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 attractive view depicts the bay where Captain Cook would meet his end on February 14, 1779. It shows two British ships surrounded by numerous native Hawaiian boats with a small village visible on the beach. This view is also notable for being one of the earliest to show a surfer (in the foreground). Engraved by Taylor.

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Condition: A

A dark impression with a few small worm holes in the upper blank margin and a few small chips in the lower blank margin that have been closed with archival tissue on verso.