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Hunt For The Southern Continent
On the second of his three great voyages, Cook took on the most frightening of all his challenges - to travel as far south as possible, to regions never before explored, in the hope of finding a new great continent which could be settled by the British. He found the continent - but it was horrifically different from what had been hoped for. (Goodreads synopsis)
Burying the bottle, James Cook wondered if it would ever be found. He was leaving New Zealand on a search for the great Southern Continent and knew he faced unimaginable dangers in his small ship. Embarking on his second loop of the south Pacific, Cook was to encounter huge icebergs and erupting volcanoes, trade and battle with natives, and discover a new but terrible continent never charted before. (Book synopsis)
Burying the bottle, James Cook wondered if it would ever be found. He was leaving New Zealand on a search for the great Southern Continent and knew he faced unimaginable dangers in his small ship. Embarking on his second loop of the south Pacific, Cook was to encounter huge icebergs and erupting volcanoes, trade and battle with natives, and discover a new but terrible continent never charted before. (Book synopsis)
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
James Cook
535 books35 followersBritish navigator James Cook, known as Captain Cook, commanded three major exploratory voyages to chart and to name many islands of the Pacific Ocean and also sailed along the coast of North America as far as the Bering Strait.
During circumnavigation of the globe from 1768 to 1771 with James Cook, Joseph Banks collected and cataloged numerous specimens of plants and animals.
James Cook, captain, visited Austral Islands in 1769 and 1777.
James Cook, fellow of the royal society, served as a cartographer in the Navy. Cook made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making, and achieving the first recorded European contact with the eastern line of Australia and Hawaii and the record around New Zealand.
Cook joined the merchant as a teenager and joined the royal Navy in 1755. He saw action in the Seven Years' War and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec. This mapping helped to bring Cook to the attention of the admiralty and royal society. This notice came at a crucial moment in career of Cook and in the overseas direction and led to his first commission in 1766 of His Majesty's bark Endeavour.
Cook went thousands of miles across large areas of the globe. From New Zealand, he mapped to Hawaii in greater detail and on a not previously achieved scale. He progressed on his discovery, surveyed features, and recorded lines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.
A fight with Hawaiians killed Cook. He left a scientific and geographical legacy to influence his successors well into the 20th century, and people dedicated numerous memorials worldwide.
During circumnavigation of the globe from 1768 to 1771 with James Cook, Joseph Banks collected and cataloged numerous specimens of plants and animals.
James Cook, captain, visited Austral Islands in 1769 and 1777.
James Cook, fellow of the royal society, served as a cartographer in the Navy. Cook made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making, and achieving the first recorded European contact with the eastern line of Australia and Hawaii and the record around New Zealand.
Cook joined the merchant as a teenager and joined the royal Navy in 1755. He saw action in the Seven Years' War and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec. This mapping helped to bring Cook to the attention of the admiralty and royal society. This notice came at a crucial moment in career of Cook and in the overseas direction and led to his first commission in 1766 of His Majesty's bark Endeavour.
Cook went thousands of miles across large areas of the globe. From New Zealand, he mapped to Hawaii in greater detail and on a not previously achieved scale. He progressed on his discovery, surveyed features, and recorded lines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions.
A fight with Hawaiians killed Cook. He left a scientific and geographical legacy to influence his successors well into the 20th century, and people dedicated numerous memorials worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 20, 2016
My 2010 bookcrossing review:
Again, another one of these Penguin excerpts books so you don't get the full book. But I was wondering whilst reading this one if it might not be a good thing as it'll cut out realms of navigational information that might not be so interesting, as well as diary entries of "nothing much happened today".
