Of Noted Pacific
p. 99 · Read in the full issue
Revised Version
Bibliography
SINCE 1951, Pacific scholars have been well served by Mr. C. R. H.
Taylor’s A Pacific Bibliography, a work of 492 pages published by the Polynesian Society, Wellington.
Now, after a lapse of 15 years, Mr. Taylor has revised, extended and brought his bibliography up to the year 1960, and has had it republished by the Oxford University Press.
The new edition is a considerable improvement. It is exactly 200 pages longer, and it now has something like 15,000 entries.
The old system of grouping the entries for each territory into sec tions such as general works, ethno logy, physical and mental charac teristics, origins and migrations, culture contact and influences, etc., etc., is still followed. But the sections have been subdivided for some of the bigger territories. Another in novation is a section on Pitcairn Island.
A most welcome feature is that the index—one of the weaknesses of the first edition—has been ex tended from 23 to 95 pages, so that it is now a fairly complete guide to the authors listed in the body of the book. It is still not foolproof.
If you are curious to know, for example, what works are listed by Sir Albert Ellis, the index will refer you to only two of his three books —in the Ellice Islands section on p. 138. However, if you happen to look under Gilbert Islands on p. 569, you will find all three books listed.
Considering the enormous amount of time and effort that Mr. Taylor has put into his work, it would be pleasant to be able to say that he has virtually left no stone unturned in his quest for Pacific literature.
However, this is not the case. Even this reviewer’s very modest library of Pacific books yielded nearly a dozen titles unrecorded by Mr.
Taylor, and it is not difficult to think of others, and find them missing too.
But just as one should never look a gift horse in the mouth, one should never look for shortcomings in a bibliography of this kind. Such works are always labours of love; they will almost invariably lead a true research worker to any items that have been left out; they are always worth far more than you have to pay for them. Mr. Taylor’s costs
5A24.80,
RL.