Captain Cook's Pacific Voyage, 1776-1780

Cook, James (Captain), a voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Undertaken by Command of his Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere: Performed under the Direction of Captains cook, Clerke, and Gore, in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780., [London, Stockdale, Scatcherd & Whitaker, Fielding && Hardy, 1784] first edition. Hardcover. First octavo edition. In four volumes. XII, [v]-viii, 370pp, XII, 359pp, XII, 400pp, XII, 310pp + index and 6 pages of publisher's adverts. Contemporary calf with red morocco labels lettered in gold on the spines and with gilt decorations. Portrait frontispiece, folding map, and forty-nine engraved plates, some folding., Appearing shortly after the publication of the full quarto edition, this was the first account to reach the wider public, eager for details of Captain Cook's death in Hawaii. In keeping with the popular demand for an engaging narrative, the text was abridged omitting some technical and navigational details. Free from cumbersome passages, this edition reads more like an adventure than the official quarto edition. Likewise, the plates have been re-engraved for the smaller format.