Banks: A riveting account of one of the world's most famous explorers, a story of lust, science, adventure, and voyages of discovery, from the award-winning author of BANJO, SISTER VIV and HUDSON FYSH

by Grantlee Kieza

Lust, science, adventure - Joseph Banks and his voyages of discovery

Sir Joseph Banks was a man of passion whose influence spanned the globe. A fearless adventurer, his fascination with beautiful women was only trumped by his obsession with the natural world and his lust for scientific knowledge. Fabulously wealthy, Banks was the driving force behind monumental voyages and scientific discoveries in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and the Arctic. In 1768, as a galivanting young playboy, he joined Captain James Cook's Endeavour expedition to the South Pacific. Financing his own team of scientists and artists, Banks battled high seas, hailstorms, treacherous coral reefs and hostile locals to expand the world's knowledge of life on distant shores. He returned with thousands of specimens of plants and animals, generating enormous interest in Europe, while the racy accounts of his amorous adventures in Tahiti made him one of the most famous and notorious men in England. As the longest-serving president of Britain's Royal Society, Banks was perhaps the most important man in the scientific world for more than half a century. It was Banks, one of the first Europeans to set foot on Australia's east coast, who advised Britain to establish a remote penal settlement and strategic base at Botany Bay, and he eventually became the foremost expert on everything Australian. Early governors in the colony answered to him as he set about unleashing Australia's vast potential in agriculture and minerals. For decades, major British voyages of exploration around the globe only sailed with his backing. By award-winning bestselling writer Grantlee Kieza, Banks is a rich and rollicking biography of one of the most colourful and intriguing characters in the history of exploration. PRAISE FOR GRANTLEE KIEZA OAM 'Engagingly written ... one of the most nuanced portraits to date' - The Australian 'Vivid, detailed and well written' - Daily Telegrap h 'A staggering accomplishment that can't be missed by history buffs and story lovers alike' - Betterreading.com.au 'A free-flowing biography of a great Australian figure' - John Howard 'Clear and accessible ... well-crafted and extensively documented' - Weekend Australian 'Kieza has added hugely to the depth of knowledge about our greatest military general in a book that is timely' Tim Fischer, Courier-Mail 'The author writes with the immediacy of a fine documentary ... an easy, informative read, bringing historic personalities to life' - Ballarat Courier

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Australia, Nature, Science

496 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2021

Reviews

[Paul C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve purchased by Grantlee, and I couldn’t be happier with it. The research is fantastic, the prose is engaging, and it makes for an effortless read. I have no doubt I'll be exploring more of this author’s work soon.
Before reading this, I had no idea of the vast scope of Sir Joseph Banks’s influence - not just on Australia, but on the world. His immense energy and dedication to developing the early fields of Botany and Natural Sciences were, and arguably still are, unmatched.

Living close to Kurnell in Sydney, I often visit the area. I find myself standing on the shoreline, imagining the moment the Endeavour sailed into the inlet, with the local Indigenous people watching on. It gives me a deep sense of gratitude to walk the same ground and see the same scenes Banks did over 200 years ago.

This book has changed how I view his local monument entirely. Now, I look at his face in a deeper and far more appreciative light. Banks’s achievements, generosity, and knowledge have contributed enormously to Terra Australis, and we are all indebted to him for the incredible discoveries he made during his full and often "crazy" life.

My thanks to Grantlee for the tremendous effort put into sharing Sir Joseph's complete story with us all

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grantlee Kiesa you have done it again with a great historical biography, this time on Joseph Banks which follows a great line a books that I have enjoyed immensely. Top marks for great research and for an entertaining and absorbing narrative. My only fear is that you will run out of interesting characters to write about,

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvellous biography. I flew through it as Banks was such an interesting man. I never realised just how big a part he played in exploration and science.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing and engrossing account of the extraordinary life of Joseph Banks. A very influential and larger than life character. Easy to read yet backed up by solid research and the author has a flair for inserting interesting facts and anecdotes in just the right places.

The only annoying bit was the ongoing attempts by the author to justify 18th century views and actions towards Indigenous peoples and slavery by the standards of today. The past is a different place; things were done differently. In a book lie this it is enough to document them and, if necessary, explain them. No need to cringe or apologise for actions our generations are not responsible for.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banks by Grantlee Kieza is a brilliant portrayal and biography of Joseph Banks and his voyages of discovery.

It's part of our history and the writer has explained in depth Joseph Banks and his life as a botanist and adventurer on the high seas.

Grantlee Kieza has taken into account all sensitive issues relating to this book.

I read it in conjunction with Sam Neill's ~ In the Wake of Captain Cook screening on ABC 9.35pm on Monday nights (which is an excellent show) portraying the voyage of Cook and Banks.

