Known twentieth century books
Eighteenth century books
below
The Search for the North West Passage Savours, Ann. 1999
Kurnell: Birthplace of Modern Australia Salt, Daphne F. 2000
Captain Cook's World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook R.N. Robson, John. 2000
Stowaway Hesse, Karen. 2000
Farther than any man: the rise and fall of Captain James Cook Dugard, Martin. 2001
Cook & Omai: the cult of the South Seas. An Exhibition held in the Exhibition Gallery of the National Library of Australia, Canberra from 15 February to 27 May 2001.
Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique, les: manufactured by Joseph Dufour et Cie 1804-05, after a design by Jean-Gabriel Charvet.
Captain Cook. Collingridge, Vanessa. 2002 and 2003
Mrs Cook: The real and imagined life of the captain's wife Day, Marele. 2002
By A.N.T. Varzeliotis, published by Alcyone Books in 199? (ISBN 0-921081-10-3).
Attracted to this small hard-backed book by the colourful cover featuring Henry Roberts' watercolour of the Resolution and the reproduction of the four stamps issued by Great Britain to commemorate John Harrison's chronometer, I was delighted to find that the contents gave a succinct history of "Time under Sail" in just 100 pages. Supported by lots of excellent black and white drawings and photographs, and the reproduction of many stamp designs linked to the subject, the reader is taken on a quick journey through an era when the quest for accurate time measurement reached a peak. The contents, illustrations list and index provide easy access to specific information and the excellent outlay and size of text make for easy reading.
Reviewer: Alwyn Peel
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1739, volume 23, number 2 (2000).
By Ann Savours, published by Chatham Publishing in 1999 (ISBN 0 86176 059 0).
Cook, on his Third Voyage Round the World, was searching for the North West Passage. What was it, and why was it so import-ant? These questions are answered in this book. Ann explains that the name is "the sea route linking the North Atlantic Ocean with the North Pacific Ocean... In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was sought as a way to get round America to reach the riches of China and the Far East. By the beginning of the nineteenth century the search had become in part a geographical challenge". Cook was defeated by ice, and Ann explains why ice and the "intricate geography of the archipelago" defeated so many people.
The book begins with the Elizabethan voyages of Frobisher, Davis and others, continues with those of Hudson, Baffin and the Hudson's Bay Company in the seventeenth century, and describes the attempts of Knight, Middleton and Hearne in the eighteenth century. Then comes Cook. He was the first person sent to find "the North West Passage via the Pacific Ocean or 'Great South Sea', as it was sometimes called." He found the seas to the north of Bering Strait, separating Asia from America, "ice covered, not free of ice, as they had been led to believe."
The bulk of the book is taken up with the nineteenth century explorers, too numerous to mention here. Their exploits were incredible, and are brought alive by this well written and extremely well illustrated account. I got caught up in their adventures and hardships, which left me amazed that so many people suffered so much in the name of science, commercialism and geography. Ann cleverly mixes quotes from the journals, diaries and letters of the people involved to her own fine narrative to tell a fine and compelling story.
Reviewer: Ian Boreham
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1753, volume 23, number 3 (2000).
By Daphne F. Salt, published by Clarion House in 2000 (ISBN 0-9587717-3-1).
Cook first saw Australia on 19th April, 1770. Heavy surf prevented his landing, and it was not until 29th that a successful attempt was made. It was at Botany Bay on the peninsula we now know as Kurnell.
Kurnell's history does not begin with Cook, but the Aborigines, and it is with these people that Daphne opens her book, describing their arrival and life there with comments from direct descendants. Their name for the area, Cunnel, may well have led to the later name Kurnell. Cook's life is briefly given, and his arrival amply recorded and illustrated. After reading all this in the first chapter I assumed there would be little else to be of interest to me, but I was completely wrong. The succeeding eight chapters have much to hold the attention.
