Captain Cook: Master of the Seas - Hardcover

McLynn, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300114214 ISBN 13: 9780300114218

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2011

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About 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. He lives in Surrey, England.

Review

"Thoroughly researched and sharply opinionated."—Michael J. Ybarra, Wall Street Journal (Michael J. Ybarra The Wall Street Journal)

“[A] first-class biography by a prominent British historian, Frank McLynn.”—John M. Taylor, The Washington Times (John M. Taylor Washington Times)

“McLynn does a yeoman’s work in transforming Cook’s terse, factual notations in the ships’ logs into a much more readable portrayal of his voyages.”—Publisher's Weekly (Publisher's Weekly)

“[A]n accessible and exciting popular biography.”—Michael Fathers, Literary Review (Michael Fathers Literary Review 2011-04-01)

“The life and eventual death of one of the most famous explorers in history is thoroughly dissected and brought to vivid colour in this work, which brings alive conditions at sea in an age when sailors were literally at the ends of the Earth.”—Kent on Saturday (Kent on Saturday 2011-05-28)

“[An] elegant and intriguing biography”—Ross Fitzgerald, Sydney Morning Herald (Ross Fitzgerald Sydney Morning Herald 2011-07-23)

“A thorough and absorbing account”—Paul Orange, West Australian (Paul Orange West Australian 2011-08-06)

Edition details

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0300114214
• ISBN 13: 9780300114218
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 490