sentences:  He originally specialized in diplomatic and political history, but later became fascinated by the cultural history of the Northwest Pacific coast.Cole was among the first scholars to write on the history of art, literature, and intellectual thought in settler society.He also wrote seminal, often highly critical, studies of the impact of European values and institutions on the indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest coast that are widely acknowledged as exemplary texts for their painstaking research, clarity of exposition, and provocative insights.