A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean; Undertaken by Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere: Performed under the Direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. Being a Copious, Comprehensive, and Satisfactory Abridgement of the Voyage. Four Volumes in Two
A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean; Undertaken by Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere: Performed under the Direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780. Being a Copious, Comprehensive, and Satisfactory Abridgement of the Voyage.
London: Printed for John Stockdale, Scatcherd and Whitaker, John Fielding, and John Hardy, 1784. First octavo edition. Leather bound. Good. Four-volume set bound in two. 370pp, 359pp, 400pp, 310pp. 42 plates including frontis plus one folding map. Uniformly bound in three-quarter leather with marbled boards. Gilt imprint on spine partially missing. Binding remains sound and interior is clean. Front board on volume one has one inch split at base. Top edge is darkened; bottom edge lightly soiled in two places. Calls for 49 plates; missing plate with Death of Captain Cook. Folding map plate includes Sketch of Karakakooa and Chart of Sandwich Islands. Both volumes in Good Condition.
First popular edition and first octavo edition with re-drawn plates for smaller format, covering all three voyages. The abridgement removes much of the technical nautical details but makes the set more readable. This set binds the four volumes into two leaving out preliminary leaves usually found in separate volumes. Despite any faults this set would be a great addition for anyone looking for a reasonably priced set of Cook. Good / None as issued. Item #102
Price: $975.00