In 1815 the first white settler arrived in Kurnell, James Birnie and built a farm, Alpha Farm, which became Half-a-Farm in the official records! His successor Thomas Holt cleared and burnt the scrub, cut down the timber and his stock ate the grass, unleashing "an unstable transgressive dune sheet that moved north at the rate of at least 8 metres a year." On 20th March, 1822, "an old Aborigine, 'white haired and hoary with age', who had witnessed Cook's landing, accompanied members of the executive of the Philosophical Society of Australia to Kurnell and pointed out the landing place to them. They fixed a brass plate"
In 1870 Holt erect-ed an obelisk "at his own expense to celebrate the centenary of Captain Cook's landing". It was not until 1899 that the privately held land went back into public ownership. The Captain Cook Landing Place Reserve was declared "for the use and enjoyment of the public for all time. A formal and public dedication... was to take place on 28th April... being the anniversary of Captain Cook's landing. Unfortunately the state of the weather necessitated a postponement until the 6th May - the date on which Captain Cook sailed away from Botany Bay." In his address Sir Joseph Carruthers, Minister for Lands, said "What Plymouth Rock is to America, so should this memorable but little reverenced spot be to all Australians".
"The Captain Cook Landing Place Reserve came under the provisions of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Act in 1967 when the park was proclaimed 'an historic site'... Though the character of the landscape at the entrance to Botany Bay does now differ, it would not be unrecognisable to the 18th century British and French maritime explorers."
"Large native mud oysters, once prolific in Botany Bay, were relished by the Aborigines and were gathered by Captain Cook during his stay." The early European settlers gathered them so much that "by 1896 the then Fisheries Department declared mud oysters extinct" though there remains an abundant supply of shells in the Bay.
"In 1950 the Captain Cook's Landing Place Road Trust applied for assistance to build a road. Council, on 30th October the same year, dedicated a strip of land 80 feet wide for the road to Kurnell and named it 'Captain Cook Drive'... At the end of July 1954, the road opened to all traffic." About the same time a block of marshland between Captain Cook drive, Solander Street and Cook Street was reclaimed. It became "Marton Park, after Captain Cook's birthplace, by Justice Ferguson on 27th October 1951."
This book is easy to read and amply illustrated - a marvellous aspect. I gave up counting how many pictures there are (20 in the first chapter alone). It even has an appendix to explain how the date of Cook's landing can be both 28th and 29th April, as "Cook used ship's time and Banks, being a civilian, wrote his entries using the civilian calendar time." And no one made any adjustments for crossing "the International Date Line until October 1770 when he reached Indonesia."
Highly recommended.
Reviewer: Ian Boreham
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1753, volume 23, number 3 (2000).
By John Robson, published by Random House in 2000.
First, and to the point – it is an excellent book!
Is Captain Cook’s World a new biography? No, but it is an excellent thumbnail sketch of Cook’s life and movements. Should it be your first book about Cook? No, but it should be a pretty good candidate for your second.
So what is Captain Cook’s World? To quote from the dust jacket …
"Captain Cook’s World is an atlas, chronology and biography of the life and voyages of this celebrated explorer. A set of 128 specially drawn maps and accompanying text give an overview of Cook’s life, including his early years in England, his time in the North Sea coal trade and with the Royal Navy in Canada, and his three great voyages around the world in HMB Endeavour and HMS Resolution.
Included on the maps are locations visited, named or surveyed by Cook, the routes of his voyages, and sites that have been marked in his honour."
What Robson has created is a fine companion book to the standard biographies and voyage narratives, which usually lack enough detail for the reader to determine where much of the action occurs.
When I received my copy of Robson’s book, I was in the process of reading the official account of Cook’s third voyage and was trying to trace his movements along the coast of Alaska. A few quick references to Captain Cook’s World cleared everything up. From that point on, I got two books out every time I wanted to read one.
Probably the best way to illustrate the nature of Robson’s book is through a comparison of the maps one usually encounters with a comparable one from Captain Cook’s World.
Many readers are familiar with both Cook’s original sketch of Botany Bay and the version that was published in Hawkesworth’s official account of the first voyage.
Now look at a map of the same area from Captain Cook’s World. The maps are recognizable as all covering the same area, but Robson’s map offers so much more to the modern reader who wants to follow Cook (as opposed to those of us who are fascinated by early maps).
