Guam Past and Present

This expansive history of Guam provides a rare look at the people and culture of this tiny, but strategically important Pacific Island. In a highly readable style author Beardsley-himself a sometime resident of Guam-introduces the reader to the island in three stages. Part One, "The Island in Profile," furnishes practical information on the geography, flora, fauna, aboriginal inhabitants, early culture, and legends of Guam. Part Two, "Discovery and Conquest," traces its history from the days of European exploration, beginning with Magellan's discovery of the island in 1521 and continuing down through the Spanish colonial period to the arrival of the Americans in 1898 following Spain's cession of Guam to the United States. Part Three, "Twentieth-Century Guam," is concerned with the island under U.S. administration and, during World War II, Japanese occupation; its recapture in 1944; its reconstruction and progress toward true territorial status; and its present-day position as a vital American outpost in the Western Pacific. Important and informative for resident and visitor alike, this enjoyable and attractively illustrated introduction to Guam also holds interest for the general reader who is susceptible to the lure of colorful events against equally colorful backgrounds.