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Captain Cook
In his three extraordinary voyages, Captain James Cook made history. He was the first to discover Australia and the Hawaiian Islands and the first to circumnavigate New Zealand. By the 1700s, England, eager to expand its realm of trade, promoted exploration of all the unclaimed regions of the world. The eighteenth century, the age of reason and enlightenment, required a new kind of not a rover or a plunderer or a seeker of adventure for its own sake, but a master of navigation and seamanship. Captain James Cook filled the bill. No one ever surpassed Cook's record. From South America to Australia, from the ice islands of the South Pacific to the fogbound Bering Strait, lay thousands of miles of islands, atolls, and ocean that Cook charted.
168 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1963
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About the author
Oliver Warner
81 books5 followersOliver Martin Wilson Warner was a well-known British naval historian and writer.
Warner was educated at Denstone College and Caius College, Cambridge. In 1926 he succeeded Frank Swinnerton as staff reader at the publishing house of Chatto and Windus. In addition to his work as staff reader he also worked on the company's advertising material. As a young man he made contributions to magazines such as The Spectator and Time and Tide, some of which were later reproduced in his 1947 book Captains and Kings. In 1939 he published an account of his visit to an "unworldly" relative in Canada, entitled Uncle Lawrence. During the Second World War he joined the Admiralty secretariat, initially serving in the Commission and Warrant (C.W.) branch[citation needed] before serving on the war artists advisory committee. He later served as secretary to the naval honours and awards committee.
After the war he became deputy director of publications of the British Council, where he remained until his retirement in 1963. he worked thereafter at Chatto and Windus for another year before concentrating on writing. By the time of his death he had more than twenty books in print. He married twice, first to Dorothea Blanchard who died in 1937, by whom he had one daughter. He was married secondly to Elizabeth Strahan, with whom he had one son and one daughter.
-Wikipedia
Warner was educated at Denstone College and Caius College, Cambridge. In 1926 he succeeded Frank Swinnerton as staff reader at the publishing house of Chatto and Windus. In addition to his work as staff reader he also worked on the company's advertising material. As a young man he made contributions to magazines such as The Spectator and Time and Tide, some of which were later reproduced in his 1947 book Captains and Kings. In 1939 he published an account of his visit to an "unworldly" relative in Canada, entitled Uncle Lawrence. During the Second World War he joined the Admiralty secretariat, initially serving in the Commission and Warrant (C.W.) branch[citation needed] before serving on the war artists advisory committee. He later served as secretary to the naval honours and awards committee.
After the war he became deputy director of publications of the British Council, where he remained until his retirement in 1963. he worked thereafter at Chatto and Windus for another year before concentrating on writing. By the time of his death he had more than twenty books in print. He married twice, first to Dorothea Blanchard who died in 1937, by whom he had one daughter. He was married secondly to Elizabeth Strahan, with whom he had one son and one daughter.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 18, 2017
An interesting but very brief study of James Cook's three voyages to the South and then North Pacific. These voyages of exploration were amazing to read about considering that they took place in the 18th Century but even more amazing are the tales of the voyages of some of the natives of the South Sea Islands long before Cook reached this area. It would have been worthwhile if the author had provided a more in depth study of these events.
August 10, 2020
Author Missed Kauai!!
Warner references Beaghole as a source but misses discussing Cooks first descriptions of Hawaii which was his landing on the island of what is now Kauai!!! It is also discussed more recently in Joestings book entitled Kauai published in 1984 by the University of Hawaii press. There is also a Statue of James Cook on Kauai in the park off the inlet where Cook was finally able to find cover for his vessels while they stocked up on fresh water and food. The park and statue are maintained by a local group that lives nearby. Warners book should have included a picture of that statue of Cook looking out to the Ocean and the expanse his area of greatest concern. Further ignored by by the author is Cook Inlet in what is now Alaska which leads to Turnagain Basin; the tides and currents are such that there is a great reversal suggesting a way to the northern passage. Cooks resending people there gives it its name and led to the decision by others to take over command. Further it would have been those in charge who errored when returning to what is now Hawaii and being caught up in a military conflict over leadership of the large islands. And, yes Cooks finding of the inlet in Alaska eventually led to trade with eastern Asia. Natural gas was found in aCooks inlet which is used in Anchorage i in the winter, then liquified and shipped to Japan for storage during the warmer months. Then of course remember that Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th States at the same time; the present Hawaiians point out that it was a good thing Hawaii is the 50th State so they get on TV Hawaii 50!! There is so much that Cook acomplished on his 3rd voyage to offset author Warners opening statement of his chapter that it was a disaster for Cook from the start.
Warner references Beaghole as a source but misses discussing Cooks first descriptions of Hawaii which was his landing on the island of what is now Kauai!!! It is also discussed more recently in Joestings book entitled Kauai published in 1984 by the University of Hawaii press. There is also a Statue of James Cook on Kauai in the park off the inlet where Cook was finally able to find cover for his vessels while they stocked up on fresh water and food. The park and statue are maintained by a local group that lives nearby. Warners book should have included a picture of that statue of Cook looking out to the Ocean and the expanse his area of greatest concern. Further ignored by by the author is Cook Inlet in what is now Alaska which leads to Turnagain Basin; the tides and currents are such that there is a great reversal suggesting a way to the northern passage. Cooks resending people there gives it its name and led to the decision by others to take over command. Further it would have been those in charge who errored when returning to what is now Hawaii and being caught up in a military conflict over leadership of the large islands. And, yes Cooks finding of the inlet in Alaska eventually led to trade with eastern Asia. Natural gas was found in aCooks inlet which is used in Anchorage i in the winter, then liquified and shipped to Japan for storage during the warmer months. Then of course remember that Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th States at the same time; the present Hawaiians point out that it was a good thing Hawaii is the 50th State so they get on TV Hawaii 50!! There is so much that Cook acomplished on his 3rd voyage to offset author Warners opening statement of his chapter that it was a disaster for Cook from the start.
October 3, 2018
This was a super little read. Captain James Cook really 'got around' and Warner's book manages to balance celebrating his achievements and chronicling his faults to produce a balanced portrait of this well-known explorer. It actually makes me want to read more about him. Highly recommended.
November 30, 2020
Learned facts and learned to appreciate about people like Capt. Cook that are such adventurers. Where would we be if some did not have this drive.
Maps would have helped me....I am poor at geography.
A good shorter read.
Maps would have helped me....I am poor at geography.
A good shorter read.
June 10, 2022
Cook
I probably would have given this book four stars, but it was very simplistic in style. The information is good and if you want a quick overview of James Cook, this will do well. If you want more detailed history, look elsewhere.
I probably would have given this book four stars, but it was very simplistic in style. The information is good and if you want a quick overview of James Cook, this will do well. If you want more detailed history, look elsewhere.
July 1, 2022
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about Cook but wish it were more comprehensive. Given his accomplishments, I would have enjoyed a longer more in depth version. Still, it seems well researched and was an interesting an easy read.
January 8, 2023
Cook was a master Mariner and cartographer. The book does this justice. It also does justice to other master mariners with the evidence of the Polynesians being every bit as capable as Cook by the presence of the sweet potato!
November 15, 2020
Unbelievable
A story of sea adventure like life was to experience a brutal example of what humans can accomplish in the act of exploring the unknown!
A story of sea adventure like life was to experience a brutal example of what humans can accomplish in the act of exploring the unknown!
January 2, 2023
Short book full of facts
August 12, 2013
A decent survey of Captain Cook's life with an obvious focus on his experiences and death in the South Pacific.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews