William Dampier, the 'devil's mariner' as he has been called, a far voyager and traveller extraordinaire, lived in an era when, more truly than in other periods of history, the past was being put behind the present, and everything was new - a new world discovered by the first stirrings of the new science, under a new political and economic formation.

Dampier's Monkey examines the late-17th century ways of comprehending an expanding world by re-evaluating the travel narratives of the buccaneer William Dampier. Included in this book is Dampier's journal of his voyage in the South Seas from 1681 to 1691, complete with his annotations and illustrations, published here for the first time.

'Mitchell's own beautifully written description which takes up half of his book vividly illuminates the colourful life and times of the intrepid Dampier.' - Mary Ann Elliott, Chronicle

'... gripping, entertaining and deeply revealing' - Steven Davenport, Indaily

'No nautical history collection should be without this! - California Bookwatch

'Mitchell's analysis of Dampier's journal gives a deeper insight into the explorer's character and a true account of his travels.' - Good Reading Magazine

'a scholarly joy'; 'an excellent accessible version of Dampier's Journal, which I'm sure will be mined by historians of exploration, natural history, and the art of the travelogue.' - Arthur Lucas, Reviews in Australian Studies