Captain Cook was the first European to discover the eastern coast of Australia. Along with his crew on the HMB Endeavour, Cook set out from England with royal orders to look for signs of the great southern land known as Terra Australis, which they chartered in 1788. This picture book series features the extraordinary men and women who have shaped Australia's history.

An in-depth chronicle of Captain James Cook's three historic voyages recounts his expeditions charting the eastern Australian coast, exploring the northwest coast of North America, circumnavigating New Zealand, and discovering many Pacific islands, setting his accomplishments against the backdrop of the colonialism of his era.

Ledyard's Siberian journals recount a harrowing journey through Russia under the rule of Catherine the Great, while his diary from Alexandria and Cairo provides a brilliant and rare account of Egypt before Napoleon's invasion. Finally, Ledyard's correspondence sheds light on pre-revolutionary Paris and on his friendships with the Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin, and Sir Joseph Banks. In his short life, John Ledyard traveled farther than any American had before."--Jacket.

The extraordinary story of Captain Cook's encounters with the Polynesian Islanders is retold here in bold, vivid style, capturing the complex (and sometimes sexual) relationships between the explorers and the Islanders as well as the unresolved issues that led to Cook's violent death on the shores of Hawaii. (History)

Captain Cook was the first European to discover the eastern coast of Australia. Along with his crew on the HMS Endeavor, Cook set out from England with royal orders to look for signs of the great southern land known as Terra Australis, which they chartered in 1788. From Ned Kelly to Saint Mary Mackillop, Captain Cook to Douglas Mawson, the Meet... series of picture books tells the exciting stories of the men and women who shaped Australian history.

Synopsis coming soon.......

The culmination of the life work of the most distinguished historian of Pacific exploration, this lavishly illustrated biography places Cook in the context of his times and affirms his eminence in the history of maritime discovery.