William Dampier In New Holland Australia's First Natural Historian

Science & Nature History Australiana

William Dampier in New Holland by Alex S. George re-examines the buccaneer-turned-naturalist whose 1699 landing on the west coast made him Australia’s first resident natural historian. In this crisp first-edition hardcover, George pairs original illustrations with modern botanic insight to show how Dampier’s pressed plants and salty journals rewrote European ideas about the continent’s flora and fauna.

The 171-page narrative follows Dampier from ship’s deck to shoreline, tracing his meticulous field notes and the specimens that survive in museums today. Readers keen on Australian history, exploration, or natural science will appreciate how the author situates the adventurer within both Enlightenment science and Indigenous landscapes.

Presented with its illustrated dust jacket, this copy remains tight and unmarked—free of dog ears, tears, or inscriptions. Only light foxing touches the cover page; inner pages are bright and fresh from a smoke-free home. A collectible volume for lovers of antiquarian travel, botanical discovery, or early Australian maritime stories.