The Ship

by Simon Barker

The Ship tells the exciting story of Captain James Cook's voyage on the Endeavour and describes what happened when a BBC team of volunteers boarded a magnificent replica of the ship to retrace a dramatic stretch of its route from Cape Grafton in Australia to Jakarta in Indonesia. Simon Baker, author and volunteer able seaman, begins by taking a fresh look at Cook and the origins of his first voyage - how it turned from a scientific expedition to observe an eclipse into a far-reaching quest for the Great Southern Continent. Drawing on original journals, he re-examines Cook's motives and reputation, revealing a more complex character than the hero that history has handed down to us. The replica Endeavour provided a unique opportunity to 'test' the achievements of Cook and his company within an authentic eighteenth-century environment.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2002

Reviews

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but not without its issues.

There is a LOT of repetition - several times the same quote is used more than once in just a couple of pages - and there are also occasional far-fetched assumptions/speculations about aspects of the Endeavor's original voyage/motivations of the crew, etc.

But besides that, it was certainly worth a read. For entertainment purposes it scores well, but I wouldn't quote it in an academic paper!