A History of Papua New Guinea: From Prehistory to Independence

By Eric Johns

How did a land of more than 800 languages and thousands of isolated village communities become a modern sovereign nation?

A History of Papua New Guinea: From Prehistory to Independence tells that story in full. Beginning with the first settlers who crossed from Southeast Asia tens of thousands of years ago, and the highland farmers who were among the world's earliest gardeners, it follows the arrival of European explorers, traders, labour recruiters and missionaries; the division of the island between Britain, Germany and the Netherlands; German and Australian colonial rule; the devastation of two world wars; and the long, often reluctant path to self-government and independence on 16 September 1975.

Drawing on fifteen years of research in the National Library of Australia and Papua New Guinean archives, Eric Johns brings this history to life through the people who made it - village leaders and police, soldiers and carriers, missionaries and administrators, students and politicians - with accounts from the oral tradition and many first-hand recollections. Over 300 illustrations, rare photographs and maps accompany the text.

This second edition has been thoroughly revised and corrected, with restored photographs, a full index, chapter-by-chapter sources, and a new Epilogue on Papua New Guinea's first fifty years of independence.

Clear, accessible and deeply researched, it is an essential resource for students, teachers and general readers in Papua New Guinea, Australia and beyond.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 176391562X
• ISBN13: 9781763915626
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: Eric Johns
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 3.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 1.5" x 7.0"