{"product_id":"a-pirate-of-exquisite-mind-the-life-of-william-dampier","title":"A Pirate of Exquisite Mind - The Life of William Dampier","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA rip-roaring swashbuckler about a forgotten 17th century English hero who, starting as a poor, piratical buccaneer, became a famed round-the-world explorer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilliam Dampier, (1651-1715), was an English adventurer and pirate who preyed on ships on the Spanish Main. Poor and ill-educated and determined to make his fortune, he nonetheless had a passion for exploration and scientific research.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDampier was the first to map the winds and currents of the world's oceans; led the first recorded party of Englishmen to set foot on Australia - 80 years before Cook; wrote about Galapagos wildlife 150 years before Darwin, who drew on Dampier's notes in his own work; was the first travel writer: A NEW VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD was instant bestseller when it was published in 1697 - said to have influenced the novels of Swift and Defoe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA man full of contradictions: he who achieved so much 'blew it' later in life, declining into scandal, failure and even farce. A unique man ahead of his time, he lived a large part of his life among pirates yet managed to preserve what Coleridge called his \"exquisite refinement of mind\". A classic example of the best narrative history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Diana Preston, Michael Preston\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN: 9780552772105\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ 512 pages\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: RANDOM HOUSE UK\u003cbr\u003ePublished Date: 1 April 2005\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PENGUIN","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52695769841938,"sku":"015907","price":27.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/9001\/9602\/files\/81lpCu9VqsL._SL1500.jpg?v=1789016352","url":"https:\/\/store.anmm.gov.au\/products\/a-pirate-of-exquisite-mind-the-life-of-william-dampier","provider":"Sea Museum Retail Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}