The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders

The biography traces a naval officer's life from family origins and schooling through service under notable commanders, early Pacific voyages, and a central role in charting much of Australia's coastline. It follows small-boat explorations and the discovery of the strait isolating Tasmania, a circumnavigation of that island, naval engagements, shipwrecks, encounters with Indigenous peoples, and a prolonged detention abroad, while incorporating maps, facsimiles, and archival documents. The author uses letters and official papers to reconstruct character and motive, presenting a portrait of professional zeal, perseverance in adversity, and the circumstances that shaped the explorer's achievements and misfortunes.