This one is from one of Captain Cook's journeys. From New Zealand, taking a long circular tour around some of the islands of the Pacific such as Taihiti and Tonga, before eventually coming back around to New Zealand, and then away down the bottom of South America. The natives of the islands are friendly in varying degrees, it's quite amazing how friendly some of them got considering the language and culture differences, but it's positive. Also that Cook doesn't write as an arrogant and condescending Englishman looking down his nose at the rest of the world. Some of the natives, on more friendly islands, or say those they see on more than one occasion on New Zealand, he describes as friends. So he comes across as a decent, down-to-earth person. Thought it was great, this trading in red feathers. What on earth were they doing with all those red feathers?
It's nice to have actually read something by Cook as well. He is from North Yorkshire - in fact he was born in a little village very close to the one where I grew up. So he's local to me.
Again, another one of these Penguin excerpts books so you don't get the full book. But I was wondering whilst reading this one if it might not be a good thing as it'll cut out realms of navigational information that might not be so interesting, as well as diary entries of "nothing much happened today".
This one is from one of Captain Cook's journeys. From New Zealand, taking a long circular tour around some of the islands of the Pacific such as Taihiti and Tonga, before eventually coming back around to New Zealand, and then away down the bottom of South America. The natives of the islands are friendly in varying degrees, it's quite amazing how friendly some of them got considering the language and culture differences, but it's positive. Also that Cook doesn't write as an arrogant and condescending Englishman looking down his nose at the rest of the world. Some of the natives, on more friendly islands, or say those they see on more than one occasion on New Zealand, he describes as friends. So he comes across as a decent, down-to-earth person. Thought it was great, this trading in red feathers. What on earth were they doing with all those red feathers?
It's nice to have actually read something by Cook as well. He is from North Yorkshire - in fact he was born in a little village very close to the one where I grew up. So he's local to me.
October 4, 2016
This book is a quirky character. Through the grammatically challenged hand of Captain Cook, we learn about his everyday navigational issues, crew management issues and engagements with the peoples already living on those territories which he encountered. To the modern reader, Cook comes across as a spelling and grammar reprobate with unfortunate and ingrained colonialist tendencies. I'm pretty glad I don't have the full journal, or I'd probably have to escape to the Pacific just to avoid reading the thing.
January 23, 2008
Capt. James Cook (not to be confused with James Hook) was an explorer. This guy would travel in arctic seas with frozen sails and zero vision. If you can read Latitude and Longitude measurements you'll know exactly where he was located during each journal entry.
This book covers his second world trip of 3 total in his life. The 3rd ended badly. I believe he was eaten by a group of cannibalistic hawaiians.
Anyway a good book for sailors or New Zealanders.
This book covers his second world trip of 3 total in his life. The 3rd ended badly. I believe he was eaten by a group of cannibalistic hawaiians.
Anyway a good book for sailors or New Zealanders.
August 23, 2025
I was a bit surprised at the mixed reviews this book has, but then again I bought a second hand copy for a very low price, so I never felt too cheated. How I found this book was an adventure story in itself: I was walking around Bath and a torrential rain forced me to run into a cozy but dusty bookstore. In the basement, under a lamp full of cobwebs, I found this book, along with Wallace’s travels to Borneo. I took both.
This edition is a selection from Captain James Cook’s diary during his Second Voyage, in which he set out to find a mythical continent supposedly located in the South Pacific Ocean. Some are at odds with Penguin’s decision to cut and summarise certain sections, but without the editorial work this diary would be unreadable for most of us. Unlike travel literature written for a public, this was never meant for publication. It is full of nautical jargon, some repetitive passages and plenty of “nothing really happened today” entries. More striking but amusing is Cook’s idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation.
The Antarctic chapters are the hardest to get through—entry after entry of ice, storms, and penguins until Cook finally gives up on the idea of a hidden southern land. Once the Resolution turns northward and starts a tour of different Pacific islands, the book really comes alive with a sense of adventure and exploration. Each island feels like a fresh story: from a brief stop at Easter Island (where Cook contemplates the Moai statues), to longer, more fascinating stays in Tahiti and Tonga, where he meets with kings and chiefs and he elaborates cultural ceremonies. It was thanks to this book that I discovered that Cook’s voyages popularised tattoos among sailors and the word “taboo” entered the English language.
