COOK James Voyages autour du Monde. Voyages. Paris, Saillant, 1774-1789.

Sabin 30940, 16249, 16261, 37955 et 25141 ; cf. PMM, 223 (for the second voyage, London 1777).

First edition of the French translation.

Contents :

 1. HAWKESWORTH. Relation des voyages entrepris pas ordre de Sa Majesté britannique… Paris, Saillant et Nyon, Panckoucke, 1774. 4 volumes. 52 plates (16+16+17+3).

2. COOK, James. Voyage dans l’hémisphère austral, et autour du monde… Paris, Hôtel de Thou, 1778. 5 volumes. 67 plates (1-65 + 10bis +1 map) including the portrrait of James Cook and 2 folding tables (volumes 4 and 5).

3. COOK, James. Troisième voyage de Cook, ou Voyage à l’océan Pacifique… Paris, Hôtel de Thou, 1785. 4 volumes. Frontispiece depicting the death of Captain Cook and 87 numbered plates, 1 folding table. Total of 207 copper plates engraved under the supervision of Benard, including the portrait, 63 maps, 143 plates (mostly folding or double-page) and 3 folding tables.

Collection complete with all maps, paltes and tables called for.

Cook’s voyages were an essential source of information about the Pacific, which was still poorly known at the time. Cook accurately explored the coast of New Zealand, whose configuration he determined, surveyed the coast of Australia, explored the Pacific islands, discovered and named the Sandwich Islands, etc., before being devoured by the Owyheans in 1779. Initially an apprentice in the merchant navy, James Cook (1728-1779) joined the Royal Navy and, in 1757, was given command of his first ship. In 1759, he took part in the siege of Quebec City and used the opportunity to map most of the mouth of the St Lawrence. Over the following years, he drew up maps of Newfoundland. James Cook came to the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society, who entrusted him with missions in the Pacific (1768-1771, 1772-1775 and 1776-1779).

Cook was the first European to land on the east coast of Australia (1770), New Caledonia (1774) and the Sandwich Islands. He was also the first to circumnavigate New Zealand, for which he drew up maps (1769). The observations on the Indian tribes of Vancouver Island and the Alaskan coast that he recorded in his journal – as well as his description of the coasts of North America – were verified and expanded upon by his successors, including Vancouver. In 1778, he was the first European to land in the Hawaiian Islands. But during a long stopover in the Sandwich Islands in the summer of 1779, he was killed by the natives.

A very fine copy.

Provenance : A. Caffarelli (manuscript inscription) – Bibliothèque de Leschelle (book plate).