Volume I (Books I - III)

François Péron

This new translation by Christine Cornell of Volume I of François Péron's Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes complements her acclaimed translation of Volume II, published by the Friends in 2003.

The French original was first published in 1807, followed in 1824 by a second edition, from which this translation was made. Previous English translations (both abridged) appeared in England in 1809 and 1812.

Péron sailed as a zoologist on the Géographe, Nicolas Baudin's flagship, but he also pioneered studies in marine biology, anthropology and oceanography. His bitter feud with Baudin overshadowed later assessments of the French achievements.

Volume I covers the voyage out (1800–02), and vividly describes the expedition's discoveries in Western Australia and Tasmania, as well as its visits to Timor and Sydney.

Péron's observations on the Tasmanian aborigines and on the convict colony are of absorbing interest. Colour plates of the indigenous people, natural history and landscapes enliven the text.

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