What I didn’t expect was how relatively civil Cook often was when dealing with the people he met. Yes, some of his descriptions will feel dated and insensitive to modern readers—when he arrives to what is today known as Niue, he christens the island with the name “Savage Island”, apparently for no other reason than not liking the appearance of the natives. Cook was, after all, still a man of his time. However, he clearly went to great lengths to avoid violence or any harm to indigenous people, and he even scolded his own men when they mistreated the islanders. His departure of Tahiti, where he parts from friends he’d grown close to, is surprisingly touching. When they realise they might never see Cook again they ask him his place of burial and he reflects:
“What greater proof could we have of these people Esteeming and loving us as friends whom they wished to remember, they had been repeatedly told we should see them no more, they then wanted to know the name of the place where our bodies were to return to dust”
It seems that at moments like this, Cook seems to grasp something of the enormity of the humane experience. His writing, usually so cold and detached, elevates itself to something more poignant and profound. When one of the man sees what a paradise Tahiti is and he tries to desert to remain in the island, he Cook:
“When I considered the situation of the Man in life I did not think him so culpable as it may at first appear (…) I never learnt that he had either friends or connections to confine him to any particular part of the world, all Nations were alike to him, where than can Such a Man spend his days better than at one of these isles where he can enjoy all the necessaries and some of the luxuries of life in ease and Plenty”
There are also some unexpectedly funny and strange moments: women ritually cut their own faces and then try to hug the visitors while still bleeding, or an elderly woman offering Cook a girl and then cursing him when he refuses.
Overall this is a great book if you’re interested in naval stories, explorers and the period when Europeans met with other cultures.
This edition is a selection from Captain James Cook’s diary during his Second Voyage, in which he set out to find a mythical continent supposedly located in the South Pacific Ocean. Some are at odds with Penguin’s decision to cut and summarise certain sections, but without the editorial work this diary would be unreadable for most of us. Unlike travel literature written for a public, this was never meant for publication. It is full of nautical jargon, some repetitive passages and plenty of “nothing really happened today” entries. More striking but amusing is Cook’s idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation.
The Antarctic chapters are the hardest to get through—entry after entry of ice, storms, and penguins until Cook finally gives up on the idea of a hidden southern land. Once the Resolution turns northward and starts a tour of different Pacific islands, the book really comes alive with a sense of adventure and exploration. Each island feels like a fresh story: from a brief stop at Easter Island (where Cook contemplates the Moai statues), to longer, more fascinating stays in Tahiti and Tonga, where he meets with kings and chiefs and he elaborates cultural ceremonies. It was thanks to this book that I discovered that Cook’s voyages popularised tattoos among sailors and the word “taboo” entered the English language.
What I didn’t expect was how relatively civil Cook often was when dealing with the people he met. Yes, some of his descriptions will feel dated and insensitive to modern readers—when he arrives to what is today known as Niue, he christens the island with the name “Savage Island”, apparently for no other reason than not liking the appearance of the natives. Cook was, after all, still a man of his time. However, he clearly went to great lengths to avoid violence or any harm to indigenous people, and he even scolded his own men when they mistreated the islanders. His departure of Tahiti, where he parts from friends he’d grown close to, is surprisingly touching. When they realise they might never see Cook again they ask him his place of burial and he reflects:
“What greater proof could we have of these people Esteeming and loving us as friends whom they wished to remember, they had been repeatedly told we should see them no more, they then wanted to know the name of the place where our bodies were to return to dust”
It seems that at moments like this, Cook seems to grasp something of the enormity of the humane experience. His writing, usually so cold and detached, elevates itself to something more poignant and profound. When one of the man sees what a paradise Tahiti is and he tries to desert to remain in the island, he Cook:
“When I considered the situation of the Man in life I did not think him so culpable as it may at first appear (…) I never learnt that he had either friends or connections to confine him to any particular part of the world, all Nations were alike to him, where than can Such a Man spend his days better than at one of these isles where he can enjoy all the necessaries and some of the luxuries of life in ease and Plenty”
There are also some unexpectedly funny and strange moments: women ritually cut their own faces and then try to hug the visitors while still bleeding, or an elderly woman offering Cook a girl and then cursing him when he refuses.
