[A complete set of the three voyages to the Pacific Ocean].

A complete first edition set of Captain Cook's great voyages.

'Captain Cook's three great voyages form the basis of any collection of Pacific books. Cook did more to clarify the geographical knowledge of the southern hemisphere than all his predecessors together had done. He was the first really scientific navigator, and his voyages made great contributions to many fields of knowledge' (Hill). 'The date of Captain James Cook's exploration of the eastern coast marks the beginning of a new era in the history of Australia. Cook took possession of the country for Great Britain. From the resemblance of its coasts to the southern shores of Wales, he called it New South Wales' (Edward Jenks, The Great Events... Vol XVII p.238).

'As an explorer Cook stands equal to Vasco de Gama, Christopher Columbus and Magellan. Beside proving that the Southern Continent existed only within the Antarctic Circle and showing there was no practical route between the Pacific and the Atlantic in the Arctic, he completed with accuracy the outline map of the largest ocean and opened the way for trade and settlement. As a seaman and navigator he showed outstanding ability. As a man he was brave and determined, a leader that men could follow literally to the ends of the earth. But greatest among his qualities was his care and consideration for people, be they his men, whose health and conditions were always his close concern, or the natives that he met, whose culture and customs he was careful to respect' (Lord Lewin writing in Capt. James Cook Navigator, NMM, 1990).