Captain Cook's Voyages: 1768-1779
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Slipcase: Good
Pages: Good
Few figures in the age of sail loom as large as Captain James Cook, whose extraordinary voyages across the Pacific between 1768 and 1779 reshaped the world's understanding of geography, natural history, and human civilisation. This carefully curated collection presents first-hand accounts and journal extracts from Cook's three legendary expeditions — from the transit of Venus observed at Tahiti and the charting of New Zealand and Australia's eastern coastline, to the search for the Northwest Passage and the fateful final voyage that ended on the shores of Hawaii. Selected and introduced by the distinguished maritime historian Glyndwr Williams, the volume brings together primary source material with authoritative scholarly context, illuminating not just the mechanics of exploration but the cultural encounters, scientific discoveries, and moments of breathtaking wonder that defined each journey. Williams, a leading authority on Pacific exploration, chronicles these voyages with a scholar's precision and a storyteller's instinct, framing Cook's achievements within the broader sweep of Enlightenment ambition and imperial expansion. Published by the Folio Society in 1997, this edition reflects the press's hallmark commitment to producing beautifully crafted volumes worthy of the texts they contain. What emerges is a portrait of a navigator of unparalleled skill — methodical, courageous, and perpetually curious — whose maps and observations continued to guide sailors and scientists long after his death. For anyone captivated by the golden age of exploration, this volume poses an irresistible question: what truly drove men to sail beyond the edges of the known world?
Author: Glyndwr Williams
Format: Hardback
Published: 1997, The Folio Society
Genre: Travel & exploration
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Slipcase: Good
Pages: Good
Few figures in the age of sail loom as large as Captain James Cook, whose extraordinary voyages across the Pacific between 1768 and 1779 reshaped the world's understanding of geography, natural history, and human civilisation. This carefully curated collection presents first-hand accounts and journal extracts from Cook's three legendary expeditions — from the transit of Venus observed at Tahiti and the charting of New Zealand and Australia's eastern coastline, to the search for the Northwest Passage and the fateful final voyage that ended on the shores of Hawaii. Selected and introduced by the distinguished maritime historian Glyndwr Williams, the volume brings together primary source material with authoritative scholarly context, illuminating not just the mechanics of exploration but the cultural encounters, scientific discoveries, and moments of breathtaking wonder that defined each journey. Williams, a leading authority on Pacific exploration, chronicles these voyages with a scholar's precision and a storyteller's instinct, framing Cook's achievements within the broader sweep of Enlightenment ambition and imperial expansion. Published by the Folio Society in 1997, this edition reflects the press's hallmark commitment to producing beautifully crafted volumes worthy of the texts they contain. What emerges is a portrait of a navigator of unparalleled skill — methodical, courageous, and perpetually curious — whose maps and observations continued to guide sailors and scientists long after his death. For anyone captivated by the golden age of exploration, this volume poses an irresistible question: what truly drove men to sail beyond the edges of the known world?