The multifarious Mr. Banks : from Botany Bay to Kew, the natural historian who shaped the world / Toby Musgrave.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Banks family and young Joseph -- Newfoundland and Labrador -- HMS Endeavour -- The hero and the egotist -- To Iceland : the independent explorer -- The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew -- The father of Australia -- The scientist-enabler -- The last two decades.

As official botanist on James Cook's first circumnavigation, the longest-serving president of the Royal Society, advisor to King George III, the "father of Australia," and the man who established Kew as the world's leading botanical garden, Sir Joseph Banks was integral to the English Enlightenment. Yet he has not received the recognition that his multifarious achievements deserve. In this engaging account, Toby Musgrave reveals the true extent of Banks's contributions to science and Britain. From an early age Banks pursued his passion for natural history through study and extensive travel, most famously on the HMS Endeavour. He went on to become a pivotal figure in the advancement of British scientific, economic, and colonial interests. With his enquiring, enterprising mind and extensive network of correspondents, Banks's reputation and influence were global. Drawing widely on Banks's writings, Musgrave sheds light on Banks's profound impact on British science and empire in an age of rapid advancement.