Sir Joseph Banks by Charles Lyte

I have a huge crush on the 18th Century explorer and botanist Joseph Banks right now, but I'll try to be reasonably objective about this book.

I suspect that I'm not alone in the adoration of Mr. Banks. Charles Lyte writes very favourable about him. Sir Joseph Banks (David & Charles, 1980) is an informative and easy to read biography of an influential man in 18th Century England. However, I miss a more critical view of Joseph Banks, and definitily of his time. For example, the description of the peoples he and other explorers met in the Pacific feels outdated, and sometimes even racist. Since the book was written in the 1980's, it's possible that the awareness regarding post-colonial issues weren't as self-evident as it is today.

I say: ***(**)