In the original dustsheet. Black cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

The age of discovery was at its peak in the eighteenth century, with heroic adventurers charting the furthest reaches of the globe. Foremost among these explorers was navigator and cartographer Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy. Recent writers have viewed Cook largely through the lens of colonial exploitation, regarding him as a villain and overlooking an important aspect of his identity: his nautical skills. In this authentic, engrossing biography, Frank McLynn reveals Cook’s place in history as a brave and brilliant seaman. He shows how the Captain’s life was one of struggle – with himself, with institutions, with the environment, with the desire to be remembered – and also one of great success. In ‘Captain Cook’, McLynn re-creates the voyages that took the famous navigator from his native England to the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, Cook, who began his career as a deckhand, transcended his humble beginnings and triumphed through good fortune, courage, and talent. Although Cook died in a senseless, avoidable conflict with the people of Hawaii, McLynn illustrates that to the men with whom he served, Cook was master of the seas and nothing less than a titan.

Reviews:

• ‘McLynn’s biography is well researched and respectful.’ – John de Falbe, The Spectator.

• ‘Frank McLynn has no doubt about Captain Cook’s status… the finest maritime explorer in the history of the world… He proves it in a meticulous rollercoaster chronicle.’ – Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express.

• ‘A first-class biography by a prominent British historian, Frank McLynn.’ – John M. Taylor, The Washington Times. –Spectator, Daily Express, Washington Times

The routes of Captain James Cook’s voyages. The first voyage is shown in red, second voyage in green, and third voyage in blue. The route of Cook’s crew following his death is shown as a dashed blue line.

The Author – Frank McLynn is a highly regarded historian specializing in biographies and military history. He has written more than twenty books, including ‘Richard and John: Kings at War’, ‘Napoleon’, and ‘Marcus Aurelius: A Life’.

Francis James McLynn FRHistS FRGS (born 29 August 1941), known as Frank McLynn, is a British author, biographer, historian and journalist. He is known for biographies of Napoleon, Robert Louis Stevenson, Carl Jung, Richard Francis Burton and Henry Morton Stanley. McLynn was educated at Wadham College, Oxford and the University of London.He was Alistair Horne Research Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford (1987–88) and was visiting professor in the Department of Literature at the University of Strathclyde (1996–2001) and professorial fellow at Goldsmiths College London (2000–2002) before becoming a full-time writer.