cook third voyage james king (3 résultats)

Four volumes, octavo, with two folding maps and 49 plates, in a smart modern binding of polished half-calf with gilt labels, with the often discarded half-titles present. First octavo edition of the third voyage account, with a large chart of the world as discovered by Captain Cook, and a finely engraved folding map of the Hawaiian Islands. Intense public interest in the fabulous discoveries of the third voyage and widespread consternation over the death of England's beloved mariner resulted in copies of the quarto edition selling out quickly. The demand prompted two London octavo editions of 1784-1785, including this set printed for John Stockdale and a group of entrepreneurial publishers. The text was abridged, omitting some technical and navigation details, and as a result reads more like an adventure than the official quarto edition. The list of subscribers is considerable, indicating the fervent public interest and a modest price considerably reduced from that of the expensive quarto edition. In addition to the two impressive maps, the plates have been re-engraved for the smaller format. Aside from the large chart accompanying the first volume showing the progress of the expedition the two folding plates are noteworthy. The first depicts the death of Cook and was engraved after the original by Dodd. It ignominiously depicts the last moments of the great navigator, here shown lying face down and clutching the shore whilst dragged by the calves by a Hawaiian warrior in a tapa cape. The second folding plate is a map of the Hawaiian Islands, with a separate and most engaging chart of Karakakooa Bay marked with soundings, details of native villages and areas under cultivation - and the location 'Here Capt. Cook was killed' duly noted. This edition was originally issued in weekly parts with printed wrappers; half-titles for this edition seem to be usually absent, though this set includes those for volumes 2 to 4 (none is called for in volume 1). The title pages are dated 1784, although the span of publication passed into the following year. . A few spots and stains but a good set.

Etat : Fine. Five quarto volumes, including the final atlas volume containing a total of 88 engraved maps and plates; uniform contemporary full calf armorial bindings. A superb set of the desirable first French edition of the official account of Cook's third voyage, in outstanding contemporary French bindings bearing the arms of the Ruolz Montchal family. The French edition of the voyage is illustrated in the manner of the English publication. This set includes a version of the famous "Death of Cook" plate based on the original drawing by John Webber (not all copies of the French quarto edition include this plate). Furthermore, the fourth and final volume of the text is complete with all seven appendices, including the folding vocabulary table. . Provenance: Ruolz Montchal family (large gilt coat-of arms on all covers).

Three volumes, quarto, and an atlas, folio, with altogether 87 engraved plates and maps, of which 63 appear in the atlas; contemporary diced russia leather, flat spines gilt in compartments with a complex design, black leather lettering pieces and round crimson numbering-pieces within dark green labels; the atlas volume in a neat modern binding of half calf and marbled boards. First edition of the official account of Cook's last voyage. This is a good set of this tremendous publication, the detailed narrative of the voyage extensively illustrated with beautiful engravings after John Webber, and so popular at the time that copies were sometimes literally read to pieces. "A magnificent summation of all the public and private journals, logs, drawings and other observations made during the voyage, and. as important a record of the exploration of the North Pacific as Cook's first two voyages had been for the South Pacific. It is in fact one of the most important English books published in the last quarter of the eighteenth century." (Forbes). The Resolution and Discovery made an enormous sweep throughout the Pacific, calling at Tasmania, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Tahiti before heading north and making famous landfall at the Hawaiian islands, which Cook named the Sandwich Islands in honour of his patron. After exploring the Northwest coast of America and returning to Hawaii, Cook was killed in the notorious skirmish ashore. Command passed to Clerke, and, after his death, to John Gore. The shocking news of the explorer's death reached England through overland reports from the Russian Pacific coast some months before the ships themselves returned. It marked the end of an age, and the beginning of another that would feature a number of the men who had been aboard the Cook voyage: among them Bligh, Vancouver, and Colnett. Unlike the official narratives of the first two Cook voyages, this was planned as a grander publication with the three text volumes containing some of the lesser illustrations but the 63 more important illustrations and maps appearing on a large scale in the separate folio-sized atlas volume. The result does justice to John Webber's superb visualisations of the Pacific. Webber was the official artist on the voyage: his romantic views remain the most evocative of all early portrayals of the islands, and helped to foster the notion of island paradise that so affected an European public eagerly reading the voyages of discovery being published in the eighteenth century. The full story of the voyage, including the narrative of Cook's murder at Kealakekua Bay, was so eagerly awaited by the public that the entire first edition sold out within three days, at the then huge price of four pounds fourteen shillings and sixpence, and copies were soon changing hands at up to ten guineas. . Provenance: Robert Baker (early signature in volume 1), possibly the Baker whose books were sold by Sotheby in 1855 and whose copy of the Cook second voyage atlas is in the Dixson Library, State Library of New South Wales; H. Mackenzie-Begg, with his small bookplate in each volume. Some scuffing to sides of text volumes, which have been skilfully rebacked with original spines laid down, lower panel of one spine repaired and a small defect in leather on another.