Cook, Capt. James | “Captain Cook's three great voyages form the basis for any collection of Pacific books”

Cook, Capt. James

A complete set of the voyages, comprising:

[FIRST VOYAGE] — HAWKESWORTH, John. An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, And successively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret, And Captain Cook, In the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour. London: W. Strahan, 1773. 3 volumes text and atlas. 47 engraved plates (including the "Straights of Magellan" plate) of 52 (lacking 5 plates), many folding. Second edition, with the "Straights of Magellan" plate, and with. the description of the plates leaf. The atlas contains 36 of the plates.

[SECOND VOYAGE] — COOK, Capt. James. A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World. Performed in His Majesty's Ships Resolution and Adventure, In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. London: W. Strahan, 1777. 2 volumes text and atlas. Frontispiece portrait of Cook in the text volume and 62 engraved plates (of 63, lacking plate XLVII The Man of Mallicollo). The smaller plates are tipped to mounts to create a uniform atlas size. First edition.

[THIRD VOYAGE] — A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken, by the command of His Majesty, for making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. To determine The Position and Extent of the West Side of North America; its Distance from Asia; and the Practicability of a Northern Passage to Europe. London: G. Nicol, 1785. 3 volumes text and atlas. 86 engraved plates (of 87, lacking plate I, the general chart: 24 in text volumes and 62 in atlas. First edition.

Together 10 volumes: 8 volumes text, 4to (278 x 220 mm) and 3 atlas folio (437 x 300 mm; 485 x 335 mm; 547 x 431 mm). Lacking 7 plates as described above, some scattered foxing and browning, plates in atlases washed and pressed. Text uniformly bound in contemporary calf, gilt-lettered and -ruled on spines; text with three covers detached, wear to joints and extremities, a few repairs. Atlases in modern half morocco, marbled boards; some toning and staining.

“Captain Cook's three great voyages form the basis for any collection of Pacific books”. In three great voyages Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors together had done. He was the first really scientific navigator, and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge" (Hill). "The date of Captain James Cook's exploration of the eastern coast marks the beginning of a new era in the history of Australia. Cook took possession of the country for Great Britain. From the resemblance of its coasts to the southern shores of Wales, he called it New South Wales" (Edward Jenks, The Great Events... Vol XVII p.238).

REFERENCE:

Sabin 30934, 16245; 16250; Hill 139, 61-2; Holmes 5, 24, 47

PROVENANCE:

Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972; bookplates), American explorer of Greenland and the Arctic, and the first woman to fly over the North Pole. She was the second woman ever to receive the Cullum Medal of the American Geographical Society, and in 1960 she became the first woman elected to their board.