The map from Robson’s book lifts Cook’s movements from the static inaccuracies of the seventeenth century maps and places them against more accurate boundaries. Modern landmarks such as roads and bridges (many bearing names relating to Cook) are included, as are numerous detailed area maps that can help the reader locate Cook-related points of interest.
And he hasn’t done it only for selected points; he follows Cook virtually everywhere he went!
I used the Botany Bay example to point out the updated style of Robson’s maps when compared to earlier efforts. But much of the value of Robson’s book lies in his maps and descriptions of areas which are not usually encountered in the readily available references. For instance, of the 128 maps prepared for the book, the first 24 don’t even relate to Cook’s voyages. Rather, they trace his early life in Cleveland, the North Sea and with the Royal Navy in Scotland, the English Channel and Canada.
If I have any complaint at all, it relates to the lack of scale and orientation on the individual maps, but Robson addresses this shortcoming in his introduction. The impact is minor and doesn’t affect the book’s strengths.
Production values for the book are high; it is hard bound and is printed on coated stock. Size is approximately the same as an A4 sheet in landscape mode. The book is well manufactured and should last for years even with hard use (which it will get as you refer to it in conjunction with every other book you read about Cook). And the price of US$40 (approximately $28 street price from discounted booksellers) is reasonable for a book of this quality.
Need I say more?
Reviewer: Ronald L. Ravneberg
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1793, volume 24, number 1 (2001).
By Karen Hesse, published by Margaret K. Mc-Elderry Books, ISBN 0-689-83987-1.
A fictional history aimed at the 10-14 age group, this book is based on the figure of Nicholas Young who was taken on the strength of the Endeavour on 18th April 1769 at Tahiti but about whom nothing is known prior to that date.
The author creates an earlier history leading to the boy becoming a stowaway whose hiding place is known to three of the crew but unrevealed until the vessel has left Madeira. The story is told in the format of a diary/journal written by Nicholas and maintains an accurate historical and chronological story of the voyage as might well have been experienced by young Nick. His accounts of 18th century shipboard life are well told and reveal the gradual development from landlubber to experienced sailor during the three year voyage as well as adding a youngster's vivid pictures of the many sights and sounds of exotic places and people.
The personalities of some of those crew members with whom Nick comes into regular contact are skilfully portrayed throughout so the reader becomes very much an ally of Nick, anxious at times for his wellbeing and enjoying his elements of success.
Karen Hesse has created a highly commendable book, and though not the first to base a story on the character of Nicholas Young, for Josephine Kamm's He went with Captain Cook published in 1952, preceded this, the diary format creates a very different tale. This volume is also strengthened by the addition of a detailed listing of the ship's company; the ship's itinerary, and a useful glossary. The quality of the printing and production, together with a very attractive dust jacket, enhance the volume but I cannot equally commend the style of the black and white drawings which leaves something to be desired. The reproduction on the end papers of a map of the world printed in Boston c. 1800 is useful and attractive but still leaves one wondering why a map showing the route of the Endeavour was not also included.
I greatly enjoyed my reading, even though I am well beyond the age group aimed for by the author ! This may of course have something to do with being knowledgeable of the background for, having asked my 13 year old grand-daughter to read the book she reported enjoyment but not to the extent of recommending the book to her friends as a "must read" category. It may be a more appealing story to boys than girls, but without doubt it certainly proved enjoyable and appealing to this Cook devotee of more mature years and I would heartily recommend it.
Reviewer: Alwyn Peel
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1756, volume 24, number 3 (2001).
By Martin Dugard, published by Pocket Books, 2001. ISBN 0743400682.
Dugard obviously likes and admires Cook. That fact comes across strongly in this book. However, just about every other fact in the book is incorrect and Dugard has ended up doing Cook a terrible service by writing an awful book. A person new to Cook would come away from this book badly informed.
