'A brilliant synthesis of historical scholarship, mining almost all conceivable sources ... It is a book that will be used by Pacific Scholars, especially Melanesianists worldwide, for decades to come.' Tim Bayliss-Smith, University of Cambridge; 'This volume represents a massive research undertaking, and covers almost all conceivable topics of relevance to the forests of the Solomon Islands.' Wardlow Friesen - Journal of the Polynesian Society; '... shows how and why rural people have had few viable alternatives for making their way into the modern economy.' Kathleen Barlow - Contemporary Pacific; 'Ambitious in its conception, the book is a major contribution to our understanding of the relationships between the development of natural resources and a country's political dynamics.' Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka - Journal of Pacific Studies