author
John Hawkesworth
1714–1773
A self-educated London writer who moved in Samuel Johnson’s circle, he became known for lively essays, stage adaptations, and influential editorial work. He is now especially remembered for shaping the published accounts of Britain’s great Pacific voyages, including Captain Cook’s first expedition.
1 Audiobook
Almoran and Hamet: An Oriental Tale
by John Hawkesworth
About the author
Born in London around 1715, John Hawkesworth built a literary career largely through talent and persistence rather than formal schooling. He worked as a journalist and man of letters, succeeded Samuel Johnson in compiling parliamentary debates for The Gentleman's Magazine, and became closely associated with Johnson’s world.
Hawkesworth was one of the main writers behind The Adventurer, the mid-18th-century periodical created with Samuel Johnson and Joseph Warton. He also edited Jonathan Swift’s works and adapted several pieces for the stage, earning a reputation as a versatile professional writer with a polished, moralizing prose style.
Today he is most often linked with An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty, published in 1773. That ambitious book brought together narratives from the Pacific voyages of John Byron, Samuel Wallis, Philip Carteret, and James Cook, helping shape how British readers first encountered those journeys. Hawkesworth died in London on November 16, 1773, the same year the work appeared.