This book was a wonderful mixture of historic biography, natural history, travel journalism and piratical adventure. Diana and Michael Preston have researched tirelessly and have retraced the footsteps of Buccaneer and naturalist William Dampier. Going chronologically through his life, the text analyses his fortunes, misfortunes, his character and the characters of those around him. A Pirate of Exquisite Mind is a very readable and accessible biography, with plenty of extracts from Dampier’s novels and journals which are fascinating. What made this biography for me was that it really looked into his character and I was quite amazed to discover how modern and egalitarian Dampier’s way of thinking was, for a man of the 17th century. The added benefit of this book was not just that it also focuses on the journey of his other crew members and other background information, it features dozens of illustrations, the reader is practically spoiled. The book is just about the right length, long enough to explore his life and works and browse the different cultures he came across. It is such a shame that he is not given much credit today as he should have. Without Dampier’s exploits we would not have such words as Barbecue and Sub-species, within the English vocabulary and would be miles behind the French and other continental powers in subjects such as Hydrography and Cartography.
Cecilia's Library 