The China Trade took place at the tail-end of the Age of Exploration, when the world was still being opened up to the eyes of the West. Most people in Europe and America had only heard rumours, if that, of lands beyond their own. Crews and passengers aboard trading ships bound for the Far East were among the minority who got to witness the exotic people, flora and fauna for themselves, and some, who were lucky enough to survive the perils of the journey, returned home to write about their adventures. China, America and the Pacific contains some fascinating early accounts of these journeys. Most are written as autobiographies, describing the author’s experiences and struggles as well as his observations – but every one includes some wonderful passages on the geography, botany and zoology of far-flung places in the tropics and beyond.