congratulated for the vision to see the value of a regional compilation at this scale and the courage to undertake such a mammoth task” (The Australian Geologist)
“The book nicely defines the Pacific Basin and describes its physical characteristics and the processes that control these … This is a highly interesting read, introducing the singularity of environmental change in this vast region of the earth” (Environmental Geology)
“The Pacific Basin covers virtually half the globe and is home to a remarkably diverse range of landscapes and peoples. Given the considerable growth in scientific interest in the Pacific Islands and those countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, this book represents a grand undertaking, matched by few books in the natural sciences … the value of this book is that it compiles such a vast literature into a single volume and gives clear direction for future research directions across a wide range of issues and different timescales … the successful compilation of environmental data from an area covering nearly half the globe represents a major achievement and the book will be an important reference text for anyone interested in the question of why the Pacific Basin is as it is today” (The Holocene)
“ … the geographic sweep is outdone by the time depth – for this is a book addressing environmental change in geological time … this book has all the qualities of a University textbook and a good one to boot. It is well-organised and structured, and is profusely illustrated with apt diagrams, maps and photographs … [it] is clear and uncomplicated … a very readable and accessible book … soundly researched and up-to-date” (Environment and History)
“The author states that the book was written to inform readers ‘… about the long history of environmental change which has led to the creation of the modern Pacific basin.’ He certainly does that, pitching the book at a readable level for undergraduate university students. A particular strength of the book is the extensive and up-to-date bibliography (almost 1000 citations, of which over 50% are from 1990 onwards) … the book is a valuable reference work and it should be on the shelves of every university library” (Australian Geographical Studies)
“Patrick Nunn has written an interesting, informative book about the geological, geomorphic, climatic, and biotic history of the Pacific Basin, and the prehistory of its human inhabitants. As an introductory survey, possibly the only one of its sort, of an undoubtedly neglected area not often treated in such a systematic and all-inclusive fashion, it definitely has a place on many library shelves” (New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics)
“This is an ambitious book … the writing is informative, and the subject is covered in a systematic manner. … I believe the book is best viewed as a balanced overview of environmental change in the Pacific region over both geological and historical time-scales. It provides a useful introduction to the subject …” (Journal of Quaternary Science)