A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 1
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 2
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 3
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 4
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 5
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 6
A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages - photo 7

A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages

Lot 135
19.10.2023 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
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$ 40 320
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
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ID 1032787
Lot 135 | A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages
Estimate value
$ 40 000 – 60 000
COOK, James (1728-1779) and John HAWKESWORTH (1715-1773). A complete set of the official accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages. Nine volumes total, comprising the first editions of each published in 1773, 1777 and 1784.

First editions in contemporary bindings of the publication of all three of Cook’s voyages, with 204 plates including “Death of Captain Cook” and “Straights of Magellan.” Observing the transit of Venus while potentially locating “the southern continent,” circumnavigating the globe as far south as possible, and seeking out the Northwest Passage were the missions Captain James Cook endeavored to fulfil on his three famed journeys to the Pacific. Charting approximately 5,000 miles of coastline during his first voyage, including his unprecedented exploration of the newly-named Society Island, Cook won acclaim for his work and the later opportunities to venture twice more to the opposite side of the globe. Combined with his later two voyages, “Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors together had done” (Hill 358). His third voyage, however, would prove to be his last. Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay after he attempted to kidnap the Hawaiian king, Kalaniʻōpuʻu—a scene immortalized in a rare plate included in this set. The first voyage is the early issue, with continuous pagination from vol II to III, p.189 misnumbered as 191, “Directions for Placing the Cuts and Charts” at end of vol III, vol I erratum and vols II and II errata in vol II; it is without Hawkesworth’s replies. Hill (2nd edn) 782, 358, 361; Mitchell Library Cook 648, 1216, 1543; Sabin 30934, 16245, 16250.

[First Voyage] – HAWKESWORTH, John. An Account of the Voyages Undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere. London: W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1773. Three volumes, quarto (283 x 220mm). 52 plates, including Straights of Magellan chart (occasional offsetting on plates, vol I with marginal tear up E2 not affecting text, vol III light dampstaining and worming). Contemporary speckled calf, covers ruled in gilt, gilt border along covers’ edges (all vols skillfully rebacked preserving original spine panel, some wear). Provenance: Christopher Jeaffreson (armorial bookplate) – Leonard Harrison Matthews, 1901-1986 (bookplate).

[Second Voyage] – COOK, James. A Voyage Towards the South Pole, and Round the World. Performed in His Majesty’s Ships the Resolution and Adventure, In the Years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. London: W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1777. Two volumes, quarto (296 x 230mm). Frontispiece portrait of Cook by Basire after Hodges, complete with 63 further plates, vol II with Vocabulary, Table of South Sea languages, Letter from J. Ibbetson to John Pringle and Discourse (vol II with few small marginal tears to text and plates, most noticeably a 37mm tear into “Chart of Discoveries made in the South Pacific Ocean” but with no loss to detail, foxing in vol I preliminaries, worming affecting vol I final plates mostly marginally). Contemporary mottled calf, calf labels lettered in gilt on spine, intricate gilt tooling to spine compartments, paste paper pastedowns (occasional worming, some chipping to spines and hinges, extremities lightly rubbed). Provenance: Library of Linz College, Society of Jesus (stamp to title-pages) – Library of Freinberg College, Linz (stamp to title-page versos).

[Third Voyage] – COOK, James and James KING. A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Undertaken, by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. London: W. and A. Strahan for G. Nicol and T. Cadell, 1784. Three volumes, quarto (302 x 234mm), with folio atlas (574 x 400mm). Text vols with 24 charts and maps; folio atlas with 2 maps and 61 copper engraved plates [87 altogether], including “The Death of Captain Cook” (occasional toning and foxing to plates, 80mm tear to 2D3 with no loss of text; notes in vol 1 on previous order of binding). Text volumes in contemporary speckled calf with gilt-lettered morocco spine labels, covers ruled in gilt and decorative gilt boarder to turn-ins; atlas in similar contemporary speckled calf with gilt-stamped meander border (text vols rebacked with spine panels retained, atlas rebacked, some scratches and wear). Provenance: William Graves (armorial bookplate in text vols; note after general introduction stating that some plates had been removed and framed in the house); Poynters (printed label in atlas).
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