In the Strange South Seas

Book excerpt: This work is an incredible account of the author's adventures in The South Sea Islands. In the book, Grimshaw recounts her adventures, describes the customs and lifestyles of the inhabitants, and gives a detailed picture of the region's fauna and wildlife. The book also contains reports of cannibalism, head-hunting, poisoning, and tribal magic. Starting from San Francisco, she sailed first to Tahiti, followed by a four-month voyage through the South Pacific and extra two months on the island of Niue. During this trip, she visited Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Rarotonga, and some parts of the Cook Islands. Soon after returning to London, she published "In the Strange South Seas." For the longest time, Grimshaw desired to travel the world, especially the mainly unexplored Pacific Ocean. In 1903 she was approached by the Daily Graphic to report on the Pacific. She was commissioned to write travelogues for shipping companies to promote the South Sea Islands. Beatrice Grimshaw illustrated this work with her own photographs and vivid descriptions of this fascinating region. The incredible imagery takes the readers who have never traveled to these places on a beautiful journey.