Endeavour: The Story of Captain Cook's First Great Epic Voyage

by Peter Aughton

Book Overview

Captain James Cook's voyage in the "Endeavour" which resulted in the mapping of New Zealand and the east coast of Australia, was an epic voyage into the unknown. According to the British government -... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1900624303
• ISBN13: 9781900624305
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Windrush Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Accurate, good reading

Captain Cook's adventure in his first expedition to the South seas is a legendary and fascinating story. It speaks to the bit of discoverer and curious in any of us, it brings back memory of Verne's novels and history books. I have read James Cook's original journals and another biography of Captain Cook and I judge this book a very accurate and interesting reading on the subject of Cook's first expedition. It is easy to read and follow. The excerpts from James Cook, Joseph Banks and others' journals are well placed and very interesting although sometimes a tad too long. The author makes very interesting and detailed comments on sea life in the in 18th century and has added an appendix on astronomical details that was needed. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Captain Cook's expeditions, or on history of South seas exploration.

Gripping story.

A great book, but I kept wanting more detail about the discoveries (both geographical and biological), although this would make the book much longer and it is only meant to be an overview of the voyage. Particularly interesting for me were the descriptions of Cook and Banks; previously, I had the impression that Cook was a strict disciplinarian and a well-seasoned captain from the landed gentry, instead of a relatively raw, working-class officer (albeit expert in navigation and surveys); and that Banks was a well-established, older member of the Royal Society, rather than the young rake on a personal collecting trip. This last impression is gradually overturned as we see Banks transform into an avid collector, graphic journalist and good friend of our rather dour Captain (who was in fact only a Lieutenant, surprisingly). The story is well told, keeping the pace and not falling into the trap of describing every boring day between landfalls, but at the same time expanding on certain salient points - e.g. the rounding of The Horn and the protracted stay in Tahiti, which was a comfortable interlude for Cook, but a disaster for Bligh, - which goes to show how different characters handle the same situation (and how wrong my initial impression of Cook was). Chapter 9 - the passage where the ship is holed on the reef - is so tense, and the consequences of failure so terrible to contemplate, I was on the edge of my seat reading like crazy, but not wanting it to finish, it was so exciting. After surviving the reef, the ship finally arrives at 'civilization' - Banks is less than complimentary on the living conditions in this 'palace in a dung-heap', which immediately begin to tell on the crew. One gets the almost palpable sense of despair and helplessness surrounding Cook as he sees his crew dropping like flies around him - in the space of a few weeks he has lost many more men than in the first two years of the journey, in itself a testament to his belief that fresh food and water were the keys to keeping a healthy ship. All in all, a very good read.

FEAST ON THIS COOK BOOK

.This book has to be one of the most gorgeously produced non-fiction titles in this genre you will see for a long while. As a physical object, Aughton's "Endeavour" is superb - from the quality of the paper, to the typography, to the richness of the reproductions. The design and layout is novel, imaginative and very attractive. Nota bene - this book is printed in Italy - a provenance for all that is fine in the craft and style of the printing industry.Content wise, you will find most of this material elsewhere, but Aughton's compilation is what makes it such a special work. An illustration of Mataroa Island in New Zealand drawn by one of Cook's companions shows prominent Maori fortifications and villages. This is the site where Cook claimed NZ for the British Crown. Go there today and it has been reclaimed by forest and is home to the endangered SaddleBack bird. It is fascinating to see what has happened in 232 years.Aughton provides an insightful interpretation as to why Cook put so much time and effort into exploring, mapping and "discovering" the East Coast of Australia (pka New Holland). Aughton notes that after completing his successful astronomical mission to Tahiti, Cook opened his secret orders from the Admiralty. "Head west along the 40th Parallel until you reach Terra Australis Incognita". Beating their way into the teeth of the Roaring Forties winds took a toll on the Endeavour. When he reached Australia, he spent months trying to find a suitable place to careen, refit and re-supply his ship. Aughton implies that the howling westerlies of 40 degrees south may have led indirectly to the British colonisation of Australia. The alternative of course is that Aussies could have been francophones, living in Terre Napoleon."Endeavour" is a beautiful Cook book. A feast for the eyes as well as the mind - but keep it away from the kitchen.