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. Terre de Kerguelen, Appellee par M. Cook Isle de la Desolation..., (11.3 x 9.4"). This copper engraved map depicts the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean. It shows the tracks of Captain James Cook who sheltered from a storm at Kerguelen on Christmas Day, 1776. An inset at bottom right zooms in on a couple smaller islands. Condition: Issued folding on watermarked paper with light damp stains in the margins, one of which enters the map image at bottom right and light soiling, much of it in the blank margins. (B+)

B. Plan du Port Palliser, dans la Terre de Kerguelen [on sheet with] Plan du Havre de Noel, dans la Terre de Kerguelen, (8.9 x 6.4"). This sheet features two charts focusing on the Kerguelen Islands. The chart at left shows part of Rhodes Bay with nearby small islands. Christmas Harbor is featured at right. Both charts are oriented with the north to the right and include anchorages and soundings. Condition: A nice impression with a damp stain in the bottom blank margin. (A)

C. Trois Vues de la Pointe Arquee, Terre de Kerguelen, (15.2 x 9.4"). This copper engraved view illustrates three landfall approach views of the Kerguelen Islands as surveyed by Captain Cook in 1777. Engraved by Robert Bernard after John Webber, one of the official artists who accompanied Cook on his third voyage. Condition: On watermarked paper with a pair of worm tracks at top and damp stains in the left and right blank margins. (B+)

D. Isle de Noel, (8.7 x 6.8"). The legend along the top border of this striking chart of Christmas Island indicates that the Resolution and Discovery came across the uninhabited island in 1777. Cook discovered the island on Dec. 24th and named it Christmas Island. He stayed until Jan. 1778. North is oriented to the left. Christmas Island is one of the Line Islands; now part of Kiribati, it is today called Kiritimati. Condition: A fine impression with binding holes in the top blank margin and an unrelated hole in the right blank margin. (A)

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) G.COOK-4a #2, #3, and #10.

Condition:

See description above.