William Dampier (baptized 1651-1715) was a buccaneer (pirate) and sea captain. He was the first Englishman to explore parts of New Holland and New Guinea, and was the first man to circumnavigate the world three times.
In the 1670s he crewed with buccaneers on the Spanish Main of Central America, which eventually led to his first circumnavigation. On the ship Cygnet, following Pacific-spanning raids that included the East Indies, Manila, and the Spice Islands, Dampier's ship was beached on the northwest coast of Australia in 1688. Waiting for repairs, his scientific interest surfaced as he made notes and drawings on the local fauna and flora. Following three years of further adventures he returned to England. In 1697 he published his experiences in A New Voyage. Described as one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration ever written, the book was published in several languages. It is reported that Captain Cook used Dampier's nautical observations on his voyages, and Charles Darwin found his books so useful that he took them aboard the Beagle.

This chart of the Eastern Hemisphere depicts William Dampier's voyage to Australia and the East Indies. In 1699, Dampier was given command of the HMS Roebuck and tasked with exploring the eastern coast of Australia. Dampier and his crew documented their voyage around Timor, New Hanover, New Ireland, New Britain and New Guinea, but ultimately had to turn around before reaching eastern Australia due to the ship's deteriorating condition. As the chart indicates, they had to beach the failing HMS Roebuck on Ascension Island off the coast of Africa, and were picked up 5 weeks later by an East India Company ship in August 1701. While much of the information regarding his voyage was lost, some documents pertaining to the coastlines, currents, and trade winds were saved. From the Dutch edition of Dampier's A Collection of Voyages.

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Condition: B+

Issued folding with minor soiling, a few faint creases at right, and one short edge tear at right that just passes the neatline that is closed on verso with archival tape.