A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean

the currer atlas with early impressions

The atlas of Frances Mary Richardson Currer (1785-1861) with dark early impressions. Currer was an eminent book collector, with a reputation for books in fine condition, and is often described as 'the head of all female collectors in Europe' (ODNB).

'The official publication of Captain Cook's Third Voyage, and arguably the single most important book on the Hawaiian Islands, this documents all aspects of Hawaiian culture at the point of discovery by Europeans. It is a magnificent summation of all the public and private journals, logs, drawings, and other observations made during the course of the voyage and is as an important a record of the exploration of the North Pacific as Cook's first two voyages had been for the South Pacific. It is in fact one of the most important English books published in the last quarter of the eighteenth century' (Forbes).

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 natives over a boat.

Second edition; 4 vols: atlas folio (supplied) with 63 engraved plates & charts (2 large folding) & 3 vols 4to text with, 24 engraved plates & charts, some folding, folding letterpress table, some occasional light toning to plates, bookplates to pastedown and endpaper of atlas; (text) contemporary polished calf boards gilt ruled with gilt roll to turn-ins, spine gilt flat, joints restored, (atlas) half calf to style, marbled boards, overall a very good set.

Beddie 1543; Forbes 62; Hill 361; Holmes 47; Lada-Mocarski 37; Sabin 16250.