Rear-Admiral John O’C Ross

Paperback. 70pp

Ross’s book They Came by Sea was written about 1980 and on his death an unpublished typed manuscript was left to the National Library. This manuscript recorded some 1750 ship visits to New Zealand up to 1840.

The manuscript with its amazing data record was reformatted, indexed and published by Opuzen Press in 2024, under a new title New Zealand Maritime History to 1840: People, Ships, Trade and Setllement. That book contained all the researched data from They Came by Sea and with its indexing is a publication of major importance in the understanding of New Zealand maritime history and the role of shipping and trade on events occurring on land.

The full version was tailored to provide detailed information for researchers and it was clear to the publishers that an edition containing all of Ross’s comments and conclusions, but suitable for students and general readers, was needed. The Slim Edition has been published to meet this need.