Overall this is a great book if you’re interested in naval stories, explorers and the period when Europeans met with other cultures.
November 19, 2025
Perhaps its not surprising, but Cook is mainly focussed on the logistics of his voyage through the South Pacific, as the first European to make contact with many different island groups. He's interested in winds directions, supplies. His reflections on the people they meet seem largely focussed on thieves and people he thinks are cheating him from his supplies. Even in his own descriptions he comes across as aggressive, judgemental, and quite incurious about the many new cultures they meet. He expresses indignance when local people prevent him and his men from wandering their lands or entering their homes. A fascinating historical document, even if it doesn't make him look that great
June 7, 2018
Apart from a few notable episodes this is a tedious read. But Cook’s humanity and humor show through in a few episodes of his sensible and thoughtful dealing with the native tribes of South Seas Islanders. One to skim read mostly but read fully some of the longer narratives.
June 18, 2017
It was quite a chore to read, as "Cook's idiosyncratic spelling has been preserved."
Lots of sailing and swapping hogs for nails.
Lots of sailing and swapping hogs for nails.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2025
Horrifying and enthralling voyeuristic read.
March 30, 2014
This short book is made up of extracts from Captain Cook's logbook during the period November 1773 to December 1774. During that time he traversed the South Pacific going south west from New Zealand and crossing the Antarctic Circle for what was believed to be the first time.
The account of this stage is a bit of a slog, with not much more that the direction of sail, miles covered, state of weather and technical adjustments ("doubled reefed top sails and courses", etc). It is with relief that the description becomes fuller when he turns north and starts to encounter the island communities of the region.
After landing on Easter Island he heads north west into what we now call Polynesia. The names of the islands he visits are not immediately recognisable and the book might have been helpful by providing some footnotes explaining where places like Annamocka or Amattafoa lie in relation to locations better known to modern readers.
What is most interesting is the descriptions of his interactions with the native peoples of these islands. He found it easiest to open lines of communication amongst people who could be designated 'chiefs' or even 'kings'. The rituals of gift exchanges were the basis of friendships at this level, with nails in particular serving as a useful small currency. Cook himself seems to have had some sense that the presence of his party would be unsettling to the Polynesians and acted to restrain his officers and seaman from a number of grossly insensitive actions.
Similarly there is the briefly told story of the individual - an Irishman who had drifted around the world in the service of the Dutch and Royal navies - who attempted to jump ship in Tahiti. The attempt failed and he was brought back in irons to Cook's ship were, in accordance with the practices of the times he must have expected to be put to death. But the humane captain comments:
"I never learnt that he had either friends or connections to confine him to any particular part of the world, all Nations were alike to him, where can Such a Man spend his days better than at one of these isles where he can injoy all the necessities and some of the luxuries of life in ease and plenty."
After brief confinement the man was returned to duty without any further punishment.
The account of this stage is a bit of a slog, with not much more that the direction of sail, miles covered, state of weather and technical adjustments ("doubled reefed top sails and courses", etc). It is with relief that the description becomes fuller when he turns north and starts to encounter the island communities of the region.
After landing on Easter Island he heads north west into what we now call Polynesia. The names of the islands he visits are not immediately recognisable and the book might have been helpful by providing some footnotes explaining where places like Annamocka or Amattafoa lie in relation to locations better known to modern readers.
