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Review
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The Trial of the Cannibal Dog: The Remarkable Story of Captain
Cook's Encounters in the South Seas, by Anne Salmond. New Haven
and London: Yale University Press, 2003. 506 pages, $30.00 cloth.
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The English Captain James Cook's eighteenth century voyages have
been scrutinized and debated by social scientists for generationsat
times with marvel and praise for Cook, and at other times with contempt
for the man and the values he represented. Cook's travels, and their
far-reaching implications, are once again the subject of scholarly
examination, this time in Trial of the Cannibal Dog, by the
distinguished New Zealand historian Anne Salmond. Unlike earlier
authors, Salmond seeks to avoid presenting yet another partisan
portrayal of Cook and his times; she states clearly that the purpose
of Trial of the Cannibal Dog is to "investigate the
social background of [Cook's] voyages in England and Polynesia,
and their cross-cultural dynamics over time, both on board the ships
and in visits to various Pacific islands." (xxi) This melding
of the historical and anthropological demands that the author bends
the perspectives of two social science disciplines, but Salmond
does so effectively. She accurately and fairly points out that "Europeans
and 'natives' alike were only human. On each side, there was savagery
and kindness, generosity and greed, intelligent curiosity and stupidity."
(xx) This line of argument informs the entire book.
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After several opening chapters that
provide a framework of Georgian England, the values of the eighteenth
century, a biographical sketch of James Cook (b. 1728), and the
world of the Society Islands in the time of Cook, Salmond provides
detailed accounts of Cook's three extended voyages through the Pacific
islands (1768-71; 1772-75; 1776-79). Readable throughout, Trial
of the Cannibal Dog uses a broad selection of primary sources
to effectively transport the reader to many locations. The author
also presents the perspectives of numerous crew members and the
ways they impacted, and were impacted by, the encounters on the
other side of the globe. This volume is also wonderfully illustrated,
with maps, scores of contemporary black and white illustrations,
and more than a dozen color paintings by William Hodges and John
Webber, artists who accompanied Cook on his journeys. More than
is normally the case with visual evidence, these help to bring to
life the Western European impressions of a vast new world, and the
people who inhabited it. Salmond is best, though, in her portrayals
of the complex relationships between these eighteenth century Englishmen
and the various peoples encountered during almost a dozen years
sailing the length of the Pacific. For example, the account of Cook's
first journey to Tahiti, in 1769, and the careful description of
the 1777 trial of the cannibal dog, an actual event in New Zealand,
are shown to be cultural clashes, with events and outcomes molded
by the divergent expectations of the participants. Perspectives
of islanders and sailors alike make for compelling reading.
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How useful is this book for teaching
about western or world history? As a possible course reading, the
length of the book and its level of detail and complexity could
both be drawbacks, and serious ones. Teachers would need to allow
sufficient time for their students to read the book, and a fairly
high level of background knowledge would be required, the book's
introductory chapters notwithstanding. As a chronological piece
of scholarship, excerpting sections would also present difficulties,
and can not be recommended. Certain well-prepared undergraduate
students might benefit from this book, but Trial of the Cannibal
Dog is more appropriate for upper-division or graduate students
in history or anthropology examining the Enlightenment, Georgian
Britain, or Cook's voyages. All in all, caution is urged when considering
this book for use in any course. On the other hand, both high school
and college faculty members would find this interesting book, or
parts of it, attractive for background reading (as I have), or the
preparation of lecture material. In addition, the extensive illustrations
are useful, either as a visual lecture or assignment aid, and the
primary sources could be excerpted for use in or out of class. In
sum, Anne Salmond's Trial of the Cannibal Dog is a well-written
account of Cook's journeys through the Pacific, the impacts on those
involved, and the longer term historical implications. Yet while
this is a rewarding book, its usefulness for classroom applications
is limited, and those secondary and college faculty seeking a book
on this topic would be encouraged to give consideration to other
options.
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Concordia University, St. Paul
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Thomas Saylor
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