A PIRATE OF EXQUISITE MIND: Explorer, Naturalist, And Buccaneer: The Life Of William Dampier

Preston, Diana & Michael

ISBN 10: 0802714250 / ISBN 13: 9780802714251

Published by NY. 2004. Walker Publishing Co., 2004

brown hardcover 8vo. (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. very fine cond. mint cond. looks new. like new. as new. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of markings. dustwrapper in very fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. first edition. first printing ( FPu2004 & #1 in # line). vintage endpaper maps. decorative title pg. ix+372p. b&w illustrations. notes & sources. bibliography. index. world history. biography. geography. cartography. natural science. history of science. nautical history. elizabethan england. british empire. ~ THE FIRST MODERN BIOGRAPHY OF THE PIRATE GENIUS WHO INSPIRED DARWIN, DEFOE, AND COOK. Charles Darwin called his books "a mine of information" and took them aboard the Beagle. Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe used his experiences as inspiration in writing Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe. Captain James Cook depended on his observations while voyaging around the world, and Admiral Nelson urged all his officers to study his books. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him a genius and "a man of exquisite mind." In the history of exploration, few have ventured farther or achieved more than Englishman William Dampier (1651~1715). Yet, whereas the exploits of Magellan, Cook, Shackleton, and a host of legendary explorers have been widely chronicled, those of Dampier have been virtually invisible for more than a century~an omission that Diana and Michael Preston have redressed in this vivid, compelling life story. At a time when surviving a voyage across the Pacific was cause for celebration, Dampier journeyed three times around the world, sailing more than 200,000 miles in his lifetime and witnessing people, places, and phenomena no European had seen. As a young man he spent several years in the swashbuckling company of buccaneers in the Caribbean and Pacific, learning to survive in their bloodthirsty uncertain world, before setting off on his first journey around the globe~a many~year odyssey, much of it spent in the theretofore mysterious Pacific and Southeast Asia. Later, his best~selling books about his experiences were a sensation; the vividness of his prose and accuracy of his descriptions put armchair readers in the midst of unknown worlds and introduced many words into the English language, including barbecue, chopsticks, and kumquat. Over time, Dampier's observations and insights influenced generations of scientists, explorers, and writers. Dampier's powers of observation were astonishing. He was the first to deduce that winds cause currents and the first to produce wind maps across the world, surpassing even the work of Edmund Halley. His insights on land were equally astute: For example, he introduced the concept of the "sub~species" that Darwin later built into his theory of evolution, and his description of the breadfruit was the impetus for Captain Bligh's voyage on the Bounty. Dampier reached Australia eighty years before Cook, and he later led the first formal expedition of science and discovery back to Australia. So influential was Dampier that today he has more than one thousand entries in the Oxford English Dictionary. To trace Dampier's colorful life, the Prestons followed his footsteps around the world; interweaving Dampier's colorful prose into their narrative, they bring the same immediacy of his life and times as Dampier brought to his own reading public. A Pirate of Exquisite Mind restores William Dampier to his rightful place in history, as one of the pioneers who shaped our understanding of the natural world. Seller Inventory # 7312401

Synopsis:

Darwin took his books aboard the Beagle. Swift and Defoe used his experiences as inspiration in writing Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe. Captain Cook relied on his observations while voyaging around the world. Coleridge called him a genius and "a man of exquisite mind." In the history of exploration, nobody has ventured further than Englishman William Dampier. Yet while the exploits of Cook, Shackleton, and a host of legendary explorers have been widely chronicled, those of perhaps the greatest are virtually invisible today―an omission that Diana and Michael Preston have redressed in this vivid, compelling biography.

As a young man Dampier spent several years in the swashbuckling company of buccaneers in the Caribbean. At a time when surviving one voyage across the Pacific was cause for celebration, Dampier ultimately journeyed three times around the world; his bestselling books about his experiences were a sensation, influencing generations of scientists, explorers, and writers. He was the first to deduce that winds cause currents and the first to produce wind maps across the world, surpassing even the work of Edmund Halley. He introduced the concept of the "sub-species" that Darwin later built into his theory of evolution, and his description of the breadfruit was the impetus for Captain Bligh's voyage on the Bounty. Dampier reached Australia 80 years before Cook, and he later led the first formal expedition of science and discovery there.

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind restores William Dampier to his rightful place in history―one of the pioneers on whose insights our understanding of the natural world was built.

About the Author:

Born and raised in London, Diana Preston studied Modern History at Oxford University, where she first became involved in journalism. After earning her degree, she became a freelance writer of feature and travel articles for national UK newspapers and magazines and has subsequently reviewed books for a number of publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times. She has also been a broadcaster for the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and has been featured in various television documentaries.

A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: Explorer, Naturalist and Buccaneer: The Life of William Dampier (Walker & Company, April 2004) is a new biography of the 17th-century British explorer, naturalist, scientist, pirate and buccaneer William Dampier coauthored by Diana and her husband, Michael Preston.

Diana's decision to write "popular" history led her to The Road to Culloden Moor: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the '45 Rebellion (Constable UK, 1995). It was followed by A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole (Houghton Mifflin, 1998), The Boxer Rebellion (Walker & Company, 2000), and Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy (Walker & Company, 2002).

When not writing, Diana and Michael are avid travelers. Together, they have sojourned throughout India, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica, and have climbed Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Mount Roraima in Venezuela. Their adventures have also included gorilla-tracking in Zaire and camping their way across the Namibian desert. They live in London, England.

Bibliographic Details

Title: A PIRATE OF EXQUISITE MIND: Explorer, ...
Publisher: NY. 2004. Walker Publishing Co.
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Hardcover
Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
Edition: 1st Edition