Jos Banks

Joseph Banks: A Life  – Patrick O’Brian

In this biography for the general reader, the author of the beloved Aubrey-Maturin novels examines the life and times of probably the foremost intellectual of 18th century Britain. Banks’ influence on the scientific life of the day was so deep that he knew everybody, from King George III to Benjamin Franklin, with scores of giants in the natural sciences like Lavoisier, Linnaeus, and Cuvier in between.

The most interesting part of the book covers his voyage to Tahiti with Cook. Banks was involved in obtaining Merino sheep in Spain, influencing the settlement of Australia as a place to relieve the over-population of prisons, supervising spying networks, founding the gardens at Kew, running the Royal Society of peevish scientists, and draining the fens of Lincolnshire.

O’Brian likes his subject, which a biographer had better feel since they’re going to spend so much time writing about them. O’Brian wants to the give the reader first-hand impressions of Banks so O’Brian provides long passages from Banks' journals. O'Brian provides just the right amount of digressions to give depth to the people and issues he discusses. Students looking for post-modern examinations of the subject will have to look elsewhere.