A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean;

First octavo edition of the Third Voyage. The first octavo edition of Cook's Third Voyage bound in lovely full polished calf. Published the same year as the quarto edition the text is slightly abridged, omitting some technical navigation material, and the plates and maps are re-engraved in smaller format for this edition. Rare to find in this condition.

Cook's third and final voyage was an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage with a remarkable crew including William Bligh, George Vancouver, and James Burney. After calling at Tasmania and New Zealand Cook sailed north, discovering Christmas Island and the Sandwich Islands, later to be named the Hawaiian Islands. Cook charted the American west coast from Northern California through the Bering Strait before being stopped by pack ice at latitude 70° 44'. It was whilst wintering over at Hawaii that he was killed in a fracas with locals over a boat.

First 8vo edition, 4 vols, 8vo (21.5 x 13.5 cm); 49 copper-engraved plates including portrait of Captain James Cook as frontispiece and a folding plate titled 'The Death of Captain James Cook', 2 folding maps, small tear to fold of large map without loss; contemporary full polished calf, contrasting green and red gilt lettering pieces to spines, a touch of bumping to corners, a lovely fine set with the large folding map not always present; xii, 370; xii, 359; xii, 400; xii, 310, [36], [24]pp.

Beddie 1545; Forbes 69; Hill 362.