Selections from Cook's journals of the first voyage (1768-1771) to Tahiti, New Zealand and Eastern Australia; second voyage (1772-1775) to the Antarctic and the Pacific; third voyage (1776-1780) to Hawaii, the north American coast; eye-witness accounts of Cook's death in Hawaii.

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.

Essays reassess Cook's standing as a leading figure in eighteenth-century history, exploration and the advancement of science.

Makes use of recent scholarship in such disciplines as history, anthropology, art history, and literary criticism to place Captain James Cook in the broader context of Pacific exploration.