Complete set of the Voyages of Captain Cook.

Complete set of the Voyages of Captain Cook.

HAWKESWORTH, John (c. 1715-1773)
[First voyage] An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the order of his present Majesty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, and successively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret and Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavor.
London: for W. Strahan & T. Cadell, 1773. Second edition.

3 volumes. 53 plates, maps and charts (1 double-page, 39 folding), including the Chart of the Straits of Magellan; some repairs to the larger folding charts.

COOK, Capt. James (1728-1779).
[Second voyage] A Voyage towards the South Pole, and around the World.
London: for W. Strahan & T. Cadell, 1785. Fourth edition.

2 volumes. Engraved portrait frontispiece of Cook by J. Basire after W. Hodges, 63 engraved plates, charts and maps (1 double-page, 29 folding), 1 folding letterpress table.

COOK, Capt. James (1728-1779) and Capt. James King (1750-1784).
[Third voyage] A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean for making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere.
London: H. Hughs for G. Nicol & T. Cadell, 1785. Third edition.

4 volumes. Text: engraved medallion vignettes on titles, 24 charts and plates (14 folding); Atlas: 63 engraved plates, plans maps and charts (1 folding, 1 double-page); occasional foxing and neat repairs to clean tears. The text extra-illustrated with 62 folding maps and plates, being duplicates of plates from the atlas (without a duplicate of the large folding map).

9 volumes, 8 in quarto (approximately 11 1/4" x 8 3/4"; 286 x 222 mm), the atlas in folio. Text: early tree calf, rebacked to style, spines gilt in compartments with red and green morocco lettering pieces; Atlas: early calf and marbled paper boards, rebacked to style uniform to the text.

Comparables: Sotheby's, 2021 - $18,300; Christie's, 2017 - GBP 43,750

"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 really the first scientific navigator and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge" (Hill). Cook's first voyage included visits to Tahiti and New Zealand. The tracing of the east coast of Australia was one of the most perilous feats of navigation in the whole recorded history of exploration. The second voyage pushed further south in search of a southern continent than any previous navigators' attempts, and charted numerous Pacific islands. The third voyage returned to islands previously visited, discovered Hawaii, and explored the northwest coast of America from Alaska to Oregon. The text of these official reports forms an invaluable record of the voyages, but they are enhanced enormously by the 219 plates, maps, charts and views which include the work of one of the greatest cartographers of his day as well as images from the three most important artists to visit the Pacific during the eighteenth century.