美国传教士笔下的海南──《棕榈之岛──海南概览》评介

Hainan as Penned by American Missionaries ──Comments on and Introduction to The Isle of Palms,Sketches of Hainan

从19世纪80年代开始，美国传教士来到了海南岛。他们在传经布道的同时，还考察和记录了 当时海南种种方面的情况，并于20世纪初以英文写成《棕榈之岛──海南概览》一书，该书 为目前所知的最早的关于海南岛的英文专著，生动翔实记述了传教士的所见所闻，留下了许 多富有价值的第一手的历史资料，现存美国纽约公众图书馆。

From 1880s,American missionaries arrived in Hainan. They taught and spread the Christian religion. Meanwhile, they observed and recorded all sorts of situations in the then Hainan. In the early 20th century, they compiled a book in E nglish,“The Isle of Palms, Sketches of Hainan”, recording and narr ating what t hey had saw and heard. The book contaim a lot of firsthand historical materials about Hainan and is now kept in the public library of New York U.S.A. This article aims to make an initial comment on and introduction on the conte nt and influence of this book.