William Dampier is known for circumnavigating the world 3x, although his book only covers the first. He opens with a short overview of his childhood, so I'm glad I read "A Pirate of Exquisite Mind" first. He's soon in the Bay of Campeche working alongside English buccaneers. From descriptions of the poisonous machineel fruit to that of a local parasitic worm, the reader recognizes the broad range of Dampier's interests. Monkeys, anteaters, sloths, armadillos, snakes and hummingbirds are included. However, he has no concept of "invasive" species and is glad for the islands' population of Spanish hogs and bullocks. Much of what happens next is covered in "Born to Be Hanged," which I do recommend!

He later offers a sympathetic view of the natives of Villahermosa , who were cruelly enslaved by the Spanish, but mentions that the English and the "Mosquito" natives get along very well. Of course today, we acknowledge that both were guilty of destructive colonization. Not ideally, but he depicts neither tribes or the Mindanaoans as "savage" or their women in any vulgar terms. During his adventures along the South American coast, he takes notes of avocadoes, guava, prickly pear and cochineal insects.

Eventually he makes his way back home but returns to the sea in command of a scientific expedition in the HMS Roebuck. Poor conditions force his return, but not before describing the Chinese, the Sumatrans, the Tonquins, and the Hodmadods. The work then concludes with his court martial in 1702. William Dampier's autobiography is a primary source, so I couldn't review it in the traditional way. However, there's so much material here that Dampier's autobiography is essential reading for anyone studying historical naturalism. He's easy to follow, fairly objective for his time and it's all pretty fascinating!