A Deserter's Adventures: The autobiography of Dom Felice Vaggioli, translated by John Crockett
One of the first Benedictine monks to be sent to New Zealand, Dom Felice Vaggioli arrived in 1879 and returned home in 1887, having worked in Gisborne, Auckland and the Coromandel.
History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants
A new edition of a rare and sought-after book. History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants is the English translation of Italian monk Dom Felice Vaggioli’s radical, prescient appraisal of British colonisation in Aotearoa. Vaggioli was one of the first Benedictine priests to be sent to Aotearoa NZ, and while working in Auckland, the Coromandel and Gisborne during the years 1879–1887, he observed lifestyles and customs and gathered information about the country’s history, including first-hand accounts of the signing of Te Tiriti and the conflicts in Taranaki and Waikato. The Italian version of his book about Aotearoa was destroyed in Europe due to its anti-Protestant and anti-British views but was later discovered and translated into English in Aotearoa by John Crockett in 2000. This 2023 edition brings Vaggioli’s unique document into the public eye once more.
History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants
An extraordinary new book reveals sympathy for Maori from an unusual supporter – an Italian priest. The book, History of New Zealand and its Inhabitants, has waited over a century to be translated into English, but sits comfortably alongside the contemporary Maori renaissance and claims to the Waitangi Tribunal. The book was originally published in Italy in 1896. Its author, Dom Felice Vaggioli, was one of the first Benedictine priests to be sent to New Zealand. He worked in Gisborne, Auckland and the Coromandel from 1879 to 1887. While in New Zealand, he gathered information, including first-hand accounts of Treaty of Waitangi signings, and of the Taranaki and Waikato wars.