At first, I was hesitant to read this book since I have read other accounts of Captain Cook, but I'm very glad that I decided to buy it. The clear and eloquent writing, and the depth of the author's knowledge vicariously place the reader on board the Resolution as though one were voyaging on Cook's ship, making this book very special.
On board, the reader can travel to exotic lands that at that time had never been visited by Europeans. One can learn about the customs of native people who had lived and prospered, isolated for thousands of years, developing rich and complex social structures, ingenious means of survival, sometimes warring with each other and committing acts of cannibalism, but also demonstrating great affection for the white strangers that had visited them, often taking them for gods. One can see how they lived in harmony with nature and thrived. The Indigenous tribes of the northwest Pacific for example, excelled in sophisticated craftsmanship, mastered metalwork and built large and intricate canoes. They lived an enviable existence next to bays and forests teeming with abundant life. Cook was perhaps the first European to witness the use of what we know now as the kayak in those northern waters.
There is drama and sadness here too, as Captain Cook sometimes lost his temper and lashed out, at one point pointlessly destroying native dwellings in Tahiti over the petty theft of a goat. Also, the English sailors exploited naive native women, leaving a dubious legacy of venereal disease (encounters that Cook vainly tried to prevent). The story of Mai, the Tahitian boy that Cook took with him back to England was especially poignant. In the end, the arrogance of a few trigger-happy shipmates over another theft doomed the expedition in Hawaii and got Captain Cook and several sailors killed by furious natives who concluded that he was probably a mere mortal after all.
Cook's formal mission for the Crown was to find the legendary Northwest Passage from the Pacific side. He was a talented navigator and cartographer, many of whose maps are even considered accurate today, such as his amazingly realistic depiction of Alaska. Ultimately, while he failed to find the passage, his discoveries and adventures are every bit as important.
Much of what makes this book so interesting is that Cook's voyage, undertaken at the time of the American Revolution, often stumbled on terra incognita, encountering islands only dimly known to a few explorers., such as Tasmania and Hawaii. Captain Cook seemed to have a sixth sense for finding them.
In sum, if you like the sea and ships, white knuckled adventure, the challenges and thrill of traveling into the unknown and becoming acquainted with far flung lands and people, then this book is for you.
Five shining stars!
Virginia