A wealth of information about Cook Islands language, culture and society is contained in this dictionary which involved the efforts of many people over 35 years. It is an essential handbook for every Cook Islander and all persons interested in the Cook Islands.

This collection serves as a basis for identifying and understanding names. The collection highlights the rich naming heritage of the Maori people of Rarotonga and neighbouring islands where names play a major role.

The term Polynesia refers to a cultural and geographical area in the Pacific Ocean, bound by what is commonly referred to as the Polynesian Triangle, which consists of Hawai'i in the north, New Zealand in the southwest, and Easter Island in the southeast. Thousands of islands are scattered throughout this area, most of which are currently included in one of the modern island states of American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Hawai'i, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Wallis and Futuna. The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Polynesia greatly expands on the previous editions through a chronology, an introductory essay, an expansive bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, events, places, organizations, and other aspects of Polynesian history from the earliest times to the present. Appendixes of the major islands and atolls within Polynesia, the rulers and administrators of the 13 major island states, and basic demographic information of those states are also included.

An excellent tool for students of New Zealand's Maori language, this pocket guide contains more than 4,000 entries in both its English and Maori sections. With a useful pronunciation guide and helpful information on parts of speech, it will be of relevance to linguists, anthropologists, researchers, and academics interested in Pacific Oceanic cultures and history.

Covering the political, social and historical background of each language, Dictionary of Languages offers a unique insight into human culture and communication. Every language with official status is included, as well as all those that have a written literature and 175 'minor' languages with special historical or anthropological interest. We see how, with the rapidly increasing uniformity of our culture as media's influence spreads, more languages have become extinct or are under threat of extinction. The text is highlighted by maps and charts of scripts, while proverbs, anecdotes and quotations reveal the features that make a language unique.