Editions of the three voyages of Captain James Cook proliferated throughout the late 18th and well into the 19th centuries. This outstanding navigator was well respected and admired throughout Europe, with editions being published in many countries other than England.

This small portable French edition, first published in 1804 and re-issued in 1817, is just one example of editions published outside England. Each voyage has a separate atlas containing a map of the voyage route, and a selection of plates based on those of the original English editions.

James Cook rose from humble origins in Yorkshire to become the pre-eminent explorer and navigator of his time. He learnt his craft as a navigator and surveyor in Newfoundland and the St Lawrence River in Canada.

Through his three voyages of discovery between 1768 and 1779 he thoroughly explored the vast Pacific Ocean, charted and defined the limits of New Zealand, discovered the east coast of Australia, and pushed the limits of Terra Australis Incognita south below the Antarctic Circle.

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