Hardcover
1912 · London
by [Unknown]
London: Blackie & Son, LTD, 1912. Hardcover. Very Good. Hardcover. VERY SCARCE IN THE UNITED STATES. William Dampier (1651-1715) was an English sea captain and explorer, pirate, and naturalist. He was active during the period between two other famous British explorers, Sir Francis Drake (also a pirate) and Captain James Cook. Dampier was the first Englishman to explore parts of Australia and has been noted as Australia's first natural historian. He also circumnavigated the globe three times. Dampier started his career with commercial voyages and then joined the Royal Navy in 1673. In 1679, he joined the crew of a buccaneer ship to raid on the Spanish Main of Central America. This included a raid across the Isthmus of Panama, to the Pacific coast, and against Spanish settlements in Peru. After the conclusion of this voyage, Dampier went to Virginia and in 1683 joined the privateer John Cooke. Cooke sailed to the Pacific by way of Cape Horn and raided Spanish possessions in Peru, the Galápagos Islands, and Mexico, then continued on a circumnavigation of the globe. After numerous other adventures, in 1699 Dampier was given command of the warship HMS Roebuck, with a commission from King William III to explore the east coast of New Holland, the Dutch name for Australia. This voyage ended in disaster and the loss of the Roebuck. On his return from this expedition, Dampier was court-martialed for cruelty, but acquitted of murder. This book about the life of Dampier is a publication from the Blackie's School and Home Library series (published by Blackie & Son). It includes several chapters on the Buccaneers of America and their adventures, as well as a chapter on Dampier's first circumnavigation of the globe with John Cooke [Cook] at the end of their pirating expedition, and a chapter on Dampier's 1699 voyage to New Holland. This is a set of very interesting tales about a premier buccaneer! No date of publication is included in the book, but other listings suggest publication dates of 1890 and 1912. Small octavo. Brown cloth-covered boards with title in black to front cover and in gilt to spine. Front and rear covers have spotty stains, probably from a spill, and fading to top right corner. Slight wear to edges of covers and spine. Some foxing to early pages; the primary text pages are yellowed but clean and clear. 224 pages, plus an 8-page catalogue of Blackie & Son's Books for Young People. TRAVEXP/071625. (Inventory #: 38145)