Heading: (Cook, James, 3rd voyage)
Author: Cook, James and James King
Title: A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean...for making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. To determine the Position and Extent of the West Side of North America; its Distance from Asia; and the Practicability of a Northern Passage to Europe. Performed under the Direction of Captains Cook, Clerk, and Gore, in his Majesty's Ships the Resolution and Discovery, In the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780
Place Published: London
Publisher:Printed by W. and A. Strahan for G. Nicol and T. Cadell
Date Published: 1784
Description: 4 volumes (3 text, 1 atlas). Text: [8], xcvi, 421; [12], 549; [12], 558, [1] ad pp. Illustrated with 23 (of 24) copper-engraved maps, charts and profile views (13 folding) and a folding letterpress table. 30x23 cm (12x9"), period or early 19th century half calf, morocco lettering pieces. Atlas: With 2 folding charts (of the world and of the coasts of Northwestern America and Northeastern Asia) and 61 copper-engraved plates, mostly after J. Webber. 55x42 cm (21¾x16½"), period or early boards. First Edition.First edition of Cook's third voyage, in which the Sandwich Islands [now Hawaiian Islands] are discovered. Cook would be killed by the initially friendly natives of Hawaii. Also, in Cook's search for the Northwest Passage, he surveyed the straits between Asia and America and ascertained the proximity between them. The first two volumes were the work of Cook himself, the third was completed by Captain James King. The publication of this official account was much delayed, and, according to Holmes, "it was so eagerly awaited by the public that it was sold out on the third day after publication". Forbes declares the work to be "arguably the single most important book on the Hawaiian Islands" which "documents all aspects of Hawaiian culture at the point of discovery by Europeans. It is a magnificent summation of all the public and private journals, logs, drawings, and other observations made during the course of the voyage and is as important a record of the exploration of the North Pacific as Cook's first two voyages had been for the South Pacific." He further notes that twelve of the plates in the atlas relate to Hawaii, as do two of the charts in the text volumes. Forbes 62; Holmes 47; Howes C729a; Lada-Mocarski 37; Sabin 16250. Chart of the coast of Japan placed at p.297 instead of p.397. Lacks plate LXXXV in volume 3, Views on the coast of Kamtschatka.

Bindings heavily worn with boards loose or shaken, gentle toning, plates offsetting and light foxing, tears to corner without text loss to vol. 2 p.269, vol. 3 p.493 (repaired); atlas case sunned, armorial bookplate, leaves with soiling, creasing, short tears, several dampstains some affecting image; very good volumes with good atlas.