British Discovery Literature and the Rise of Global Commerce

British Discovery Literature and the Rise of Global Commerce examines how, between 1680 and 1800, British maritime travelers became both friends and foes of the commercial state. Examining voyage narratives by William Dampler, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Tobias Smollett, Samuel Johnson, James Cook, and William Bligh, Neill demonstrates how the transformation of travelers from nomadic outlaws into civil subjects, and vice versa, takes place against the political-economic backdrop of commercial expansion.