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Second edition of the official account of Cook's first voyage. This edition, printed in the same year as the first, is preferred "as it is complete with the chart of the Strait of Magellan and the List of Plates, and contains new information in the form of a new preface [by Hawkesworth]" (Parsons). The primary purpose of Cook's voyage in Endeavour was the observation of the transit of Venus from Tahiti, which would enable the distance between the earth and the sun to be calculated. Another mission was to search for "Terra Australis", the great hypothetical southern continent balancing the northern land mass. The first voyage was to result in the discovery of the Society Islands, the circumnavigation of New Zealand, and the charting of the eastern coast of Australia. "Hawkesworth, an eminent London author, was chosen by Lord Sandwich and commissioned by the Admiralty to prepare these narratives for publication... [He] was expected to add polish to the rough narratives of seamen, and to present the accounts in a style befitting the status of the voyages as official government expeditions, intended to embellish England's prestige as a maritime power" (Hill). Although the book was a huge success, fast becoming a best-seller, it was disastrous for its editor: "He was publicly attacked on three different counts: by the captains for tampering with the texts of their journals, by prudish readers for reprinting descriptions of the sexual freedoms of the South Sea islanders, and by devout churchmen for impiety in the general introduction to the work, in which Hawkesworth had rashly challenged the doctrine of providential intervention. He was devastated by this critical barrage, and it was thought to be the main cause of his death. The rumour recorded by Malone that he killed himself with an overdose of opium is uncorroborated, but Fanny Burney's conviction that his health was destroyed by the vilification he suffered seems well founded" (ODNB). READ MORE Three volumes, quarto (290 x 235 mm). Contemporary diced calf, spines lettered direct, gilt single-fillet border to sides, spines and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, edges sprinkled blue. With 52 maps, charts and plates (most folding). Bindings expertly refurbished, a few marks to covers, scattered foxing, some offsetting (largely to or from plates), minor tear to plate 11 in vol. II. A very good copy. Hill 782; Howgego I, C173; Parsons Collection 90; Sabin 30934.

This book provides a detailed account of Captain James Cook's voyages to the Southern Hemisphere, ordered by King George III to make discoveries and establish British claim to new territories. The narrative includes Cook's meticulous observations about geography, the local inhabitants, and his experiences during the expeditions.