Thomas Crump, born, in 1929, into a family of authors, published his first book in 1963. A first degree in maths and physics (1952) led on to two further degrees in law (1954) and anthropology (1976). In the course of more 40 years spent mainly as an academic, Thomas Crump published several books in both these fields. Since retirement in 1994 he has extended his range to write new books about history, science and medicine.

Preface; List of Illustrations; 1. The Revolving Stage of the Pacific; 2. Geography and Pre-Modern History; 3. Old Europe in Asia-Pacific; 4. China: The Central Empire; 5. America's Pacific Empire; 6. World War I and Its Aftermath; 7. The Rising Tide of Japanese Aggression; 8. The Pacific War, 1941-45; 9. Nuclear Pacific, 1946-95; 10. Chairman Mao's Legacy; 11. The Restoration of Japan; 12. Korea: North and South; 13. Korean: A Peninsular at War, 1950-53; 14. Thailand: A History of Success; 15. Indochina: The Last Colonial War, 1945-75; 16. Cambodia: A Kingdom Upside-Down; 17. Vietnam: A New Nation; 18 Malaysia and Singapore: The Invention of Asian Values; 19. The Philippines: Corruption and Democracy; 20. Indonesia: The Long Road to Justice and Reform; 21. Timor Leste: A War of Independence, 1999; 22. The Russian Far East: The GULAG Legacy; 23. Transport and Communication Make a Smaller Word; 24. Migration: Gains and Losses; 25. Crime at Sea: Pracy, Smuggling and Terrorism; 26. The North-American West Coast: Fifty Years of Boom-Time; 27. Spanish America: Escaping From Hard Times; 28. Australia and New Zealand: The New Balance of Power; 29. Oceania: A Confusion of Islands; 30. The New Pacific: Hope and Despair.