Author Description

Ever since classical times, when men first imagined a great continent in the southern hemisphere, the idea of Terra Australia has kept a strong hold on the European imagination. This superbly illustrated volume--featuring 60 color and 100 black-and-white plates--provides a comprehensive history of those various ideas, from earliest times to the present day.In an informative introductory chapter, the editors set out the various theories and speculations that have been floated over the centuries; and successive chapters describe the expeditions and discoveries accomplished by the British, Portuguese, and Dutch. The Dieppe maps, which mark the continent as a Portuguese discovey, are reproduced in their entirety for the first time. Two final chapters cover the exploration of New South Wales and the gradual emergence of an overall picture of the entire continent.Filled with fascinating charts and maps, this magificent volume will delight anyone interested in the great sea explorers or the history of ideas.