“This delightful book examines the nature of vanished and vanishing islands of the vast Pacific Ocean. Oceanic geoscientist Nunn blends the geologic origin and development of specific islands with the history of their human settlement. He explains in fascinating ways how the local folklore and myths, recorded in oral and written traditions, are frequently grounded in natural phenomena, such as submarine eruptions, earthquakes, slumping, tsunamis, rising seas, and the like. The writing is engaging and personal, and the science is clear and accessible. Its 11 chapters include black-and-white photographs, maps, and figures, as well as copious notes, several appendixes, and about 575 references. Because of the book’s island focus, this reviewer expected that some of the chapters would be somewhat repetitive; they are not … This is truly a fine, engaging read. Summing Up: Highly recommended” (P.R. Pinet, CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries)
“One of the attractions of Patrick Nunn’s book is that he has collected myths about vanishing islands, interpreted the myths and then called on evidence from a wide range of disciplines to check their validity. His research is a good example … of how science and the arts, through oral history, can be jointly brought to bear on problems … Nunn is to be congratulated for a book that makes a very valuable addition to our knowledge of the Pacific Basin, and one that is particularly apposite at the present time with the growing debate about the future of some island communities threatened by a possible rise in sea level. He has deliberately set out to write the book in an easily read style, with the few technical terms explained, so that it can be appreciated by a wide audience. His aim has been successful in that I found myself looking forward to reading the next chapter almost as if it were a good story book— as indeed it is” (John McCraw, Journal of Pacific History)
“The book’s eleven chapters demonstrate Nunn’s extensive knowledge of the Pacific from the perspectives of ethnography, archaeology, historical anthropology, and geoscience … It is somewhat remarkable that cultural anthropologists and even archaeologists do not fully understand the geological histories of islands. They are also relative uninformed about environmental histories before the beginning of human settlement … This volume by Nunn will help us to consider the histories of island landscapes we encounter in our own fieldwork. In addition, the author’s broad knowledge of the Pacific Ocean will inspire a deeper interest in various other topics: the historical anthropology of pseudoscientific imaginative thought on hidden continents, postcolonial studies of how intersections between local knowledge and mass media give rise to newly invented traditions regarding vanished islands, the marine archaeology of prehistoric settlements submerged by past catastrophes, and the geoarchaeological investigations of anthropogenic landscapes” (Toru Yamaguchi, People and Culture in Oceania)
“It was … a pleasure to receive ‘Vanished Islands and Hidden Continents of the Pacific’, a book of geology and myths. First impressions were favourable: the book feels and looks nice, is cleanly written, nicely illustrated, entertaining and informative. Like all good books, it sat on my desk, travelled back and forth in my briefcase, disappeared for weeks on end into other people’s reading lives. In other words, it has already lived a productive life. Always a good sign … Nunn is a well-known and experienced earth scientist … His is an enquiring mind, and yet despite his experience as an empirical scientist, he notes right at the start that “there are few topics that have captured the imaginations of people … [morel than the idea of vanished islands” (p.1). Briefly providing an insight into his own history, matters of Atlantis, he admits, taxed his adolescent mind about the nature of existence and God. He continues to spin his story around his more recent engagement with the (geo)physicality of the Pacific and its islands. In doing so, he has touched on something fundamental in geography: landscapes, seascapes, oceans, islands, and the myriad of other physical geography phenomena all make sense in human terms. The geographer in the author has brought together two essential elements–environment and people–and most ably demonstrated the value of doing so … This is a lovely book, well-presented and brimming with information. It represents a thoroughly researched work, and will provide food for thought for anthropologists, archaeologists and geologists alike” (Bill Boyd, Archaeology in Oceania)
“The peoples of many Pacific islands tell stories of islands that have vanished, some forever, some to appear and disappear again and again. Outsiders, especially scholars, find it easy to dismiss these accounts. How could islands cease to exist, or fade from sight and then return? Nunn has done us all a great service by not only gathering together these stories, but also explaining the geology that underpins the reality of just how islands really do vanish (and reappear). An astonishing array of natural forces and processes are at work here, including plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, changes in sea level, typhoons and tsunamis … The volume devotes roughly equal attention to nature and to culture, drawing on a research project specifically devoted to gathering local legends from many parts of the South Pacific as well as Nunn’s extensive work as a geologist … In this it provides an unusual, if not unique, example of the two cultures (science and the humanities) converging, and makes a strong case for the value of attempts at integrating otherwise disparate approaches to knowledge … I want to stress the clarity of the natural science Nunn introduces. He does a first-rate job of describing the complex tectonic and geologic processes driving uplift in some places and subsidence in others. What is more, he is deeply respectful of local mythologies and other accounts of vanishing islands. And finally, the concluding chapters on the likely impact of rising sea levels–vanishing islands are by no means strictly a thing of the past–are compelling. This is a book that almost anyone with curiosity about how the islands came to be–and how they continue to evolve–will find both informative and entertaining” (Glenn Petersen, Pacific Affairs)