A Pattern of Islands (Travel Library)

By Arthur Grimble and Sir Arthur Grimble

Book Overview

""We Chose The Islands: A Six-Year Adventure In The Gilberts"" is a book written by Arthur Grimble. The book is a memoir of his time spent in the Gilbert Islands, which is now known as Kiribati.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140095179
• ISBN13: 9780140095173
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: PENGUIN BOOKS LTD
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 1.0" x 1.0"

Customer Reviews

Intriguing pattern

Arthur Grimble's account of his years as a District Officer in the Gilbert and Ellis Islands (now Tuvalu)in the 1920s is absolutely fascinating. He describes the islands and their inhabitants in a way that makes you long to see them. It is not a romantacised account, the inconveniences and hardships of island life are not glossed over, but Arthur Grimble clearly loved the islands and their people. He had some astonishing experiences which are described in vivid detail, like witnessing the magical summoning of the porpoises,and his hair-raising encounter with sharks. His surprising account of delivering a baby is quite remarkable. And the description of how he had his arms tattooed in the traditional island manner is not for the squeamish. When he returns to England and tries to describe to the people at the Colonial Office some of the difficulties to be encountered in the islands, the young man in the personnel office exclaimes: "But - my dear fellow! I mean to say, good heavens! If we told our applicants even a quarter of these facts in advance, we'd never get a bally recruit!" Perhaps not, but reading this book you get the impression that Arthur Grimble wouldn't have missed his years there for the world. An unforgettable book.

Twilight of Empire- Sir Arthur Grimble and the Gilbert Islan

I had the good fortune to come upon Sir Arthur Grimble's 'A Pattern of Islands' in a library book sale, for the princely price of twenty five cents. Grimble, born in Hong Kong in 1888, was a Cambridge graduate destined for a law career. Interested in anthropology, he applied to the Colonial Office for a position with the Western Pacific High Commision. He was sent in 1914, as a cadet, to the British Gilbert Islands, in the Western Pacific, right on the equator. From the middle of 1916 to 1926, Grimble was District Officer in the Gilberts, and later appointed the first Native Lands Commissioner. Grimble became a master in the Gilbertese language, and had a respect and admiration for the islanders with whom he lived. He was actually adopted into the islanders lineage as part of the Sun Clan. Grimbles wife and daughters, some of them born on the islands, accompanied him in the early years though he spent six years alone in his post in the 1920's.Grimble wrote extensively on the cultural history and life of the Gilbert Islanders, and was fortunate to be there at a time when there were still elders who remembered the old ways. He was appointed as Resident Commissioner of the islands in 1926, but deteriorating health and the fact that he was able to spend so little time with his family was telling on him. In 1932, he was appointed to the position of Governor of St. Vincent and ended his career there in the West Indies.A Pattern Of Islands, published in 1952, brought out Grimbles talents as a writer. He became a writer and broadcaster in Great Britain, to great acclaim. A Pattern of Islands, and the later, We Chose the Islands, became classic literary works of the culture and history of of the South Seas. The reader, coming upon Pattern of Islands for the first time, is in for a treat. Grimbles writing is sensitive, thoughtful, and intelligent. He has a wonderful sense of humor- I found myself chuckling out loud a number of times. He's very self effacing, with an obvious love and respect for the Gilbert Islanders and their culture. This is the twilight of the Empire- between the wars, before Indian independence. There is still some of the 'white mans burden' about it all, and no doubt that god was an Englishman. That the islanders are children of the Empire is never in doubt, but there is a gentleness to it all, a kindness, a decency, a respect for culture and beliefs that shines through. Grimble is critical of early missionaries for making the Gilberts ashamed of their beliefs and practices, and does his best to administer rather than rule. There are some wonderful black and white photographs as well, though unfortunately none of Grimble or his family. Scenes describing shark and octopus catching are thrilling, and Grimble relates some mystical experiences he has that he does not explain away. Rather, he leaves it up to the reader to accept what he can. Grimble and his wifes concern and love for the people of t