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 includes three striking engravings depicting Captain Cook's arrival on various islands of the New Hebrides. The first shows him attempting a peaceful landing at Tanna, holding out a palm leaf as his boat approaches a beach full of anxious natives. In Cook's boat are several lovely young ladies. The second presents Cook and his uniformed men disembarking from canoes amid an armed group of natives on Malakula. It was published in Alexander Hogg's A New, Authentic, and Complete Collection... and was engraved by Page. The last engraving comes from a different edition of the same publication. On it, Cook's landing party is met by a group of angry natives whose spears are raised. Cook is aiming his rifle as his men push off from the shore in their boat. This dramatic scene the foretells the future. Engraved by Page.

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Condition: B+

Nice impressions with minor soiling and some small chips and tears confined to the blank margins. The first two sheets have a couple small worm holes in the engraved image.