Island of Java (Periplus Classics Series)

Originally published in 1811, Island of Java was the first popular work in English to describe what for many centuries was the most important island in the vast Indonesian archipelago. The book enjoyed a great popularity and quickly passed into a second edition. Like most works published during this time, Island of Java recounts everything that was known at the time about the island and its inhabitants. Detailed descriptions are given of Java's ecology, history and culture, including methods of tribute and taxation used by the Dutch colonists and the design of the fortifications surrounding Batavia.

Now once more available, this reprint is enhanced by a scholarly Introduction by Dr. John Bastin, former Reader at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a world authority on nineteenth-century Java.