⇒ Read Gratis Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e The Michael King 9780143018674 Books

Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e The Michael King 9780143018674 Books

Download As PDF : Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e The Michael King 9780143018674 Books

Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e The Michael King 9780143018674 Books

I really enjoyed the insights about Polynesian exploration of the Pacific by outrigger canoe and navigation by the stars way before the European explorers ventured out. I also appreciated the early history of the Maori after they arrived at New Zealand; their culture, food, local ecology et al, and how most of the history was passed along orally. The approach by the English to (mostly) preserve Maori names, property and culture was enlightening. Probably because of better records to draw upon in the 1900's, the last third of the book goes into numbing detail about mostly New Zealand politics. A good respite is New Zealand proudly rising to the call during WW I and WW II.


Tags : Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e, The [Michael King] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. New Zealand was the last country in the world to be discovered and settled by humankind. It was also the first to introduce a full democracy. Between those events,Michael King,Penguin History Of New Zealand 1e,The,Penguin New Zealand,0143018671,History General,History: World

Penguin History Of New Zealand 1/e The Michael King 9780143018674 Books Reviews

This thorough history was recommended to me by a Kiwi friend. It covers the settling of New Zealand by the Maori, then the English colonization and subsequent social and political development of the country. It is well written and interesting, with only a slight tendency to jump around in time occasionally. Overall, well worth the time invested (570 pages).
A very good read. Do start from the beginning though .
I am also fond of unusual out of place histories so this history is more
Straight history if you like. I have not finished the book however.
I do like the ability of the book to put perspectives on where we are and to inspire PEACE.
Really great book to read because it thoroughly reports the history of NZed -- which you can still see as you wander around New Zealand. It makes the countries' internal disputes coherent to a foreigner and also gives you the background for many current policies.
I read this before a vacation in New Zealand. Very concise, easy to read, seemingly unbiased history of the land and its people.
Great read as I was traveling around New Zealand for the first time.

I thought the author took a very fair and critical eye towards different periods of colonial and post-colonial eras of New Zealand.

I also enjoyed the introductory history towards the beginning of the book about the Maori peoples prior to the arrival of Europeans. (though I'd like to find more information on this period)

The book definitely generalizes in some parts, but that's to be expected when you cover a country's entire history in this size book.
This book is incredibly detailed, so for some it might be a bit too much. However, I liked the history in every category and found it fascinating. I would say to skip the chapters about prehistory or about flora and fauna if it is not your thing and stick with the rest.
This is not an academic text with the depth of, say, Belich's two volume history but it is not a light weight fly by either. It is a very easy, though not short and fairly comprehensive telling of the story of New Zealand. Because of its general nature there are places where I would have rather it went into greater detail, especially in some aspects of political history, and it does contain some "teasing" moments, I for one would have liked to have read more about the shenanigans of the New Zealand First Party in the 1990s. However, it is by far the best storytelling that I have read by Michael King.
I really enjoyed the insights about Polynesian exploration of the Pacific by outrigger canoe and navigation by the stars way before the European explorers ventured out. I also appreciated the early history of the Maori after they arrived at New Zealand; their culture, food, local ecology et al, and how most of the history was passed along orally. The approach by the English to (mostly) preserve Maori names, property and culture was enlightening. Probably because of better records to draw upon in the 1900's, the last third of the book goes into numbing detail about mostly New Zealand politics. A good respite is New Zealand proudly rising to the call during WW I and WW II.