Cook, James

A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken by the command of His Majesty, for making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. To determine The Position and Extent of the West Side of North America; its Distance from Asia; and the Practicability of a Northern Passage to Europe. Performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in His Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Discovery. In the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. In Three Volumes [Volume 1 Only]

Dublin: Printed for H. Chamberlaine, W. Watson, Potts, Williams, Cross, et al. 1784. First Irish Edition. Octavo, xcviii, 421 pages, bound in period full leather. Illustrated with fold-out plates. Now in a protective archival box. The official account of Cook’s third and final voyage, undertaken in the *Resolution* and *Discovery* from 1776 to 1780, with the principal objective of seeking a Northwest Passage and determining the extent of the western coast of North America. The expedition explored the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan coasts, passed through the Bering Strait, and made the first recorded European contact with the Hawaiian Islands, where Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay in February 1779. The narrative records the geography, natural history, and Indigenous peoples encountered throughout the North Pacific and preserves an important contemporary account of Hawaii, Alaska, and the northwest coast of America during the early period of European contact. One of the principal published accounts of eighteenth-century Pacific exploration and the final record of Cook’s celebrated voyages. Some rubbing and wear to the binding, with damage to the head of the spine. Some of the folding plates have losses and tears; scattered foxing and discoloration. Formerly an institutionally held copy, with some of the usual markings, else in good + condition. Item #585

Price: $450.00