Pierre Sonnerat (1748-1814) was a French naturalist and explorer who made several voyages to Southeast Asia between 1769 and 1781. He published this two-volume account of his voyage of 1774-81 in 1782.

Volume 1 deals exclusively with India; whose culture Sonnerat very much admired; and is especially noteworthy for its extended discussion of religion in India; Hinduism in particular.

Volume 2 covers Sonnerat's travels to China; Burma; Madagascar; the Maldives; Mauritius; Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka); Indonesia; and the Philippines. The book is illustrated with engravings based on Sonnerat's drawings. Among the most interesting illustrations are Sonnerat's pictures of various Hindu deities. Sonnerat was also a dedicated ornithologist and bird collector; and the book describes and depicts a number of species that he was the first to identify.