Books

Octavo; Vol. I. xii, 398; frontispiece, folding map, 4 b/w. plates, Vol. II. viii, 368; 2 plates, Vol. III. viii, 372; frontispiece, 3 plates, Vol. IV. pp. viii, 304; frontispiece, fold-out table at rear, Vol. V. pp. viii, 472; 2 plates, Vol. VI. pp. xii, 503; 6 plates, Vol. VII. pp. xii, 462; frontispiece, 2 plates, foldout table at rear, one page directions for placing the plates, contemporary half calf and marbled boards, raised bands, red moroccan spine title labels with green leather volume labels, title lettered in gilt, the first volume neatly repaired at the head of spine, some minor foxing to early pages, a very good attractive set. In 1768 when captain James Cook set sail on the first of three voyages to the South Seas, he carried with him secret orders from British Admiralty to seek 'a Continent or land of great extent' and to take possession of that country in the name of the King of Great Britain. The first voyage aboard the Endeavour had two aims first to establish an observatory at Tahiti to record the transit of Venus and secondly for Joseph Banks to record the natural history, on this voyage Cook reached the southern coast of New South Wales and charted Australia's eastern coastline. His second voyage aboard the ships Resolution and Adventure crossed the Antarctic circle on three occasions, proving that the southern landmass was neither as large or as habitable as once thought. The third voyage aboard Resolution and Discovery was an attempt to locate a North-West passage, an ice-free sea route which linked the Atlantic to the pacific Ocean.

A comprehensive account of the three major voyages of Captain James Cook, detailing the discoveries and impact of his explorations.