First published in 1822, this is the extraordinary story of a sailor who circled the globe twice, fought Napoleon's navy, was in Hawaii just after Cook's death, and went to Port Jackson on a Second Fleet vessel with its cargo of female convicts.

Superbly edited and introduced by Tim Flannery, this is a classic tale by a brilliant observer of the savagery and tenderness of life when the modern age was in its infancy.

'Fresh, unstudied and spectacularly observant; ranks with many of the better known classics.' Age