
Captain James Cook
A Biography
Richard Alexander Hough(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Published on 17. March 1997
Book
Paperback/Softback
436 pages
978-0-393-31519-6 (ISBN)
Description
James Cook, born in 1728, was one of the most celebrated men of his time, the last and the greatest of the romantic navigator/explorers. His voyages in the Royal Navy to the eastern and western seaboards of North America, the North and South Pacific, the Arctic, and the Antarctic brought a new understanding of the worlds geography and of the peoples, flora, and fauna of the lands he discovered.
Richard Hough's vivid narrative captures all the excitement of this age of discovery and establishes Cook as a link between the vague scientific speculations of the early eighteenth century and the industrial revolution to come. A pioneer in many fields, Cook produced maps of unprecedented accuracy; revolutionized the seaman's diet, all but eliminating scurvy; and exploded the myth of the Great Southern Continent imagined by earlier geographers and scientists.
Hough consulted numerous archives and traveled in Cook's wake from Alaska to Tasmania, visiting many of the Pacific islands--including the spot where Cook was stoned to death by cannibals in the Hawaiian archipelago--to produce a comprehensive and immensely readable biography, full of new insights into the life of one of the worlds greatest mariners.
Richard Hough's vivid narrative captures all the excitement of this age of discovery and establishes Cook as a link between the vague scientific speculations of the early eighteenth century and the industrial revolution to come. A pioneer in many fields, Cook produced maps of unprecedented accuracy; revolutionized the seaman's diet, all but eliminating scurvy; and exploded the myth of the Great Southern Continent imagined by earlier geographers and scientists.
Hough consulted numerous archives and traveled in Cook's wake from Alaska to Tasmania, visiting many of the Pacific islands--including the spot where Cook was stoned to death by cannibals in the Hawaiian archipelago--to produce a comprehensive and immensely readable biography, full of new insights into the life of one of the worlds greatest mariners.
Reviews / Votes
"An engaging, intelligent retelling of Cook's extraordinary life." -- Verlyn Klinkenborg - Boston Globe "Lively and scholarly... Hough, by condensing Cook's life into a single volume, has brought his achievements into a sharper and stronger focus." -- Jon Manchip White - Chicago TribuneMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Photographs
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
704 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-393-31519-6 (9780393315196)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Hough, a noted naval historian and author, lives in England.