Tristan da Cunha

The story of the lonely island of Tristan da Cunha is one of enduring interest. It was discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese when sailing to India. In the following century the Dutch and English considered the possibilities of industrialization and colonization of the island. French explorers and American adventurers in the eighteenth-century paid visits of varying duration.

After the military occupation by England from 1816 to 1817, the real colonization of Tristan da Cunha began with the foundation of the Scotsman Corporal William Glass and his family, and two Englishmen, of a communist community in the principal island. Later they were joined by more Englishmen, then two Americans, two Italians, a Dane, and a Dutchman. Several of them left sooner or later through disappointment. The women on the island were mostly mulattos from St. Helena. When the pioneer and headman, William Glass, died in 1853, the Dutchman, Peter Green, became the leader of the small community. During the latter’s life the island was reunited with the British Empire (1876). Peter Green died in 1902 at the advanced age of 94.

First published in 1940, Tristan da Cunha is a well-documented book on the island, giving much more of the historical side than many recent books have done. It is a story of profound human interest.