The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks [Journal from 25 August 1768-12 July 1771]: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks [Journal from 25 August 1768-12 July 1771], credited to Joseph Banks, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks [Journal from 25 August 1768-12 July 1771] by Joseph Banks. Read in English by Gail Timmerman Vaughan In this Journal, Joseph Banks records almost daily observations of the journey of the ship the Endeavour on the first of James Cook’s voyages to the Pacific during the years 1768-1771. There are also more detailed accounts of the events, people, flora, fauna and geology of the places (except Brazil) where they landed. They landed at Brazil, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Batavia, Cape Town and St. Helena. Joseph Banks was one of the naturalists on the Endeavour, appointed by the Royal Society. The joint Royal Society, Royal Navy journey of the Endeavour was overtly a scientific expedition with the stated purpose of observing the transit of Venus from Tahiti. The other purpose of the journey was to attempt the discovery of the postulated Southern Continent (Terra Australis). In addition to himself, Banks funded the inclusion on the voyage of two other naturalists (Solander and Spöring) and two artists (Parkinson and Buchan). Joseph Banks became famous upon the return to Britain of the Endeavour and went on to be a highly influential person in Britain. Banks was President of the British Royal Society for more than 40 years; and was a strong advocate for the settlement of New South Wales as a convict settlement. Along with James Cook, he was responsible for representing the Australian continent as terra nullius (“nobody’s land”) even though he observed the occupation of the land by the indigenous Australians, which misrepresentation contributed to the colonization of Australia by the British. Now, 250 years after the Endeavour's voyage, controversy and the voices of indigenous people are leading to a reassessment of the effects of James Cook’s voyages and the colonial legacy of Australia and New Zealand. (Gail Timmerman-Vaughan)

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks [Journal from 25 August 1768-12 July 1771]
• Author credits: Joseph Banks
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 64
• Listed recording duration: 22:14:39

Opening tracks: first 24 of 64

1. 01. August 1768 — 3:46
2. 02. September 1768 — 31:35
3. 03. October 1768 — 23:02
4. 04. November 1768 — 26:46
5. 05. December 1768 — 36:40
6. 06. January 1769, Part I — 26:37
7. 07. January 1769, Part II — 18:42
8. 08. February 1769 — 8:16
9. 09. March 1769 — 16:11
10. 10. April 1769, Part I — 26:39
11. 11. April 1769, Part II — 23:38
12. 12. May 1769, Part I — 19:45
13. 13. May 1769, Part II — 19:25
14. 14. June 1769, Part I — 25:03
15. 15. June 1769, Part II — 23:53
16. 16. July 1769, Part I — 18:27
17. 17. July 1769, Part II — 22:01
18. 18. August 1769 — 31:33
19. 19. Manners and Customs of South Sea Islanders, Part I — 26:57
20. 20. Manners and Customs of South Sea Islanders, Part II — 24:54
21. 21. Manners and Customs of South Sea Islanders, Part III — 26:47
22. 22. Manners and Customs of South Sea Islanders, Part IV — 38:11
23. 23. September 1769 — 12:00
24. 24. October 1769, Part I — 31:52

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.