Christmas books : Cooking up the past

Captain James Cook’s “discovery” of Polynesia is Greg Dening’s focus for Performances (University of Chicago Press, £15.95/$19.95, ISBN 0 226 14298 1). Dening shows how different media such as film, poetry and theatre have treated the story, producing new characters and stereotypes. A good illustration of how history is created as much as reflected, and all in all a fascinating read—rigorous yet full of personal insights.