Large quartos. All volumes finely bound in uniform brown leather, with blind-stamped ruling, tooling and lettering on front covers and spines. Raised bands. Volumes with in continuous Roman numerals across all nine spines. Top edges of book blocks in gilt. Blind-stamped dentelles.
This collection is most notable for the fact that the plates usually included in the atlas volume, which was issued to accompany the third voyage publication, have been instead bound into the three volumes of the third voyage (bringing the total to 85 plates). The total number of plates/maps across all volumes in the collection is 200. There is an additional engraved portrait of Cook as a frontispiece in his biography. The collection is complete and contains the most desirable editions of each of the respective voyages:
[The 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: Drawn up from the journals which were kept by the several commanders, and from the papers of Joseph Banks, Esq. (IN THREE VOLUMES) [51 PLATES IN TOTAL]. London, Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell. 1773, Second edition. Vol.1: xxvi, 456pp. (20 plates), Vol.2: xiv, 410pp. (22 plates), Vol.3: 395pp. (9 plates).
[The Second Voyage] Cook, James. A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World. Performed in His Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Adventure, In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. To Which is Added, Captain Furneaux's Narrative of His Proceedings in the Adventure during the Separation of the Ships. (IN TWO VOLUMES) [64 PLATES IN TOTAL]. London. Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell. 1777. Second edition. Vol.1: xl, 378pp. (37 plates), Vol.2: 396pp. (27 plates).
[The Third Voyage] Cook, James; James King. A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. Performed under the Direction of Captains Cook, Clerke and Gore. In His Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Discovery; in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. (IN THREE VOLUMES). [85 PLATES IN TOTAL]. London, Printed by H. Hughs, for G. Nicol and T. Cadell. 1785. Third edition. Vol.1: xcvi, 421pp. (24 plates), Vol.2: 548pp. (40 plates, including 1 unlisted)*, Vol.3: 564pp. (22 plates including 1 unlisted, and missing 3)*. [WITH] Kippis, Andrew. The Life of Captain James Cook. London, Printed for G. Nicol and C.G.J. and J. Robinson. 1788. First edition. xvi, 527, [1]pp.
For many reasons these works are considered some of the greatest travel and exploration literature, and are significant in western history. Not as often mentioned is that fact the second volume of the first voyage contains a wonderful image of a kangaroo, first sketched by artist Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771), who traveled and died on Cook's first voyage. Parkinson was the first western artist to encounter the animal, and his original sketch served as the basis for both this engraved image, and the painting "The Kongouro from New Holland" (1772) by George Stubbs. That painting (along with a companion piece) is considered the first artistic image of Australian animals by a Western artist, and is quite acclaimed. The engraved image included here can therefore be considered the first image of an Australian animal to have ever been published.
Some light rubbing to extremities, and scratches to a few of the bindings. A few volumes with starting at the gutter of the interior front cover or front endpapers, although book blocks in the set are overall quite tight. There are a few instances throughout the collection of sporadic minor to light foxing, but text and images are overall quite clean. Bindings in very good- to very good+ condition overall. Interiors in very good condition overall. *The second volume has one listed plate at.