Product Description

This is a biography of Sir Joseph Banks, botanist, explorer, President of the Royal Society and one of Australia's founding fathers. He was among the most influential figures of the 18th and 19th centuries. As a young man, he accompanied Captain Cook on his voyage of discovery to Australia; in later years he was instrumental in establishing Kew Gardens as one of the greatest botanical centres in the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36506 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Devotees of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels will know already the author's total immersion into the social, political, scientific and naval worlds of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The life of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), naturalist, botanist and explorer who sailed with Captain Cook to the South Seas, has long been one of O'Brian's primary resources; so it is only fitting that he should also be Banks's biographer. Any other writer might have produced a worthy study of the scientist; O'Brian provides an affectionate account of the man, as well as illuminating with seemingly effortless erudition Banks's discoveries and those of his contemporaries. Encompassing as it does all of O'Brian's polymath fascinations, the only remarkable thing about this book is that he did not write it sooner. The novelist's eye for detail, familiar from the naval stories, is evident here (when Banks sails for Newfoundland in 1766 we learn, as a matter of course, that on April 22 the wind from Plymouth was east-north-east) as is his absorbing and witty prose style. Drawing extensively on Banks's letters and journals, the author also has to hand any number of illuminating references, from Admiralty records and proceedings of the Royal Society to the diaries of Fanny Burney and Mrs Thrale. From all these sources, as well as from his own empathy for the subject, O'Brian is able to paint a vivid portrait of an extraordinary man and his equally extraordinary discoveries. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews

Excellent: Many historical connections I was unaware of.
This book is somewhat heavier going than O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels, especially when he quotes verbatim from the original sources, but the story is fascinating. I had been unaware of his connection to Linnaeus, why Cape Solander on the southern edge of Botany Bay had a Scandinavian name, how Captain Cook really discovered the Great Barrier Reef, how Kew Gardens were originally set up, and so on. There is an interesting discussion of "Mad King George's sheep", and the fact the Banks completely missed the future significance of the merino for Australia. I also learnt that Botany Bay was originally better known as Stingray Bay, and discovered how New South Wales (initially New Wales) acquired its name, something I had often asked Sydneysiders but that nobody seems to know. Captain Cook gave it this name as they rounded Cape York into the Torres Strait. One can't help but wish that Banks had sailed with Cook on his later voyages. The politicking over the Resolution is like much scientific politics in our own day, and the same can be said for Banks's middle-aged corpulence. The observations on both the American and French revolutions are interesting, together with the academic dialogue that was maintained through both. All in all, this is an excellent book, and it is highly to be recommended.

A Celebration of an un-sung 18th Century Hero
Sir Joseph Banks was a ground-breaker in many ways. Patrick O'Brian also paints a portrait of the man as likeable and (with the occasional stumble) down-to-earth. Banks wove his way through British, Australian and European history almost without notice. This book goes some way to celebrating the man and his influence. Of interest, I'd say, to economic historians, political historians, colonial historians, naval historians and horticultural historians (to name but a few) - amateur and professional alike.

Joseph Banks by Patrick O'Brian
So well written - it holds your attention until you finish the last page. Gives an interesting insight into how this aristocratic lived the life of luxury, but failing Eton etc how he then devoted himself to botany. He gave so much of himself to botany and travelling and we have fascinating accounts of new plants etc.from long sea voyages around the world and such awful conditions on board.It's interesting to learn just how much we owe to him.