1784 – A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean – James Cook | First Edition, Stunning Leather Display

James Cook was an 18th-century British explorer known for these three major world voyages. The third Pacific voyage, which began in 1776, took Cook and his crew around New Zealand and Hawaii. On this trip, Cook became well acquainted with the King of Hawaii, Kalani-opu’u. After spending time in the South Pacific, Cook also took his ship northward to the Aleutian Islands reaching to the Arctic Circle. Cook eventually died upon his return to Hawaii, after angering the King of Hawaii.

The events of this voyage became quite popular in the western world, much in part to the narrative that Cook himself wrote concerning the journey.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean: Undertaken by Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere
• Author(s): James Cook
• Contributor(s): James King
• Publisher: London: Printed for J. Stockdale, Scratcherd and Whitaker, J. Fielding, and J. Hardy
• Edition: First edition, 1784
• Format: (8vo), four-volume set
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  8in x 5in (20 cm x 13 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol I: xii, 370 pp., [12] leaves of plates
  • Vol II: xii, 359, [1] pp., [12] leaves of plates
  • Vol III: xii, 400 pp., [16] leaves of plates
  • Vol IV: xii, 310, [69] pp., [4] leaves of plates
• Illustrations: engraved plates, including maps, scenes of native life, animals, and significant voyage events
• Contents Include:
  • Narrative of the Third Voyage
  • Encounters with Kalaniʻōpuʻu, King of Hawaii
  • Observations in the Aleutian Islands and Arctic Circle
  • Illustrated account of Cook’s death in Hawaii
  • Cape of Good Hope voyage chapter
  • Notable Arctic wildlife including polar bears and sled dogs
• Provenance: bookplate – Thomas Augustus Douce
  • Motto: “celer et vigilans”
• Reference(s): Sabin 16251; Howes C 729a; Evans 30274; Hill 362

Condition:

Near Fine. All four volumes retain their original full leather bindings with tight joints and secure text blocks. Spines exhibit mild rubbing at edges, with gilt titling still clear and unmarred. Marbled endpapers remain vibrant and intact. Plates are complete across all volumes, with only minimal age-related toning and very mild foxing present in isolated margins. Internally clean, with all pages present and legible.

Why Collect This?

• Scarce first edition of one of the era’s most important Pacific voyage accounts
• Complete four-volume set with all plates
• Beautiful binding in an impressive display
• Features eyewitness accounts of Cook’s death, walrus hunts, and early Arctic exploration

Item Number: #29538