David Hannay endeavours to give a popular, but clear and not inaccurate, account of the growth, and services, of the Royal Navy. The books is divided into two volumes. The first volume begins with King John and ends at the Revolution of 1688. The second volume will give the history of the great struggle with France and her dependent allies, which began in 1689, and ended only when the time of great naval wars was over.

'A roaring tale ... remains as vivid and exciting today as it was on publication in 1697' Guardian The pirate and adventurer William Dampier circumnavigated the globe three times, and took notes wherever he went. This is his frank, vivid account of his buccaneering sea voyages around the world, from the Caribbean to the Pacific and East Indies. Filled with accounts of raids, escapes, wrecks and storms, it also contains precise observations of people, places, animals and food (including the first English accounts of guacamole, mango chutney and chopsticks). A bestseller on publication, this unique record of the colonial age influenced Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels and consequently the whole of English literature. Edited with an Introduction by Nicholas Thomas