Journal Of A Voyage To New South Wales
With Sixty Five Plates of Non Descript Animals, Birds, Lizards, Serpents, Curious Cones Of Trees & Other Natural Productions
By John White Esq (Surgeon General To The Settlement)
Printed For J. Debrett: London 1790 1st Edition
A Rare & Significant Book -
One of the great foundation books of Australian history and natural science, containing the earliest substantial published study of Australia's unique wildlife, flora and Aboriginal peoples. Complete With all 65
Coloured Plates
As Called For.
Bindings:
Bound in what appears to be its original late eighteenth-century full calf binding with contemporary red morocco title label and full list of subscribers. The original endpapers are retained. The binding displays the expected wear and rubbing associated with a work of this age, particularly to the joints, extremities and corners, yet remains entirely sound and highly attractive. We have found no evidence of modern rebinding or significant restoration.
1st Edition:
This copy appears to be the standard corrected first-edition state of 1790, with the earlier subscriber-list errors corrected and the Wattled Bee-Eater text and plates present in the form most commonly encountered in complete first-edition copies.
"Published only two years after the arrival of the First Fleet, John White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales ranks among the most important and influential books ever produced on Australia. As Surgeon-General to the new settlement, White occupied a unique position from which to record both the voyage from England and the precarious establishment of Britain's first colony at Port Jackson. His account provides an invaluable contemporary narrative of daily life, exploration, survival and governance during the earliest years of European settlement in Australia.
The work is particularly celebrated for its extraordinary contribution to natural history. White devoted substantial attention to the previously unknown plants, birds, reptiles and mammals encountered in New South Wales, many of which were being described and illustrated for the first time. The volume introduced European readers to iconic Australian species including the kangaroo, emu and numerous native birds, reptiles and botanical specimens, helping to transform scientific understanding of the natural world at the close of the eighteenth century.
A masterpiece of early scientific publishing, the first edition was issued in magnificent large quarto format and illustrated with sixty-five engraved plates, many beautifully hand-coloured. These plates, prepared from drawings made in the colony, represent some of the earliest published images of Australian flora and fauna and remain among the most important visual records of Australia's natural environment before widespread European settlement altered the landscape forever.
Beyond its scientific significance, White's journal provides a fascinating account of the social and human realities of the First Fleet settlement. The work records interactions between convicts, soldiers, officers and Aboriginal Australians while documenting the immense challenges faced by the fledgling colony. White's observations offer modern readers a rare first-hand glimpse into one of the most consequential episodes in Australian history, written by a participant who witnessed events as they unfolded.
Today, Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales is recognised as one of the cornerstone books of Australiana and one of the most sought-after works relating to the foundation of Australia. Complete first editions retaining all sixty-five plates are increasingly scarce, particularly in original bindings. Combining exceptional historical importance, scientific significance and remarkable visual appeal, the work stands as one of the defining publications of the First Fleet era and a landmark achievement in eighteenth-century exploration and natural history."
