BOATS MARITIME AUSTRALIANA

Captain James Cook is one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time – only the acclaimed fifteenth-century explorers, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, can stand with him. This book explores the life and travels of James Cook in a major new biography for lovers of adventure and the romance of sail.

Over three remarkable voyages of discovery into the Pacific in the latter part of the eighteenth century, Cook unravelled the oldest mystery surrounding the existence of Terra Australis Incognita – the Great South Land. He became the first explorer to circumnavigate New Zealand and establish that it was two main islands; discover the Hawaiian Islands for the British Empire; and left an enduring legacy.Rob Mundle introduces us to an unlikely sailor in a teenage Cook, who, through the combination of hard-won skills as a seafarer, the talents of a self-taught navigator and surveyor, and an exceptional ability to lead and care for his men, climbed the ranks of the Royal Navy to acheive legendary status among all who sailed and mapped the world.

469 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : colour illustrations, colour portraits, facsimiles, maps (some colour) ; 25 cm #200523/101124 First Edition

Cook, James, 1728-1779.  |  Explorers — England — Biography.  |  Voyages around the world.  |  Pacific Ocean — Discovery and exploration.  |  Biography & autobiography (Australia)  |  Modern history (c 1788-1914) (Australia)  |  Australian