A reference book listing almost 600 whale ships employed in the Southern Fishery from Britain for the first forty years of that industry. A snapshots of the 'life histories' of each ship in terms of owners, masters and voyages is provided for this global trade.

A reference book providing a snapshot of the life histories of more than fifty shipowners investing in the South Sea Whale Fishery over a forty year period. It gives details of their places of business, the number of whaling ships they owned and biographical information about their commercial dealings and personal lives. A map of London showing the River Thames and the location of the businesses of the majority of these shipowners is enclosed.

An invaluable guide for maritime archeologists, recreational divers, historians and others interested in the drama adventure and romance of Western Australia's rich maritime history.

First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The South Seas, as this region used to be called, conjured up images of adventure, belles and savages, romance and fabulous fortunes, but the long voyages of discovery and exploration of the vast Pacific Ocean were really an exercise in amazing logistics, navigation, hard grit, shipwreck and pure luck. The motivations were scientific and geographic, but at the same time nationalistic and materialistic. A series on global exploration and discovery would not be complete without this book by Quanchi and Robson. It is ambitious and informative and includes the familiar names of Laperouse, Bougainville, Cook and Dampier, as well as the intriguing stories of the Bounty Mutiny, scurvy, and the mysterious Northwest Passage, Terra Australis Ignotia and Davis Land. There are entries on first contacts, ships, navigational instruments, mapping, and botany. The scene is carefully set in the introduction, the chronology spans several centuries, and the extensive bibliography offers a guide to further reading. There are more than just dry facts in this book. It has a whiff of salt air, the clash of empires, cross-cultural beach encounters and personal adventure.