The Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World; Comprehending a History of the South Sea Islands, etc. etc.
London: Jaques and Wright, 1825. Engraved black and white plates. Marbled paper over boards with leather spines and fore corners. Octavos. [iv], 488 and [ii], 457 [1] pages. Near fine in modern bindings. Some mild browning to interiors, a few scattered stains, an occasional pencil mark or margin note. One plate has a piece missing from its margin that is 3" long angling to a depth of 1", but not touching the image. Three of the called-for plates facsimiles. A sturdy set.
A complete narrative of Cook's three voyages of discovery, illustrated with a frontispiece and engraved title page in volume I plus 12 other engraved plates (3 in facsimile).
Captain Cook's voyages were undertaken by order of King George III for the improvement of science. The first (1768-1771) was to observe and record the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun from opposite side of the Earth, measurements from which would be a component of calculating the distance of the Earth from the Sun.
The second voyage (1772-1775) sought the then hypothetical continent of Australia. On this voyage he carried a new marine chronometer whose accuracy enabled him to chart the southern Pacific Ocean with such accuracy that some of his charts were used into the 20th century.
The goal of Cook's third voyage (1776-1779) was to locate a northwest passage though North America, starting on the west coast. After stopping in Tahiti and becoming the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands, Cook explored the west coast of North America and mapped the northwest coastline for the first time. Alas, he found no northwest passage. Upon return to Hawaii and some frustrated attempts to make repairs to one of his ships Cook was killed by natives.
Item #1238
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