Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia (ePub)

Richard Henry Major (1818-1891) was a distinguished British geographer and cartographer of the nineteenth century, best known for his scholarly contributions to the historical geography of maritime exploration. Major served as a senior officer at the British Museum and was the chief of the map department there from 1867 to 1880. He was an active member of the Royal Geographical Society and later became its fellow and secretary, engaging deeply with the academic discourse of the era. Major's fascination with exploration led him to publish works that threw light on the early European explorations of the Australasian region. Among his notable works, 'Early Voyages to Terra Australis, Now Called Australia' is a seminal piece that records and synthesizes various accounts of the voyages to the Australian continent prior to its detailed mapping and subsequent colonization. His meticulous research and fluid narrative style not only made major scholarly contributions but also stirred broader public interest in Australia's maritime history. Major's literary style often interweaved rigorous analysis with an accessible prose, reflective of the Victorian era's quest for knowledge and discovery. This, combined with his editorship of notable map collections, secured his reputation in the annals of geographical literature. His works continue to serve as important references for historians and academics interested in the age of exploration and the history of cartography.