What is most interesting is the descriptions of his interactions with the native peoples of these islands. He found it easiest to open lines of communication amongst people who could be designated 'chiefs' or even 'kings'. The rituals of gift exchanges were the basis of friendships at this level, with nails in particular serving as a useful small currency. Cook himself seems to have had some sense that the presence of his party would be unsettling to the Polynesians and acted to restrain his officers and seaman from a number of grossly insensitive actions.
Similarly there is the briefly told story of the individual - an Irishman who had drifted around the world in the service of the Dutch and Royal navies - who attempted to jump ship in Tahiti. The attempt failed and he was brought back in irons to Cook's ship were, in accordance with the practices of the times he must have expected to be put to death. But the humane captain comments:
"I never learnt that he had either friends or connections to confine him to any particular part of the world, all Nations were alike to him, where can Such a Man spend his days better than at one of these isles where he can injoy all the necessities and some of the luxuries of life in ease and plenty."
After brief confinement the man was returned to duty without any further punishment.
March 20, 2022
With all of the books paying homage to works that are much longer, all of the books in the Penguin series of Great Journeys {each around one hundred - one hundred and fifty pages} offer the reader a glimpse into a much longer, possibly daunting, text that they may well have never considered. I know a few of them even made me want to take a look at the book from which the abridged excerpt had been taken ... others, well, not so much.
With regard to this book ...
On the one hand it was nice that what I can only describe of as Cook's idiosyncratic/grammatically challenged writing wasn't edited but urgh, at times I struggled. Then there was the fact that, like all of the books in the collection, this was very much of its time and I found myself, if not exactly offended by, struggling to get past the Captain's colonialist views and opinions.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
With regard to this book ...
On the one hand it was nice that what I can only describe of as Cook's idiosyncratic/grammatically challenged writing wasn't edited but urgh, at times I struggled. Then there was the fact that, like all of the books in the collection, this was very much of its time and I found myself, if not exactly offended by, struggling to get past the Captain's colonialist views and opinions.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
December 4, 2015
An excerpt of Cooks Journal, published in the Penguin Great Journeys series.
Written in diary form, and given that this is a long sea voyage, it is pretty repetitive and not the most interesting for the majority of the book.
Dates, compass bearings, sea conditions and weather start each entry. Interactions with the natives provides some interesting asides, but after a short number they too become repetitive: trying to befriend, trading nails for pigs, gifting other small items, attempts to communicate, obtaining drinking water, shooting the odd hostile or over inquisitive native, obtaining fruit, etc.
It would have been naive to have started reading this book expecting much else.
Three stars because it meets expectations for this type of book, but as for recommending it? Probably not unless you are a big fan. As for the full journal, I will certainly skip that over, thanks!
Written in diary form, and given that this is a long sea voyage, it is pretty repetitive and not the most interesting for the majority of the book.
Dates, compass bearings, sea conditions and weather start each entry. Interactions with the natives provides some interesting asides, but after a short number they too become repetitive: trying to befriend, trading nails for pigs, gifting other small items, attempts to communicate, obtaining drinking water, shooting the odd hostile or over inquisitive native, obtaining fruit, etc.
It would have been naive to have started reading this book expecting much else.
Three stars because it meets expectations for this type of book, but as for recommending it? Probably not unless you are a big fan. As for the full journal, I will certainly skip that over, thanks!
March 12, 2015
Holy hell. Cook should have consulted a dictionary, and/or Penguin should have made the investment to edit this text. I'm sure there is some good information about his travels around Oceana, but it remains buried beneath layers of his awful writing.
January 2, 2016
Read a lot about Cook and his travels and this little daily diary adds to his interesting journeys. For someone not familiar with his travels and his grizzly end, it might not be a good place to start.
September 30, 2014
Dates, weather, natives, trading nails for pigs and cloth for poison arrows... pretty much what you expect.
Read
July 30, 2018He didn't quite find it
Read
February 4, 2019An important historical document but reading it feels a bit like listening to the shipping forecast on Radio 4, minus the soothing narration.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews