A Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa Preface

In which the author sets forth the humble origins and delicate challenges of this narrative, composed under pressing circumstances for a land beset by confusion and divided accounts. With a respectful regard for the peculiarities of the Samoan tongue and the intimacies of personal acquaintance, he endeavours to present a truthful and measured account, though not without the risk of misunderstanding or lost friendships.