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 is the first published engraving of Captain Cook's arrival on Tanna, based on a painting by William Hodges. Cook is depicted aboard a rowboat offering a palm branch as a sign of peace to a group of islanders, yet still holds his musket in his other hand. Two groups of natives are armed with spears and clubs and do not appear to welcome the visitors, however three elder men stand at the center without weapons and gesturing with open hands. Cook's ship appears in the background. Engraved by I. K. Sherwin and published in A Voyage Towards the South Pole by William Strahan and Thomas Cadell.

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) G.COOK-1a.

Condition: A

Issued folding on sturdy paper with minor marginal soiling.