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Dampier's observations and descriptions are as valid today as they
were in the 17th century and this book is to be commended to anyone
who is interested in the great early voyages of exploration. THE
REVIEW William Dampier [1651-1715] is the most remarkable seaman
that England produced in the century and a half between Drake and
Captain Cook. They each circumnavigated the world once; Dampier did
so three times. He commanded the firstgovernment-funded voyage of
discovery with a specific mission to report on matters of
government and science. A good seaman, but a bad commander, he
spent most of his life as a privateer, buccaneer, or pirate, and
his career culminated in the capture of the great treasure galleon
sent each year from the New World to Spain. But he was also a great
writer, author of the first major English travel book, A New Voyage
Round the World, and of scientifictreatises and descriptions of
natural history. His expedition to Australia was in many ways
disastrous, with his ships being lost; but the book that came out
of it, A Voyage to New Holland, is rich in evocative accounts ofthe
peoples and places he had found or visited. He was not afraid to
record things he could not explain, for `better qualified persons
who shall come after me', and his books were reference works used
extensively not only by subsequent voyagers but by modern
scientists who continue to cite his observations. This edited
account of his voyages gives an admirable picture of this
fascinating and unorthodox figure in his own words. GERALD NORRIS
writes on maritime and musical subjects. His books include West
Country Pirates and Buccaneers, Stanford, the Cambridge Jubilee and
Tchaikovsky and A Musical Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland.
This famous book, first published in 1929 was considerably revised
and enlarged in its fourth edition, which is being reprinted now.
This edition had the addition of a postscript by Professor I.
Bernard Cohen containing a list of reading, with comments on them
to guide the readers.
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