Dunmore was born in Trouville-sur-Mer, France, lived in Jersey under German Occupation during World War II, and then in England, where he received a BA from the University of London. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1950. He completed a PhD under historian J C Beaglehole at Victoria University of Wellington in 1962, studying the French contribution to the exploration of the Pacific Ocean in the 18th century. He was Professor of French, Head of the Department of Modern Languages, and Dean of Humanities at Massey University, from which he retired in 1985.Dunmore's main field of history is the exploration of the Pacific, particularly by French navigators. He has written two major biographies of La Pérouse, and translated and edited his journals (which he rediscovered after they had been misfiled in the French National Archives). In addition, he has written biographies and edited the journals of both de Surville and of Bougainville. His biography of de Surville, The fateful voyage of the St. Jean Baptiste, won the Wattie Book of the Year award in 1970. Massey News Article - Champion of the HumanitiesHis work is highly regarded by scholars as well as by the public:

• "John Dunmore has done more than anyone to bring our attention to the achievements of eighteenth and nineteenth century French explorers of the Pacific" CCS - Book Reviews Part 9
• "cette étonnante biographie, élégamment écrite (this stunning and elegantly written biography (of Bougainville))" "Storm and Dreams" de John Dunmore (mars 2005) - La France en Nouvelle-Zélande
• "The succinct and perceptive evaluation of the voyages and the Anglo-French rivalry is of great use"

Besides his scholarly work, Dunmore has written a variety of other books, including a series of thrillers under the pseudonym "Jason Calder". He has produced a book of 18th-century recipes, Mrs Cook's book of recipes for mariners in distant seas. Some of the recipes were derived from the logs of explorers of the day, including stewed albatross, stewed ship's rats, and turtle soup.He has also written plays, held office in the Playwrights Association of New Zealand, Panz Contacts and written a history of the association.Dunmore, in his capacity as professor of French, was for many years president of the New Zealand Federation des Alliances FrancaisesHe established two separate publishing firms, the Dunmore Press (1969—1984) and Heritage Press (1985—2004). The Dunmore Press, a substantial New Zealand publisher of academic books, eventually became part of the Thomson publishing group, in 2004. Cengage Learning - About Us

This list of books by Dunmore is representative but by no means complete. He has also written many articles, book chapters, reviews, plays and other items. A list of his scholarly writings to 2005 is included in Pacific Journeys at pp. 15—19.

Biographies

• Published also by ABC Books, Sydney, Australia.
• Published also by ABC Books, Sydney, Australia.
• Translation of Pacific Explorer.

Translated and edited journals of explorers

Other historical works

Fiction

"Jason Calder" is a pseudonym for John Dunmore.

Other

• Also published by the Australian National Maritime Museum.