Narrative of the mission at Otaheite, and other islands in the South Seas; commenced by the London Missionary Society in the year 1797; with a map, and a geographical description of the islands. LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

Rare work on the history of Otaheite (present day Tahiti) and the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in the region in the late 18th and early 19th century. The present edition is the second, which was published only a few months after the first, but has been significantly enlarged with nearly twice as many pages, and a map of the islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It was written by and printed for members of the LMS, which is possibly why it is quite rare. We have only been able to find three other copies in sales records of the past hundred years.The London Missionary Society was established in 1795 with the intent to do missionary work in Polynesia. Their first voyage to the South Pacific took place in 1796. Thirty missionaries and their families travelled aboard the ship Duff, captained by James Wilson (1760-1814), to the various islands on which they were posted, namely Tongatapu, the Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti. The present work gives a short account of this voyage based on primary sources, and tells of the experiences of the missionaries on Tahiti in the years after, including conflicts with the locals, and the operations of the first printing press in the Pacific Islands, which was brought to Tahiti by missionary William Ellis (1794-1872) in 1817. The work also includes a translation of four letters from the converted king Pomare II (1782-1821), dated 1807, 1815, 1816, and 1817, which were sent to the missionaries.The work is lightly browned throughout. Otherwise in very good condition.l Ferguson 718; Forbes 485; Jisc (5 copies); O'Reilly 7620; WorldCat 54238062, 806774363, 311107978, 220179731, 83569659; not in Hill; Kroepelien. Modern half red morocco, blue paper sides, with a red morocco title label on the front, lettered and decorated in gold. With a folding engraved map of the islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean, dated June 26, 1818. Pages: [3], [1 blank], 8, 86 pp.