Pacific Rising: The Emergence of a New World Culture - Softcover

Winchester, author of Korea ( LJ 4/1/88) and The Sun Never Sets ( LJ 5/1/86), combines the best of travel writing, human-interest journalism, and history to produce a compelling account of the nations bordering the Pacific. His thesis, that these disparate peoples somehow constitute a distinct analytical subject, is hard to accept: Seattle, Sakhalin, Santiago, and Singapore truly do not have much in common. But that matters little. This is a collection of brilliant mini-essays on a score of topics: the geology of the Pacific, its early explorers, Chinese emigrants in North and South America, the Peruvian coolie trade, and the Tokyo yuppie lifestyle. Although the book may not hang together as well as Winchester would like, it is enriched by his keen eye for fascinating anecdotes and details. Highly recommended for general readers and undergraduates.
- John H. Boyle, California State Univ., Chico
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A delightful and informative look at the complicated mosaic of peoples, religions and histories of some of the countries in and around the world's largest ocean, and at the Pacific Ocean itself. Maps.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.