Captain James Cook (1728-1779) is best known for his three voyages to the Pacific (1768-71; 1772-75; and 1776-79). His discoveries radically changed the western understanding of the world in the late 18th century. He was the first to circumnavigate and chart New Zealand and provided the earliest European accounts of exploration along the eastern coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. On February 14th, 1779, he was killed on Hawaii after attempting to kidnap the chief of the island.

Many contemporary accounts of Cook’s voyages, including charts and engravings, appeared in the late 18th century. The first official account of Cook’s first voyage was published in 1773 by John Hawkesworth in Volumes II and III of An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere... William Strahan and Thomas Cadell published the first official accounts of the second and third voyages in 1777 and 1784. Accounts of his exploration were subsequently translated into French, German, and Dutch.

This lot features two charts and a print from Captain Cook's explorations in the North Pacific during his third and final voyage. The first chart depicts the explorations of Cook's expedition in Alaska, the Bering Strait, and Kamchatka. The track of his ship in 1778 and 1779 is traced, and soundings are shown. It also includes an inset of Nootka Sound. The second map is that same inset blown up to a bigger size. The print is a portrait of a native woman of the region wearing a hat decorated with pictures of fish.

A. Carte de la Cote N.O. de l'Amerique et de la Cote N.E. de l Asie..., by Rigobert Bonne, circa 1787 (13.6 x 9.3").
B. Plan de l'Entree de Nootka, by Cook/Benard, from Troisieme Voyage De Cook, ou Voyage a l'Ocean Pacifique..., circa 1785 (8.4 x 10.6").
C. Une Femme de l'Entree de Nootka, by Cook/Benard, from Troisieme Voyage De Cook, ou Voyage a l'Ocean Pacifique..., circa 1785 (6.8 x 8.9").

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Condition: A

All of the sheets are in near fine condition. A binding trim at top left on the plan of Nootka Sound has been replaced with old paper, and there is a small stain in the bottom blank margin of the print.