Cook,H. Und J.King.

A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken ... for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. Performed ... in the years 1776-1780. Second edition. 3 volumes of text and plates Cartes et figures du troisième voyage , together 4 volumes. London, H. Hughs for G. Nicol and T. Cadell (plate volume: Paris, Hôtel du Thou) 1785. 31.5 : 25 cm (text volumes) and 27 : 21 cm. With 4 engraved title vignettes and 88 mostly folded plates and maps as well as 34 further plates (duplicates with English captions) in the text volumes. and 88 num. Plates (instead of the 87 of the English A.), including a multi-folded world map Carte génerale with Cook's travel routes and the depiction of his death Mort de Cook. Leather bindings of the 18th century (spines of the 3 text volumes renewed in proper style, with 2 spine labels), plate volume bound slightly differently, with floral gilt spine and 2 spine labels. Sabin 16250 and 16261 - Forbes 85 and 90 - Beddie 1552 - Cf. Howes C729a and Lada-Mocarski 37 Description of Cook's three voyages around the world. Volumes I and II were written by Cook; the account of the third voyage, on which Cook died in Hawaii in 1779, was completed by James King. Second edition, generally regarded as typographically superior to the first edition of 1784. - Cook's circumnavigations provided important and precise cartographic knowledge, especially of the Pacific region; among other things, Cook's expeditions beyond the Arctic Circle finally relegated the existence of the great southern continent Terra Australis incognita to the realm of myth. He himself regarded the discovery of the Hawaiian archipelago, which he christened the 'Sandwich Islands', as one of the most significant achievements of his voyages. - "In these three voyages Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors together had done. He was the first really scientific navigator" (Hill p. 123). - Text volumes renewed in proper style (with 2 spine labels), plate volume bound slightly differently, with floral gilt to spine and 2 spine labels. - Plate volume with 2 18th century stamps of the 'Bibliothèque du Château d'Eu' on the title. - Second edition, with the atlas 'Cartes et figures du troisième voyage' of the French edition Paris 1785, containing 88 numb. engr. plates (1 more than in the English ed.) and 34 duplicate engr. plates (with English captions) in the text volumes. 18th cent. calf (spines of the 3 text vols. renewed in style, binding of the smaller atlas slightly different). - Plates slightly tanned, margins partly stronger affected, the text volumes clean with occasional staining, endpapers waterstained. Bindings rubbed, outer joints of atlas partly split. - Atlas with two 18th cent. stamps of the "Bibliothèque du Château d'Eu" on title page.