Mai or Omai, as he was known to Europeans, was the first Polynesian to visit Britain. Picked up by one of Cook’s captains, he was carried to England where he became a human curiosity and the lion of fashionable London. Under the patronage of Lord Sandwich and Joseph Banks, he was presented at Court, entertained by aristocratic hosts, examined by scientists, celebrated or satirized by poetasters, and painted by a succession of artists. He learned to skate and play chess, he developed a liking for the theatre, he acquired such social polish that he won praise from Dr. Johnson. At the end of two years he was taken back to the Pacific by Cook who left him at the island of Huahine.

Omai’s story has been told in numerous books and articles. But hitherto there has been no comprehensive study of its background and implications. In what circumstances did this obscure islander reach Britain and why did he create such interest? What were his antecedents and what his subsequent fate? In setting out to answer these and related questions the author has not only created a portrait of Omai but built up a picture of his two worlds, the Polynesian and the European. In addition he has thrown some fresh light on the history of European expansion in the Pacific. All this is woven into a narrative which, as readers would expect from E. H. McCormick, is lucid, elegant, and often witty. The book is based on widespread sources, many previously unpublished, and includes among its illustrations (four in colour) all the known likenesses of Omai. Its publication coincides with the bicentenary of his return to Huahine in 1777.