The only colour-plate book relating to Cook's Voyages. The final, and most striking, of the many important books relating to Cook's voyages to be published. The sixteen beautiful aquatint plates are designed after drawings by Webber and were engraved by the artist himself. He produced uncoloured versions of some of these plates during his lifetime, but the magnificent aquatints found here only appeared after his death. The plates include natural history, ethnographic and scientific subjects relating to New Zealand, Tahiti, Krakatoa, Kamchatka, Macao, and Vietnam, including an image of the Discovery and the Resolution beating a path through the ice fields.

Boydell, the publisher, hoped that owners of the atlas to the official account of the Third Voyage would add these to their collection, adding to the title-page: 'these plates form a new series, and are of the same size as those engraved for Captain Cooke's last voyage'. However, the bibliographical puzzle of this handsome book, as described by Forbes and Abbey, would suggest that this might not have been the case. Although the date on the title page is given as 1808, the plates are dated 'April 1, 1809' and printed on paper of varying dates depending on the copy. This copy, for example, has the watermark dated 1805 on the text leaves but has plates printed on Whatman paper with watermarks dated 1819. This reflects early nineteenth-century publishing practices whereby the relatively inexpensive text leaves would be printed at one time, whereas the more expensive plates would be produced in batches as required.

The son of a Swiss sculptor who had emigrated to England, John Webber (d. 1793) was the official artist to Cook's third and last voyage (1876-1880). Whilst the title-page gives his name as James, a memorial tablet put up by his brother Henry reads: 'To the memory of John Webber Esq., who as a draughtsman accompanied Captain Cook on his second [sic] voyage of discovery round the world…'.

First edition; large folio (55 x 43 cm); 16 hand-coloured aquatint plates watermarked 1819, letterpress title, 15 leaves of descriptive text watermarked 1805 (plates II & III described on the same page), some very light offsetting, the very occasional marginal spot otherwise plates clean; later half green morocco, cloth boards, two gilt lettering pieces to spine, small split to foot of upper joint otherwise a fine copy.

Abbey (Travel), 595; Beddie 1872; Forbes 397; Hill 1837; Hocken 35; Holmes 79; Tooley 501.