Musket Wars

First published in 1999, with an introduction by the late Michael King, The Musket Wars established Ron Crosby’s reputation as a daring, original chronicler of New Zealand history. This best-selling history provides the first comprehensive account of the wars that ravaged the country in the early 1800s, when iwi with newly acquired muskets unleashed terrible utu (revenge) on foes, helped by other introductions like potatoes that fuelled long-range taua (war parties). Ron Crosby weaves the strands of this conflict into an immensely readable narrative, guiding the reader through its complexities with lists of protagonists, a chronology, indexes and above all, superb maps and illustrations. This volume updates the revised 2001 edition, with improved scans of many images.

Author Biography

R.D. (Ron) Crosby was born and brought up in Auckland but has spent most of his adult life in Blenheim, where he was a partner in the law firm Gascoigne Wicks, specialising in resource management and iwi claims in the northern South Island. Now working as a barrister and author, Ron was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2011. Among his other works are Gilbert Mair: Te Kooti’s Nemesis and NZSAS: The First Fifty Years.