Banks by Grantlee Kieza is a brilliant read. It's a bit like reading an encyclopaedia or the bible but it is a story and like the bible ~ one of the greatest stories ever written.

It's written with imagination and accuracy covering sensitive issues and is an important part of our history.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend.

It comes in an absolutely beautifully illustrated botanical cover with Joseph Banks on it and there are photos and illustrations throughout the book.

This book will stand proudly on our shelf.

[Daphne Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched but a fast-paced read. Banks was such a character.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to learn more about Australia and how countries were discovered.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, history brought to life. Banks was such an interesting person to read about. I especially enjoyed reading about the discover of New Zealand and Australia.

[Frumenty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobooks have one particular drawback that print doesn’t. When you’re reading and your attention wanders the reading stops, but an audiobook just drones on, and before you know it you’ve quite lost the thread of the narrative.

That said, I thought this was pretty good. I wasn’t aware, until I read this, that Samuel Johnson and James Boswell were acquainted with Banks. Johnson raised eyebrows at a dinner party by mimicking the locomotion of a kangaroo for the edification of the guests, performing two or three bounds; dignity was never Johnson’s strong suit.

[Nola B · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was an article in the newspaper a short time ago where the reviewer named 3 authors of historical non-fiction they admired. Grantlee Kieza was one of those named. Having just read "Banks" , I'm in agreement. Joseph Banks was a giant in the world of scientific discovery in the age of enlightenment. Having wealth, he could afford to fund and encourage explorers but it was his passion and sense of wonder that saw him dive head-first into explorations himself. What adventures he had ! What remarkable flora and fauna he found ! What diverse cultures he encountered ,from lovely Tahitian maidens to Maori cannibals. The sections on when he was back in England made for fascinating reading too ; he could have been the world's biggest name dropper, if he'd wanted to. Boswell, Reynolds, George 111 .Davy etc etc etc. Full of factual information (53 pages of endnotes !) but with the odd daggy pun to lighten it up , this was an easier read than usual for non-fiction. A great subject and well-written.

[Jennifer Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about Joseph Banks and his contribution to Botany and in particular, the discovery of, and development of, the colony of New South Wales
Recommended for those who want to learn more about the scientific world in the 18th and 19th centuries.

[Lynne Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much research, so much detail yet so readable .. fascinating and surprising reach of Banks’ influence on so many places, people and our understanding of all things science. His lifelong interest and dealings in the development of (white) Australia is a lesson in itself .. absolutely enjoyed

[Nel]

dnf at 20%
in a dire need of good editing - only so many tangents i can take in a book

[Richard Huckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beguiling Biography

Wonderful biography about a marvellous and generous man who helped the development of modern Australia.
Congratulations Grantlee for writing this book.

[Michelle Hickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, my first Grantlee Kieza title!
Banks was far more complex than I had previously understood and his role in scientific advancement should really be more widely known and celebrated. He was one of the greatest scientific philanthropists in history.

[cameron ross paton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. What an incredible life Joseph Banks had. I didn’t realise how much he was involved in establishing New South Wales , later Australia.

[Alex Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly thorough and interesting read. He had a lot more to do with the Australian colony than the banksia. I'd recommend this alongside the invention of nature, both great reads

[Jane Balke Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting biography overall. Researched extensively with source quotes, material and photos. While some chapters were fascinating to me, others were not so interesting and dragged a little.

I had previously read biographies on Captain James Cook and other non-fiction books on the settlement of Australia so it was good to read about such things from the point of view of Bank’s involvement. I was glad to see some mention made of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific and how contact changed and killed so many of them through violence, slavery or disease. Ignoring this truth would be wrong.

I find this age of exploration via seafaring quite extraordinary: going to sea on small boats, to travel and record places your country has never been, hoping for good weather, enough food and water to survive. It must have been our equivalent of going to space.

I did enjoy that this biography tries to give us an idea of the character of the man Banks, good and bad, and his wide scope of people he met and influenced. I did not know about Banks’s sister Sarah Sophia Banks and the enormous part she played in helping his work for decades. She never married and helped him, devoting her life to her brother and therefore to science and botany. The little mention of her in history probably reflects the long held belief about women's place in the world, let alone in science. I would have like to know more about her.

The book shows how magnificent it must have been to be a wealthy, white, aristocratic male during these years of scientific exploration. There was so much to discover, risky adventures and your name to be made and travel down history in Banks’s case through both place names and plants.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book immediately after finishing Peter Fitzsimons ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ which mentioned Banks. There are some very nice overlaps with this book.

Firstly, you should read Banks.

