Where Fate Beckons

Subtitle: The Life of Jean Francois de la Perouse French explorer and naval officer Jean-François de la Pérouse (1741–88) was one of the greatest explorers of the Pacific in the eighteenth century. Setting out from France, the expedition was the first to map the coasts of California, Alaska, and Siberia. From there, La Pérouse continued to Easter Island and Hawaii, where La Pérouse Bay bears his name. Where Fate Beckons tells the story of La Pérouse’s remarkable life and provides a lively introduction to the world of French colonialism, exploration, and society in the years before the Revolution.