The Wide Wide Sea The Final, Fatal Adventure of Captain James Cook
Language: English
Published by Michael Joseph, London, 2024
- First Edition
- Softcover
- Used

Seller: The Secret Bookshop, Tararua, New ZealandThe Secret Bookshop
AbeBooks seller since January 11, 2016
Condition: Used - Near fine
£ 10.58
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
A very good clean copy. In 1776, when Cook—already famous for his earlier Pacific voyages—set out on a third expedition aboard HMS Resolution. His official mission was to return a Tahitian man named Mai to his homeland and to search for the Northwest Passage. But behind that was a deeper imperial goal: to claim new lands for Britain before its rivals could. At first, Cook was known for his humane leadership and his respect for Indigenous cultures. He kept his crew healthy, avoided unnecessary violence, and tried to understand the people he met. As the voyage dragged on, however, Cook’s behaviour changed. He became harsher, more erratic, and less tolerant of perceived slights. The book describes how he punished thefts by islanders with increasing severity and how his leadership began to unravel. When Cook reached Hawaii, he was welcomed warmly at first. But after leaving and then returning unexpectedly, tensions rose. His treatment of the Hawaiians became more aggressive, and a confrontation broke out. In 1779, Cook was killed in a violent clash on the beach at Kealakekua Bay.…
Seller Inventory # 049828
- Title
- The Wide Wide Sea The Final, Fatal Adventure of Captain James Cook
- Author
- Sides, Hampton
- Publisher
- Michael Joseph, London
- Publication year
- 2024
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0241437377
- ISBN 13
- 9780241437377
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Dimensions
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall
- Seller catalogs
- Exploration, History, Non Fiction
*** BARACK OBAMA'S SUMMER READING LIST 2024 ***
*** One of the New York Times Top Ten Books of 2024 ***
*** NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ***
'The story of Captain Cook’s third voyage. Extraordinarily compulsive and fascinating on every page, it combines the satisfaction of a Patrick O’Brian or CS Forester maritime blockbuster with the insights and revelations of a true historian. I felt it somehow told me more about the making of the modern world than any book I had read for ages' STEPHEN FRY, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2024, OBSERVER
From New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, the epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, culminating in Captain James Cook's death
‘An astounding tale . . . recreated in swashbuckling detail . . . Sides delivers it with narrative urgency. The cast of characters is a joy’ Sunday Times
‘An enthralling account of Captain Cook’s final, fatal voyage… An excellent new book’ The Economist
‘A rollicking good read, with a tone that reminds me of David Grann’s recent tale of the 1741 Wager shipwreck . . . riveting’ Daily Telegraph
'Vivid and propulsive' New York Times
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On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach in Hawaii, Cook was killed – beaten and stabbed in a conflict with the indigenous population.
What brought Cook to these final moments, so at odds with his reputation? Renowned for his humane leadership, dedication to science and the curiosity and respect, not judgement, with which he greeted societies that were new to him, Cook had already mapped huge swathes of the Pacific and initiated first European contact with numerous native peoples.
The stated mission for his third voyage was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London high society, to his home islands. But Cook carried secret orders to venture north, to discover the fabled Northwest Passage and chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals. And Cook himself was different on his final, fatal voyage.
Deeply researched and vividly told, The Wide Wide Sea is at once a ferociously-paced, epic adventure and a searching examination of the consequences of the Age of Exploration from a master storyteller.
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‘Sides has written a riveting book, deeply researched, light of touch and always judicious and full-sailed about an exceptional man’s final extraordinary journey’ SPECTATOR
'A wonderful, visceral yarn and an enthralling read, replete with brilliant detail' ROBERT MCCRUM
PRAISE FOR HAMPTON SIDES
'Enthralling . . . as gripping as any well-paced thriller but a lot more interesting because it is also true' THE TIMES
‘Stunningly vivid’ MARK BOWDEN, AUTHOR OF BLACK HAWK DOWN
'Splendid in every way. . . a marvellous nonfiction thriller' WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘Extraordinary . . . meticulous research shores up a fast-paced narrative’ FINANCIAL TIMES
'Viscerally dramatic . . . spellbinding . . . bold, dynamic, unusually vivid’ NEW YORK TIMES
'Unforgettable . . . a pulse-racing epic . . . a masterful work of history and storytelling' LOS ANGELES TIMES
‘Reads like a first-class epic thriller' TIME
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About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
The Secret Bookshop
Tararua, New Zealand
AbeBooks seller since January 11, 2016
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