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.

A group of beautiful copper engravings of natives drawn during Cook's second voyage to the South Pacific. These early examples were printed in 1777 by W. Strahan, London. Each was drawn from Nature by William Hodges, the official artist on Cook's second voyage of 1772-1775. The lot includes:

1) Woman of Sta. Christina is a graceful illustration of woman from Tahuata Island, located in the Marquesas. Engraved by J. Hall.
2) Woman of the Island of Tanna is a striking engraving of a mother and child of the island of Tanna in the Vanuatu archipelago. Engraved by J. Hall.
3) Man of the Island of Mallicolo shows a native man of the island of Malakula , in the Vanuatu islands. Engraved by J. Caldwell.
4) O-Hedidee is an illustration of a young man of Raiatea, one of the islands in Tahiti. Engraved by J. Caldwell.

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Condition: A

All have velvety impressions with the ink laying on the surface. Each have margins trimmed to an inch or so outside the image and text and posted at the corners onto larger (12" x 16") sheets of 19th century paper for binding. The former is trimmed to the neatline, and it has a minor spot or two.