Parkinson, Sydney (d. 1771).

4to (337 x 269mm.), xxiii, [1], 212, [2 (errata leaf)] pp., illustration: engraved portrait of the author by J. Newton, 27 engraved plates (including a map of New Zealand), binding: contemporary tree calf gilt, flat spine gilt in compartment, some light off-setting and spotting, spine and small strip of upper cover slightly faded, upper joint partly split

Hill p. 23; Du Rietz 944; Sabin 58787

first edition, published posthumously and edited by Stanfield Parkinson, the author's brother. Sydney, a natural history artist, was recruited by Sir Joseph Banks as one of two professional artists to travel with him and Captain Cook to the South Seas aboard The Endeavour in July 1768. He completed some 1300 drawings and compiled several vocabularies (such as that of the Otaheite language, Low Malay and the languages of New Zealand, New Holland and the Island of Savoo) before he contracted malaria and dysentery at Batavia and died shortly afterwards at sea, on 26 January 1771. After a protracted dispute involving Banks, Hawkesworth, John Fothergill and Stanfield Parkinson, Stanfield was finally able to publish his brother's journal shortly after the publication, in June 1773, of Hawkesworth's own account of Cook's voyage. However the preface, ghost-written by a Dr Kenrick, was considered by Fothergill to be so misrepresentative of Banks' actions, that he bought up all remaining copies of the edition shortly after publication.