Troisième voyage de Cook, ou voyage à l'océan pacifique, ordonné par le roi d'Angleterre Pour faire des découvertes dans l'hémisphère nord, pour determiner la position et l'étendue de la côte ouest de l'amérique septentrionale, sa distance de l'Asie, et résoudre la question du passage au nord…
Paris: chez Raymond, 1819. Four volumes, octavo, attractive contemporary quarter calf with bicolour labels, purple pasteboards. Boards moderately rubbed and scuffed with some wear to the extremities, overall in very good condition. An attractive later French edition of Cook's third voyage. Published some 35 years after the first London quarto edition of 1784, this handy printing is a testament to the enduring interest in the voyage across continental Europe.
The ill-fated voyage of Captain James Cook, from 1776 to 1780, is most famous for the violent death of the great navigator in Hawaii. One of the intended aims of the expedition was the discovery of the north-west passage through the polar sea. Although unsuccessful in this regard, the expedition greatly increased contemporary scientific, hydrographic and cartographic knowledge of the North Pacific ocean.
The present translation is based upon the official voyage account of 1784, which in-itself is authored by several officers. First and foremost is James Cook himself, but following his death in Hawaii, command devolved to Lieutenant Charles Clerke. Sadly, Clerke was dying of advanced tuberculosis by this stage, although he continued to lead HMS Resolution and Discovery into arctic waters despite his fragile condition. Clerke died en-route to Kamchatka and command fell to Lieutenants John Gore and James King, who sailed the return voyage to England.
The anonymous translator of this Parisian edition has contributed extensive footnotes throughout, linking the voyage to earlier expeditions, including those of Kerguelen-Trémarec, Françoise Pages, and other French sailors. Item #3359
Price (AUD): $1,000.00