"DID MORE TO CLARIFY THE GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE THAN ALL HIS PREDECESSORS": HANDSOME ILLUSTRATED OCTAVO SET OF THE THREE VOYAGES OF CAPTAIN COOK

COOK, James. The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World. Complete in Seven Volumes. With Map and Other Plates. London: Printed for Longman, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1821. Seven volumes. Octavo, period-style three-quarter speckled calf, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, raised bands, red and green morocco spine labels, marbled boards and endpapers. $7800.

Early octavo edition of Captain Cook's complete voyages, with frontispiece portrait by George Dance, folding map of the world showing the courses of Cook’s travels, and 24 aquatint plates, beautifully bound.

"The famous accounts of Captain Cook's three voyages form the basis for any collection of Pacific books. In three great voyages Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors had done together. He was the first really scientific navigator and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge" (Hill, 61). In his first voyage (1768-71), Cook observed the Transit of Venus at Tahiti, rediscovered and charted New Zealand, and discovered and charted the east coast of Australia. In his second voyage (1772-75), he crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in history and disproved the existence of the supposed "Great Southern Continent." In his third voyage (1776-79), he searched for the Northwest Passage, charted the American west coast from Northern California through the Bering Strait, and discovered the Hawaiian Islands, which he named the Sandwich Islands. This especially important third voyage was "the first voyage attempting an adequate examination and charting of our northwest coast" (Howes). "Cook was the first navigator to accurately map the coast, and, by carrying away a collection of furs, he introduced the fur trade to the English and American traders, whose subsequent expeditions were based upon his discoveries" (Eberstadt). With folding table at rear of Volume IV and another at rear of Volume VII. First published in full in seven volumes octavo in 1809, though other abridged octavo editions preceded that. Beddie 94. See Howes C729a; Eberstadt 127: 353.

Folding map skillfully backed on linen, only occasional faint foxing to generally clean interiors. A beautifully bound set in fine condition.