A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier -

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier - Explorer, Naturalist and Buccaneer. Diana & Michael Preston

William Dampier, (1651-1715), was an English adventurer and pirate who preyed on ships on the Spanish Main. Poor and ill-educated and determined to make his fortune, he nonetheless had a passion for exploration and scientific research. Dampier was the first to map the winds and currents of the world's oceans; led the first recorded party of Englishmen to set foot on Australia - 80 years before Cook; wrote about Galapagos wildlife 150 years before Darwin, who drew on Dampier's notes in his own work; was the first travel writer: A NEW VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD was instant bestseller when it was published in 1697 - said to have influenced the novels of Swift and Defoe. A man full of contradictions: he who achieved so much 'blew it' later in life, declining into scandal, failure and even farce. A unique man ahead of his time, he lived a large part of his life among pirates yet managed to preserve what Coleridge called his exquisite refinement of mind. A classic example of the best narrative history
Country USA
Brand Penguin
Manufacturer Corgi
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780552772105
UnitCount 1
EANs 8601404665608
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier - Explorer, Naturalist and Buccaneer. Diana & Michael Preston