In three epic journeys, Captain Cook discovered more of the earth's surface than any other man. Yet James Cook himself has become shrouded in myth and his legacy has been manipulated by politics.
This intimate and extraordinary account traces Cook's story from his origins as the son of a farm labourer to his violent death in Hawaii, recreating both the physical, personal and political challenges of his extensive explorations.
In this acclaimed and gripping biography, Vanessa Collingridge also considers the fate of Cook's reputation - in particular, the story of one George Collingridge who, a hundred years ago, claimed that Cook was not in fact the first European to discover Australia ...
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
1. Beginnings: James Cook's Story
2. Beginnings: George Collingridge's Story
3. A Taste of the Sea: James Cook 1745
4. Italian Lessons: George Collingridge 1867
5. 'Mr Cook's Genius and Capacity': James Cook 1755
6. 'The Happy Foresight of Mr Collingridge': George Collingridge 1870
7. The King's Surveyor: James Cook 1762
8. In Search of Paradise: George Collingridge 1872
9. The Surveyor's Art: James Cook 1763
10. Trouble in Paradise: George Collingridge 1879
11. 'To the Southwards'
12. Preparations: James Cook 1768
13. The Voyage of the Endeavour: James Cook 1768
14. Tahiti: James Cook 1769
15. The 40th Latitude: James Cook 1769
16. Botany Bay: James Cook 1770
17. Jave La Grande: George Collingridge 1883
18. Shipwreck!: James Cook 1770
19. 'A Calamitous Situation': James Cook 1770
20. 'The Immortal Banks' England 1771
21. The Dieppe Maps: George Collingridge 1883
22. 'Further than Any Other Man': James Cook 1772
23. The End of the Great Southern Continent: James Cook 1773
24. Terra Australis Cognita: George Collingridge 1885
25. The Dinner Party: James Cook 1775
26. Closing the Loop
27. The Final Voyage: James Cook 1776
28. The Secrets of the Maps: George Collingridge 1895
29. Alaska: James Cook 1778
30. Obsession and Betrayal: James Cook 1779
31. Kealakekua Bay 2001
32. The End of Ambition England 1780
33. Troublesome George Collingridge and the Ideas Revolution
34. Heroes, Heretics and the Great Whodunit
Select Bibliography
Index
Review:Well-researched and bursting with detail - The Spectator
Collingridge has produced an account that is par-biography, part-travelogue and extremely engaging - Sunday Times
