Some of the earliest artistic impressions of the birds, flowers, fish and people of Australia are found in John Hunter's First Fleet sketchbook. Both historically significant and stunningly beautiful, Hunter's sketches are a valuable record of the impact of European settlement. Painted between 1788 and 1790 each sketch is both intimate and systematic with only one or two species per page. Groom has reproduced the sketchbook in full page colour illustrations accompanied by insightful biographical chapters detailing Hunter's life.