商品簡介
A vanished expedition lies somewhere beyond the known chart, and a new voyage sets out to seek it. Written by the naturalist who travelled with the mission, this first-person account records a maritime search shaped as much by uncertainty as by scientific purpose, where every coastline may offer evidence and every observation may enlarge contemporary knowledge of the South Seas. Scientific enquiry accompanies the practical demands of survival. Botanical and zoological specimens are gathered while astronomical and meteorological notes sharpen the expedition's record; coastal surveying and navigational data sit beside close observations of Indigenous peoples. During inland excursions and shipboard life, reefs, storms, illness and shortages repeatedly test the work of exploration. The journal's unusual breadth allows the reader to follow both the disciplined methods of a natural-history expedition and the immediate hazards faced by those conducting it. Van Diemen's Land provides one setting for a narrative that moves between unfamiliar shores and precarious waters without losing the distinctive perspective of its expedition diarist. Technical detail never stands apart from lived experience: measurements, specimens and cultural encounters emerge from the same demanding voyage, while the unanswered fate of La P廨ouse remains a persistent source of tension. This is a Pacific exploration journal in which knowledge is assembled under pressure, observation competes with danger, and the limits of navigation remain starkly visible. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.
