William Dampier: A New Voyage Round the World (1697; rev. reprint ed. 2020)

This work provides an account of the buccanneer, scientist and explorer William Dampier. Setting sail from England in 1679 and returning 12 years later, having "accidentally" circumnavigated the globe on a series of pirate ships. Filled with descriptions of Dampier's escapades with the buccaneers of strange customs, and exotic flora and fauna, this revised and reprinted edition features an appendix of Dampier's natural history observations. 'A roaring tale ... remains as vivid and exciting today as it was on publication in 1697' Guardian The pirate and adventurer William Dampier circumnavigated the globe three times, and took notes wherever he went. This is his frank, vivid account of his buccaneering sea voyages around the world, from the Caribbean to the Pacific and East Indies. Filled with accounts of raids, escapes, wrecks and storms, it also contains precise observations of people, places, animals and food (including the first English accounts of guacamole, mango chutney and chopsticks). A bestseller on publication, this unique record of the colonial age influenced Robinson Crusoe , Gulliver's Travels and consequently the whole of English literature. Edited with an Introduction by Nicholas Thomas