The final volume in the quartet of books on the naval, scientific, and social activities of the Imperial Russian Navy in the South Pacific, this book focuses on the expeditions to Tahiti and the dangerous atoll chains to its east, known as the Tuamotus. Under the command of Captains Otto von Kotzebue and F. Fellingshausen, expedition members were the first to chart several of the Tuamotu islands. They also theorized correctly about coral reef and atoll formation, botanized, and collected ethnographica in a systematic way.

Glynn Barratt has made full use of Russian primary materials in describing the sites and individuals the visitors encountered. Contemporary aquarelles and drawings by the expeditionary artists Ludovik Choris and Pavel N. Mikhailov provide pictorial evidence. These are complemented by descriptions and photographs of many of the artifacts gathered by the Russian officers and now available to scholars in archives in St. Petersburg and Estonia.

In this book, as in the previous volumes in the series, Barratt dispels the myth that the Russians were landlubbers. He points out that highly educated and perceptive Russian scientists and naval officers made contact with aboriginal people in many parts of Oceania. Unlike their counterparts from other European nations, the Russians never made territorial claims and they took pains not to provoke hostility in the islanders.

Glynn Barratt is a professor of Russian at Carleton University and author of many books on Russia's naval and diplomatic history.

The text, while full of detail for the specialist is eminently readable ... Barratt’s commentary and summary provide an essential framework and background for understanding the place of this expedition in the wider story of Pacific exploration ... This is an impressive contribution to the history of the South Pacific. Thanks to Barratt’s work of translation and his perspicuous style, that record is now available to the wider audience it deserves. The book is an essential addition to libraries in New Zealand. --- The Tuamotu Islands and Tahiti is thoroughly researched and well written. The Russians who sailed in the South Seas emerge as skilful sailors, accomplished scientists and very decent men. Their records convey an attitude towards indigenous peoples far more sympathetic than many of the Europeans. Professor Barratt's work makes their story accessible and entertaining for a wide audience. --- Barratt's approach is to provide a detailed historical summary of the voyages, astonishing for their scholarly detail and evident mastery of the overall picture of Pacific history, and then the transformation of the key journals of the voyages.