(Cook, Captain James) — John Hawkesworth | Cook's first voyage

(Cook, Captain James) — John Hawkesworth

An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the order of His Present Majesty for making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, and successively performed by Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis, Captain Carteret and Captain Cook, in the Dolphin, the Swallow, and the Endeavour; drawn up From the Journals which were kept by several Commanders, And from the papers of Joseph Banks, By John Hawkesworth. London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1773

3 volumes, 4to (307 x 231 mm). 52 maps, charts & plates, many folding or double-page; chart of Magellan Strait a little spotted and toned, gathering at start of vol. III coming loose, p. 73 detached, all vols. with intermittent dampstaining and toning. Half calf over marbled boards; vol. I spine cracked and flaking, vol. II gatherings loosening from text block, wear to spine with some loss, particularly to foot. Folding clamshell box.

The second edition, considered the best, complete with the folding chart of the Straits of Magellan, often wanting.

John Hawkesworth's official account of Cook's first expedition into the Pacific, 1768-1771. Written from Cook's notes, the first volume contains the accounts of Commodore Byron, Captain Wallis and Captain Carteret's voyages, with the second and third covering Cook's.

Cook's mission, commissioned by the Royal Society, aimed to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti and to seek the fabled southern continent (Terra Australis). The voyage charted New Zealand and the east coast of Australia for the first time, with Cook claiming the latter for Britain as New South Wales. The expedition also advanced scientific understanding through the contributions of naturalist Joseph Banks and his team, who documented countless new species. 

REFERENCES:

Beddie 650; Hill (2004) 783; Sabin 30934