author
James Burney
1750–1821
A naval officer who sailed with Captain James Cook on his last two voyages, he later turned those years of exploration into influential histories of the Pacific. His life bridges firsthand adventure at sea and the careful work of a historian looking back on an age of discovery.
1 Audiobook
History of the Buccaneers of America
by James Burney
About the author
Born in London in 1750, James Burney went to sea at a young age and built a long career in the Royal Navy. He is especially remembered for serving on Captain James Cook’s second and third voyages, experiences that gave him direct knowledge of Pacific exploration and made him an important witness to that era.
After his active naval career, he became known as a writer and historian. His major work, A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, helped preserve and organize the story of European exploration in the Pacific, and he also wrote on maritime subjects including buccaneers. His writing is valued for combining scholarship with the perspective of someone who had actually sailed those waters.
Burney was part of the notable Burney family and was the brother of the novelist Frances Burney. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and eventually reached the rank of rear-admiral, leaving behind a legacy shaped by both service at sea and a lasting contribution to travel and naval history.