author

Captain David Sutherland

An 18th-century military traveler, this writer turned a Mediterranean voyage into a lively account of places, politics, and war. His best-known book follows a journey from Gibraltar to Constantinople with a sharp eye for history and firsthand detail.

1 Audiobook

A Tour Up the Straits, from Gibraltar to Constantinople

A Tour Up the Straits, from Gibraltar to Constantinople

by Captain David Sutherland

About the author

Little biographical information is easy to confirm about Captain David Sutherland, but he is identified in library and public-domain records as the author of A Tour Up the Straits, from Gibraltar to Constantinople.

That book presents him as a British officer traveling out from Gibraltar and recording what he saw around the Mediterranean near the opening of 1789. The narrative mixes travel writing, military awareness, and historical commentary, especially on the conflict involving the Austrians, Russians, and Turks.

What makes Sutherland interesting today is the way his writing captures both movement and observation: part journal, part history, and part eyewitness account. For listeners who enjoy older travel narratives, his work offers a direct glimpse into how an officer-writer saw the landscapes and politics of his time.