Several traditional mistakes are perpetuated but many more new ones are introduced. They start on page 3 when Dugard writes that Cook visited the islands now known as Tuvalu and the mistakes and strange interpretations just keep on coming. He has Cook going to Canada and learning to be a surveyor three years too early. Palliser is credited with giving him the opportunity.
Cook apparently single-handedly won the Battle of Quebec; according to Dugard, Cook mapped the St. Lawrence and found the path at L'Anse au Foulon that allowed the British to climb to the Heights of Abraham.
Cook's elder brother John was born only four months after their parents were married and Cook, himself, married Elizabeth only two weeks after meeting her. Cook apparently was chosen to lead the Pacific Voyage in 1768 after the Earl of Sandwich and Banks had connived on a rowing boat. An unknown such as Cook would lead in title only leaving Banks to really lead the expedition. Given that Lord Hawke was then in charge and Banks was a relative unknown himself, Dugard has allowed his imagination to run wild in this and many other statements.
The book would be better termed a fiction and it is not helped by not having an index or bibliography. Simon & Schuster, the publishers of Pocket Books should have had the book edited by someone with a passing knowledge of Cook. That they could publish this bad book after recently producing Karen Hesse's Stowaway is a mystery.
Avoid.
Reviewer: John Robson
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1893, volume 24, number 4 (2001).
First, you should have been there [see Cook's Log, page 1873, vol. 24, no. 3 (2001)].
Secondly, you should harangue your local, large Museum or Library to contact the National Library of Australia suggesting this marvellous exhibition be toured around the world.
Reginald Nankivell was a New Zealander who went to Europe to fight in the First World War. He stayed on in Europe after the war, reinventing himself as Rex Nan Kivell and becoming a successful dealer in secondhand books and other material. He built up a huge collection of items dealing with the history of the Pacific and Australia, some of which, eventually, he sold and some he bequested to the National Library of Australia (New Zealand should still be kicking itself for allowing this to happen).
The material now forms the basis for the National Library's huge collection and Michelle Hetherington, the curator of the Cook & Omai, was able to draw upon it to put together this wonderful exhibition. In one room it was possible to view originals of paintings and drawings by Webber and Hodges, original charts and journals from the voyages, and letters and other documents written by Cook and other significant players. For anyone whose previous experience was seeing small imperfect reproductions in books, this was heaven.
Even the works of Smith and Joppien about the Art of the Voyages could not prepare you properly. To see all the red chalk drawings by Hodges of Pacific Islanders along one wall was marvellous.
As the title of the exhibition says, the role of Omai was also featured. The various sketches and portraits of Omai during his time in Britain were all displayed.
A series of talks was given while the exhibition was being held on various subjects concerning Omai; his depiction in art, his depiction in literature and his influence on philosophical discussion. Some of these talks have been written up and compiled by Michelle Hetherington as a book, which has been published by the National Library of Australia. The book reproduces several of the pictures from the exhibition but, in doing so, serves to tell you, "You should have been there!"
Reviewer: John Robson
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1893, volume 24, number 4 (2001).
Published by Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2000. ISBN 0642541523.
This lovely book was published to accompany the exhibition of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' copy of Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique at the Gallery from 5 February to 30 April 2000, as part of the Australian Collection Focus Series. (Interestingly, Australia does not feature on any of these strips though).
Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique is a decorative composition in wallpaper drawing upon the paintings and descriptions brought back to Europe by the expeditions of Cook and Laperouse. The strips are reproduced in the book (several being shown in detail) while each strip is carefully described. Biographical entries are included for Dufour and Charvet and the history of the wallpaper's production is outlined.
The whereabouts of the known copies of the wallpaper are given and, interestingly for the CCS, one of our members, Arthur Adamson, is acknowledged as having provided much of this information.
Altogether a wonderful book and one is left ruing having missed the exhibition.
Reviewer: John Robson
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1916, volume 25, number 1 (2002).
By Vanessa Collingridge, published by Ebury Press, UK, March 2002. ISBN 0 09 187913 2.
This is a Cook book with a difference as the author recounts her personal voyage of discovery into the lives of Cook and her distant relative George Collingridge (1847-1931). The author alternates chapters on Cook with those of her relative, and draws comparisons between the two men, their characters and careers.