The first few chapters feel a little slow however when Banks begins his first adventure the story starts to capture your imagination.

Kieza describes fascinating and tense encounters with people from untouched corners of the world at that time. In particular, the encounters Banks has with the Maori of New Zealand were extremely captivating.

The author does a splendid job of describing Banks’ role as not only a botanist but as a philanthropist, friend, leader, and…lothario.

I understand Banks had even more fun in Tahiti than the book exposes. I would have liked Kieza to go into more detail on this. However, debaucheries were kept rather hush at this time and perhaps there wasn’t much reliable information on this subject.

The most frustrating side of Banks’s personality was when he turned down the second voyage with Cook due to arguments about space and the sailing vessel being too top-heavy. During this time Banks seems to have been in a quite chaotic place emotionally and Kieza explains a few of the demons Banks was wrestling with.

I think this book serves as a great testament to one of Australia’s truly fascinating adventurers; a must-read.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as I didn't understand Banks' background, wealth and influence on the settlement of Australia. A fascinating historical read exploring the man, his drive and ego, his role in the Royal Society, and his connection to other influential people such as Linneaus. I listened to this as an audiobook as I drive a fair bit. Highly recommended if you are interested in non-fiction and ecological or Australian history.

[Sandy Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at this period of exploration.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesting book about his life. actually quite an easy read considering its size

[Louise Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the dreary period of history we are currently living through, it was inspiring and heartening to read about a man in love with science and full of the exuberance of exploration and discovery in the natural world.

Kieza's highly readable biography also opened my eyes to the behind-the-scenes influence of Joseph Banks on almost every aspect of Australian history for half a century from 1770. I'd never before realised Banks's role in the rise and fall of governors, or the part he played as an economic botanist in the development of colonial Australia from a convict colony into a functioning economy.

My interest in Banks as a figure in history, always strong, intensified when I discovered a strong family history connection to Banks. My forebear Dr George Young M.D., a British Army surgeon, physician and keen botanist, became the first director of the botanical garden on Saint Vincent in 1765, and met Banks at a meeting in London in January 1773. In 1784 Banks accepted Young's recommendation that Alexander Anderson be appointed as the next director of the garden. In 1901 Young's descendant Margaret Flockton became the first scientific botanical artist at the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney. I am not alone in feeling this sense of connectedness. Kieza's well-researched book makes it plain that thousands of other scientifically-minded people also crossed paths with Banks.

I loved the way the author drew out the friendship between Banks and Solander. Overall this book presents a warts and all pen portrait of a fascinating man who led an astonishing life. I highly recommend it.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Banks - Grantlee Kieza
I love an interesting looking book cover, especially when it has a fascinating subject.
Sir Joseph Banks was a leading scientific figure of the English Enlightenment. The 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.
Fabulously wealthy, Banks was the driving force behind monumental voyages and scientific discoveries in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and the Arctic. In 1768, as a galivanting young playboy, he joined Captain James Cook's Endeavour expedition to the South Pacific. Financing his own team of scientists and artists, Banks battled high seas, hailstorms, treacherous coral reefs and hostile locals to expand the world's knowledge of life on distant shores. He returned with thousands of specimens of plants and animals, generating enormous interest in Europe, while the racy accounts of his amorous adventures in Tahiti made him one of the most famous and notorious men in England.

This was a fascinating look into the world of exploration.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An interesting biography of Sir Joseph Banks, a very wealthy Englishman who became the patron of many voyages and scientific discoveries around the world and in particular, Australia. In 1768, somewhat of a playboy, he joined Captain James Cook’s Endeavour expedition to the South Pacific, initially to Tahiti, then to New Zealand, then the east coast of Australia. Banks returned to England with thousands of specimens of plants and animals. His exploits were published, making him quite famous. He became the longest serving president of Britain’s Royal Society. He was not an academic, however he was very resourceful and energetic. He spent a lot of money funding voyages and employing individuals to undertake plant and animal expeditions, increasing his collections, which he then donated to British museums. He married Dorothea Hugessen when he was 36 years old and remained married to her until his death in 1820, aged 77. They had no children.

The most interesting part of his life was his journey on the Endeavour expedition. He was quite a cad in his younger years. His later years involved mainly being a patron of the natural sciences. He left extensive handwritten journals detailing his journey to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1766, and the Endeavour trip, 1768 to 1770, including details of specimen collection and his interactions with the local populations.

