Daring French Explorations: Trailblazing Adventures around the World: 1714-1854, Featuring Bougainville, Lapérouse, Dumont d’Urville, and more
Hubert Sagnières and Edward Duyker
Intrepid French marinersâ€â€including legendary explorers Lapérouse, Bougainville, and Dumont d’Urville, and unsung sailors La Barbinais, Pagès, and Roquefeuilâ€â€embark readers on sixteen voyages around the world from 1714 to 1854.
A selection of firsthand accounts culled from their maritime travelogues recounts the trials and tribulations the explorers encountered as they charted new routes to remote territories. Their unfiltered observations on wide-ranging themesâ€â€from geopolitics and commerce to climate change and global culturesâ€â€resonate with contemporary issues.
This handsome volumeâ€â€featuring many previously unpublished illustrations, engravings, and mapsâ€â€traces their extraordinary scientific, diplomatic, or commercial expeditions, which significantly marked the history of world exploration.
Driven by a spirit of adventure and a passion for expeditions, inveterate collector Hubert Sagnières has drawn from his extensive library to curate this unprecedented introduction to the glory days of French naval history.
Award-winning author Edward Duyker is a fellow at the Australian Academy of the Humanities.