George Collingridge had emigrated to Australia, where, in 1895 he published The Discovery of Australia, a 376 page culmination of his 12 years of investigations into ancient maps. His conclusions, that the Dutch and Portuguese had visited the continent long before Cook arrived, were acclaimed in Europe where he was awarded honours by the kings of Spain and Portugal. But in his adopted homeland his conclusions were ahead of their time. His proposals were rejected by both the Establishment and the public as they flew in the face of the British Empire and the accepted history which recognised Captain Cook as the "discoverer" of Australia.
At pivotal points in the book the author visits sites of importance to Cook and Collingridge, and describes their appearance today. She takes the reader into the water at Endeavour Reef, to the Collingridge family home in Sydney, and ends her voyage, as Cook did, on the shore of Kealakekua Bay.
The author has accomplished a difficult task in weaving together the lives of her two heroes, although I was left wanting to know more about Collingridge and wondering if his own story of discovery and denial might not deserve a separate biography. The book is eloquently written and the author has an excellent turn of phrase, making it very readable. It contains illustrations relating to its two historical protagonists, a useful bibliography and a detailed index. It is also the first Cook book which I have seen which recommends that its readers visit our Society's website !
Reviewer: Cliff Thornton
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1941, volume 25, number 2 (2002).
The hardback version was sub-titled Obsession and Betrayal in the New World, and had a cover depicting Cook, Vanessa and George Collingridge but, curiously, the paperback version has been given the sub-title The Life, Death and Legacy of History's Greatest Explorer and a cover of just James Cook.
The story of how Vanessa's research changed her intended biography of Cook into one covering both him and her forebear George remains the intriguing one that I enjoyed, so Cliff Thornton's review above remains valid.
If you don't have a hardback copy, get this version.
Reviewer: Ian Boreham
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 20, volume 26, number 1 (2003).
By Marele Day, published by Allen and Unwin, Australia, 2002. ISBN 1 86508 802 1.
Little is known about Elizabeth Batts who became Mrs Cook. So to write 357 pages about her is brave. Marele Day tackles her subject by writing a novel rather than a biography. The publishers, I suspect, introduced the only glaring error of the book, when the Endeavour is described as a barque rather than a bark.
Marele Day does not restrict herself to writing about the birth, childhood, life and death of Elizabeth, but also includes the same for James Cook, thus allowing the reader to compare the upbringing of the pair before their lives became intertwined. The strength of her research is shown by her acknowledging of the contributions of CCS members, Ian Stubbs, Julia Rae and Cliff Thornton, whose own research and knowledge has featured so often in Cook's Log.
As a result the book has the ring of truth about it for anyone who believes they already know Elizabeth's story, though one can always differ over the way she might have reacted to the events around her. The conversion of passages from James' journal into speech can become somewhat laboured, for example in this piece about sauerkraut being provided for the Endeavour's voyage.
'They'll not take to it,' Elizabeth asserted. 'You know their ways – beef and bacon every meal if they could have it.'
They will eat it,' James said, 'one way or the other. A long voyage like this needs every man able-bodied, not dying of scurvy. I might try the method of serving it out to the officers, as a special dish, and leave it up to the men to take it or not. I warrant that once they see the officers set a value on it, the people will think sauerkraut the finest stuff in the world.'
I was particularly impressed by Day's inclusion in the narrative of several items that were once owned by Elizabeth that are now held in various museums around the world. The description of how, say, she came to embroider a damask serviette with her initials and the figure "9" is woven in to the story in a natural way.
But for me the best parts of the book concern her relationship with her children, most of whom were born whilst James was away and all of whom died whilst Elizabeth was alone. Though the descriptions of Elizabeth's reactions are all conjecture they seemed to me to be as good as anyone is likely to produce. Day also brought home to me that when James returned from his Second Voyage he probably saw his sons James and Nathaniel at Portsmouth where they were attending the Naval Academy.
Highly recommended.
Reviewer: Ian Boreham
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 2000, volume 25, number 4 (2002).