A History of the Pacific

"A masterwork of Pacific historical research - a comprehensive history of the Pacific region written for the general reader.

太平洋历史研究的集大成之作，一部写给大众读者的太平洋地区通史

In this fascinating and exciting overview, Donald B. Freeman explores the role of the Pacific Ocean in human history. Covering more than one-third of the globe, the Pacific Ocean plays a vital role in the lives and fortunes of over two billion people living on its rim and islands. It has been crucial in shaping the histories of diverse Pacific cultures, appearing in various guises within them. This wide-ranging book examines the ocean's place in human history, bringing together its vast and varied natural, economic, cultural, and political history from prehistory to the contemporary era. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, it showcases the evolving perspectives of those who have explored, exploited, and settled the Pacific, including the inhabitants of its Asian and American rims. Drawing on new research from fields such as early Pacific migration, the impact of European colonization, climate change effects, and current economic and political developments, the book offers a uniquely broad overview that will significantly impact students and anyone interested in world history.

This work primarily studies the role of the Pacific, the world's largest and deepest ocean, in human history, serving as a conventional chronicle of major events in exploration and the development of the Pacific. Adopting a thematic and interdisciplinary approach, it analyzes the ocean's complex role and influence on the crucial aspects of human habitation, exploration, interaction, and exploitation.

在这本引人入胜、激动人心的概述中，唐纳德·弗里曼探讨了太平洋在人类历史中的作用。太平洋占全球面积的三分之一以上，对生活在其边缘地带和岛屿上的20多亿人的生活和命运起着至关重要的作用。它在塑造不同太平洋文化的历史中发挥了至关重要的作用，并以各种不同的面貌出现在这些文化中。这本内容广泛的书籍探讨了海洋在人类历史中的地位，汇集了太平洋从史前到当代漫长而多样的自然、经济、文化和政治历史。该书采用跨学科的方法，展示了那些探索、开发和定居太平洋的人们（包括其亚洲和美洲边缘地带的居民）不断变化的观点。本书借鉴了多个领域的新研究成果，如早期太平洋移民、欧洲殖民化的影响、气候变化的影响以及当前的经济和政治发展。该书提供了一个独特的广泛概述，将对学生和所有对世界历史感兴趣的人产生重大影响。

本书主要研究太平洋这一世界上最大、最深的海洋在人类历史上的作用，是一部关于探险中的重大事件、对太平洋的开发的常规编年史。全书采取了主题式的跨科学方法，分析了太平洋对人类居住、勘探、互动与开发的重要方面的复杂作用与影响。

Donald B. Freeman

A distinguished maritime historian and Professor Emeritus of Geography at York University, Canada. His research interests include the geography and history of trade and development in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. He has authored scholarly works on oceanic exploration and imperial expansion.

唐纳德·B.弗里曼（Donald B. Freeman），著名航海史学家，加拿大约克大学地理系荣休教授。他的研究领域包括太平洋和东南亚地区的地理以及贸易和发展的历史，著有关于大洋探险和帝国主义扩张的学术著作。