Joseph Banks: A Life

One of our greatest writers about the sea has written an engrossing story of one of history’s most legendary maritime explorers. Patrick O’Brian’s biography of naturalist, explorer and co-founder of Australia, Joseph Banks, is narrative history at its finest. Published to rave reviews, it reveals Banks to be a man of enduring importance, and establishes itself as a classic of exploration.

It is in his description of that arduous three-year voyage on the ship Endeavor] that Mr. O’Brian is at his most brilliant. . . . He makes us understand what life within this wooden world was like, with its 94 male souls, two dogs, a cat and a goat.–Linda Colley, New York Times

An absorbing, finely written overview, meant for the general reader, of a major figure in the history of natural science.–Frank Stewart, Los Angeles Times

This book is] the definitive biography of an extraordinary subject.–Robert Taylor, Boston Globe

His skill at narrative and his extensive knowledge of the maritime history . . . give him a definite leg up in telling this . . . story.–Tom Clark, San Francisco Chronicle