A collection of voyages of Captain William Dampier

The scarce collected edition of William Dampier’s voyages, which adds William Funnell’s highly critical account of the last voyage aboard St. George, as well as William Hacke’s edition of the privateering voyages of Cowley, Sharp, Wood and Roberts and the voyage of Lionel Wafer.

Phillip Parker King’s personal copy of Dampier’s voyages, used by King as reference material as he navigated the same stretches of coast as Dampier nearly 120 years later. King’s penciled signature features on the retained front endpaper of the first volume, dated 1817. There are 34 annotations by King, two are initialled, mostly they are one or a few words that correct or amplify the text naming plants illustrated. Of one New Holland plant, he says “found on Enderby Island”. Later geographical names are supplied. The best annotation is an approximately 30-word note that contradicts Dampier’s description of the Aborigines of the northwest as negroid in appearance. Most are in pencil and just a couple in ink.

There is a pencil signature of PP King in one volume.

First edition