"An excellent piece of work--an admirable contribution to the ethnography of Melanesia by Parkinson, an easy-to-read translation by Dennison, an excellent essay on Parkinson and his work by Specht, wonderful maps, illustrations and photographs, and a quality volume in the physical sense. Worth every dollar of the price." --Pacific Arts, July 2000

With an introduction by Jim Specht

Published in 1907, Dreissig Jahre in der Südsee drew together and expanded on the scientific and popular papers Richard Parkinson had been publishing since 1887, creating in the process a landmark ethnography of the Bismarck Archipelago.

Parkinson traveled widely throughout the Melanesian islands now known as New Britain, New Ireland, New Hanover, Manus, Buka, and areas of Papua New Guinea. His recorded observations covered a wide range, from village religious life and ceremonies to artifacts and languages. What is particularly important about this volume is the period in which it was written. While Parkinson may not have been the first outside contact of any local people, he clearly was among the first, and his recorded observations of many island societies took place before the islanders were exposed to Western missionaries or new economies. Much of what the book describes was not available to subsequent researchers because life and traditional cultures had changed by the time of their arrival.

Thirty Years in the South Seas is considered a classic and foundational work in ethnography. This translation contains an accurate transcription of all Parkinson's linguistic work and all his illustrations.