Over eighty years before James Cook arrived on the east coast of Australia, Dampier had landed on Western Australian shores -- the first English explorer to set foot on Australia. A pirate who collected plant specimens as his booty? The enigma that was William Dampier, has puzzled historians for centuries. Adventurer, explorer, travel writer, botanist, hydrographer, natural historian -- Dampier was all of these. His voyages of 1688 and 1699 resulted in an extraordinary collection of specimens, drawings and journal accounts of plants, marine and land animals, shells and insects. These were the first specimens to be taken back to England for extensive scientific scrutiny. Many of these specimens have survived to this day and are here reproduced and matched with modern photographs taken near the sites where he saw them.

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Early contacts, quotes Dampier, Preston, Dale, Bussel; Brief notes on New Norcia Mission; Method of discovering whereabouts of murderer (West Kimberley); Betrothal (Perth area) Aboriginal equipment, foods; Songs with English translation & music transcript; General beliefs, burial rites Perth, Vasse R., King Georges Sound.

The authors reveal the life of William Dampier, explorer, naturalist, and pirate-genius who inspired Darwin, Defoe, and Cook.