Pioneers Of The Pacific - Voyages Of Exploration 1787 - 1810
By Nigel Rigby
Published by University Of Western Australia Press: Crawley 2005
"Pioneers of the Pacific: Voyages of Exploration, 1787-1810 by Nigel Rigby, Pieter van der Merwe and Glyn Williams is a richly researched study of the great exploratory voyages that reshaped European knowledge of the Pacific at the close of the eighteenth century. Drawing on the collections and scholarship of the National Maritime Museum, the authors examine key expeditions undertaken by British, French, Spanish and other naval powers, including the later voyages associated with figures such as Cook's successors, La Pérouse, Bligh, Vancouver and Flinders. The narrative places these journeys within their wider scientific, political and imperial contexts, highlighting navigation, cartography, natural history and cross-cultural encounters with Indigenous Pacific societies.
Published in 2005 by the University of Western Australia Press, this illustrated volume combines authoritative scholarship with strong visual material drawn from maps, artworks and contemporary documents, making it both an academic resource and an engaging general history. It stands as an important modern synthesis of Pacific exploration during a formative period that directly influenced the mapping and colonisation of Australia and the wider Pacific world. This book would particularly appeal to readers interested in Pacific exploration, Australian maritime history, and collectors of well-illustrated historical studies."
