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By Frederick O'Brien
 Paperback . . . . . $17.99
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"A glowing narrative of life among the natives of the Marquesas island of Hiva-oa, an earthly paradise of palm trees, white beaches, and orchids in the moonlight."
--ABCC Books
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In his introduction to the first edition in 1919, Frederick O'Brien wrote: "It is for those who stay at home yet dream of foreign places that I have written this book, . . . In its pages there is little of profound research, . . .such expectation was far from my thoughts when I sailed from Papeite on the Morning Star. I went to see what I should see, and to learn whatever should be taught me by the days as they came . . ."
A journalist with a successful but checkered career, O'Brien was in his mid-forties when he made the original trip to the South Seas just before the start of World War II. He was likely surprised when White Shadows became a best-seller in 1919, and doubly surprised when the book was sought by MGM to become possibly the first non-fiction book to be adapted to a feature film (starring Monte Blue and Raquel Torres).
O'Brien went on to write two more South Sea books, Mystic Isles of the South Seas and Atolls of the Sun. Although these were well received, and equal in literary quality, they never achieved the popularity of White Shadows which sparked a 20s and 30s wave of interest in the South Sea islands as a travel destination or a place to escape from the "civilized" world.
Ironically, when read now through a filter of nearly 80 years, White Shadows is a remarkable recording of the devastating effects of colonialization on the people of the South Pacific. Indeed, O'Brien's prose chronicles the effects with a consistency that is conscious of its purpose, yet cautious in a world where mores and beliefs were so very different from those of the 21st century.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Farewell to Papeite beach; at sea in the Morning Star; Darwin's theory of the continent that sank beneath the waters of the South Seas.
CHAPTER TWO
The trade-room of the Morning Star; Lying Bill Pincher; M. L'Hermier des Plantes, future governor of the Marquesas; story of McHenry and the little native boy, His Dog.
CHAPTER THREE
Thirty-seven days at sea; life of the sea birds; strange phosphorescence; first sight of Fatu-hiva; history of the islands; chant of the Raiateans.
CHAPTER FOUR
Anchorage of Taha-Uka; Exploding Eggs, and his engagement as valet; inauguration of the new governor; dance on the palace lawn.
CHAPTER FIVE
First night in Atuona valley; sensational arrival of the Golden Bed; Titihuti's tattooed legs.
CHAPTER SIX
Visit of Chief Seventh Man Who Is So Angry He Wallows in the Mire; journey to Vait-hua on Tahuata island; fight with the devil-fish; story of a cannibal feast and the two who escaped.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Idyllic valley of Vait-hua; the beauty of Vanquished Often; bathing on the beach; an unexpected proposal of marriage.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Communal life; sport in the waves; fight of the sharks and the mother whale; a day in the mountains; death of Le Capitane Halley; return to Atuona.
CHAPTER NINE
The Marquesans at ten o'clock mass; a remarkable conversation about religions and Joan of Arc in which Great Fern gives his idea of the devil.
CHAPTER TEN
The marriage of Malicious Gossip; matrimonial customs of the simple natives; the domestic difficulties of Haabuani.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Filling the popoi pits in the season of the breadfruit; legend of the mei; the secret festival in a hidden valley.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A walk in the jungle; the old woman in the breadfruit tree; a night in a native hut on the mountain.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The household of Lam Kai Oo; copra making; marvels of the coconut groves; the sagacity of pigs; and a crab that knows the laws of gravitation.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Visit of Le Moine; the story of Paul Gauguin; his house, and a search for his grave beneath the white cross of Calvary.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Death of Aumia; funeral chant and burial customs; causes for the death of a race.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A savage dance, a drama of the sea, of danger and feasting; the rape of the lettuce.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A walk to the Forbidden Place; Hot Tears, the hunchback; the story of Behold the Servant of the Priest, told by Malicious Gossip in the cave of Enamoa.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A search for rubber trees on the plateau of Ahao; a fight with the wild white dogs; story of an ancient migration, told by the wild cattle hunters in the Cave of the Spine of the Chinaman.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A feast to the men of Motopu; the making of kava, and its drinking; the story of the Girl Who Lost Her Strength.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A journey to Taaoa; Kahuiti, the cannibal chief, and his story of an old war caused by an unfaithful woman.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The crime of Huahine for love of Weaver of Mats; story of Tahia's white man who was eaten; the disaster that befell Honi, the white man who used his harpoon against his friends.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The memorable game for the matches in the coconut grove of Lam Kai Oo.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Mademoiselle N--.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A journey to Nuka-hiva; the story of the celebration of the fête of Joan of Arc, and the miracles of the white horse and the girl.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
America's claim to the Marquesas; adventures of Captain Porter in 1812; war between Haapa and Tai-o-hae, and the conquest of Typee valley.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
A visit to Typee; story of the old man who returned too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Journey on the Roberta; the winged cockroaches; arrival at a Swiss paradise in the valley of Oomoa.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Labor in the South Seas; some random thoughts on the "survival of the fittest."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The white man who danced in Oomoa Valley; a wild-boar hunt in the hills; the feast of the triumphant hunters and a dance in honor of Grelet.
CHAPTER THIRTY
A visit to Hanavave; Père Olivier at home; the story of the last battle between Hanahouua and Oi, told by the sole survivor; the making of tapa cloth, and the ancient garments of the Marquesans.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Fishing in Hanavave; a deep-sea battle with a shark; Red Chicken shows how to tie ropes to sharks' tails; night-fishing for dolphins, and the monster sword-fish that overturned the canoe; the native doctor dresses Red Chicken's wounds and discourses on medicine.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
A journey over the roof of the world to Oomoa; an encounter with a wild woman of the hills.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Return in a canoe to Atuona; Tetuahunahuna relates the story of the girl who rode the white horse in the celebration of the fête of Joan of Arc in Tai-o-hae; Proof that sharks hate women; steering by the stars to Atuona beach.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Sea sports; curious sea-foods found at low tide; the peculiarities of centipedes and how to cook and eat them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Court day in Atuona; the case of Daughter of the Pigeon and the sewing machine; the story of the perfidy of Drink of Beer and the death of Earth Worm who tried to kill the governor.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The madman Great Moth of the Night; story of the famine and the one family that ate pig.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A visit to the hermit of Taha-Uka valley; the vengeance that made the Scallamera lepers; and the hatred of Mohuto.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Last days in Atuona; My Darling Hope's letter from her son.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
The chants of departure; night falls on the Land of the War Fleet.
". . . a beautifully presented book written by a man who made a number of voyages to the remote islands of the Pacific."
--Marco Polo Travel and Adventure Books
Title: White Shadows in the South Seas
Author: Frederick O'Brien
Publisher: Dixon-Price Publishing
Mechanicals: Trade paperback; approx. 284 pages
ISBN-10: 1-929516-19-3
ISBN-13: 978-1929516-19-3
Price: $17.99
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