This book was first published in 2020.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Australians would know that Joseph Banks accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to Tahiti after which he mapped the east coast of Australia. We know that he named Botany Bay for the number of plant specimens he collected there. Most Australians would not know of the huge influence he had on science and natural history in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

He was born into a very wealthy family. An indifferent student, he preferred to be outdoors collecting specimens and observing nature. He was a young man when he joined Captain Cook on that voyage to the South Seas but had already been on an expedition to Canada. He was lionised on his return to London and made important connections including the King. He used these connections for the rest of his life to further the cause of science. He also promoted the settlement of Australia and even had a hand in choosing Governors of the colony, including the infamous Governor Bligh. His influence cannot be underestimated.

This is a well-researched and readable biography of a very important man.

[Nick Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly brilliant book to start off the year. I picked it at random, it being one of the audiobooks available through my local library. And it was riveting from start to finish. I found myself going for long walk, unable to put it down (or is the turn of phrase ‘switch it off’ when it’s an audiobook?)

Part of the joy was how little I knew about Joseph Banks and how he had his finger in every pie in Georgian England. In Australian schools, he’s mentioned in passing with respect to Cook’s Endeavour voyage. The botanist, secluded in his study aboard the grand ship. What I hadn’t realised is that he was instrumental in the voyage (indeed, he privately funded it) and advocated for Australia as a penal colony when it wasn’t really in contention (the frontrunner was initially Gambia).

A prodigious letter-writer and diary-keeper, Banks left rich account which Kieza expertly amasses here. We get interesting titbits, from gossip about Bank’s semen-stained sheets at Oxford, to precise descriptions of Bank’s growing corpulence. Banks comes across as a right character: Kieza left me shaking my head at Bank’s tantrum that saw him miss Cook’s second voyage, but admirable of his bravery throughout the Endeavour voyage. It’s clear too, that Banks felt deep affection for Tahiti and its people.

Yet, Kieza doesn’t shy away from the dark side of Bank’s history. We hear Bank’s integral role is labelling Australia terra nullius, and bear witness to the violence of the colonisers towards the first nations people across the Asia-Pacific. Kieza contextualises Bank’s racism, asking troubling questions about his legacy and what can be redeemed. He asks readers to consider Bank’s achievements, alongside his deep flaws.

The book, it should be said, is about more than just Banks. Kieza doesn’t mind a detour. We follow, for example, the First Fleet and Cook’s second endeavour, neither of which Banks took part in. These departures give the work a sense of epicness and helpfully flesh out the wider world in which the naturalist moved.

Nearly 280-years on (to the date) from Bank’s birth, Kieza’s biography sheds new light on a figure whose name I knew, but whose life was more interesting that I could have possibly imagined.

[Tony Cinque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why read a novel, when you can read about unbounded adventure, scientific discoveries of the natural world, debauchery, cannibalism, murders & disease, travels to the other side of the unknown world, decapitations, the establishment of a nation, and unprecedented danger, and have the knowledge that it’s all part of one man’s true life experiences? No-one could’ve dreamt up a story so diverse, full, rich and adventurous.

Today, we may regard Banks as a colourful philandering millionaire, naturalist and extraordinary philanthropist. Clearly, his biography is from another world and time, to be read and appreciated in its (significant) historical context.

Banks, easily the most influential British scientist that ever lived, created vast opportunities for others in natural discovery and scientific experiments, through his great influence and, often, funded from his own deep and generous pockets.

Another great well-researched biography from the acclaimed author of significant Australian historical figures, Grantlee Kieza.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, and quiet well put together. I didn’t realise there was so much to Joseph Banks. Would recommend it to find out more about the European discovery and settlement of Australia but quite a long one!

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book is stunning! The author spends a lot of time on Bank's childhood and his famous 3 year voyage in his late 20's with Captain Cook when Captain Cook mapped New Zealand and the Eastern cost of Australia in 1770. It is quite detailed but was fascinating to learn (and quite ignorant of me) of all the places named by Cook that are still used today such as Botany Bay, Glasshouse Mountains and Whitsunday Islands to name only a few. I particularly enjoyed the section on their journey along the Queensland coast and the contemporaneous inclusions of their encounters with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Australia became a British colony in 1788 because of Banks support and advice that whilst Australia had some Indigenous people, there were only a few. Banks only considered the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living along the coast and thought there would be fewer or none inland. So Australia was deemed "Terra Nullius " meaning "land belonging to no-one". That has since been overruled in the famous Eddie Mabo case of 1992 which removed the myth of "Terra Nullius" and introduced native title into Australian law.

I wasn't so familiar with Banks life after he returned back to England. As a very wealthy man he was able to become very influential in botany and the natural sciences and was President of the Royal Society for 40 years. He died in 1820 at the age of 78 and has a number of suburbs in Sydney named after him including Bankstown and the plant known as the Banksia. Not a ground breaking biography but I liked it.