Laperouse by Ernest Scott

Laperouse by Ernest Scott

We can well understand that a lad whose head was full of thoughts of voyaging and adventures, was not, as a schoolboy, very tame and easy to manage. He is described as having been ardent, impetuous, and rather stubborn. But there is more than one kind of stubbornness. There is the stupid stubbornness of the mule, and the fixed, firm will of the intelligent being. -from Chapter I: Family, Youth and Influences The disappearance of Jean-Francois de Galaup, Comte de Laperouse, on his 18th-century attempt to circle the globe was a grand nautical mystery for almost 40 years. In this bittersweet 1912 biography, Ernest Scott examines the short, adventurous life of the forgotten navigator-with his voyage related partly through Laperouse's own letters and reports that made it home to France. We share his bemusement at the unstable canoes of the native South Pacific Islanders and his cordial encounter with the English expedition that had landed at Botany Bay, in Australia, just prior to Laperouse's arrival, and learn of the expedition, decades later, that solved the puzzle of his disappearance. This almost forgotten player of the great age of exploration will intrigue history buffs and readers of maritime fiction alike. SIR ERNEST SCOT (1867-1939) was born in England but emigrated to Australia as an adult, where he wrote for the Melbourne Herald and was later named professor of history at the University of Melbourne. He is also the author of A Short History of Australia and Terre Napoleon.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9783842454910
ISBN 10	3842454910
Title	Laperouse
Author	Ernest Scott
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Tredition Classics
Year published	2011-11-17
Number of pages	74
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.