Sea of Dangers: Captain Cook and His Rivals in the South Pacific

By Geoffrey Blainey


Captain James Cook has long been enshrined in the pantheon of British naval heroes. Cook had been a highly successful sailor during the French and Indian War, but his fame rests primarily upon his epic explorations across the South Pacific. In 1769 Cook and his crew left England on his initial voyage in the small ship, Endeavour. The ostensible purpose was to observe the transit of Venus. There were also military implications, as traditional rival France was also active in the South Pacific. At the same time, a French ship captained by Jean de Surville left India to explore the same area. While the two expeditions never met, they inadvertently shadowed each other. Blainey, an Australian historian, masterfully recounts these twin voyages in an absorbing, exciting saga. His narrative has a curious duality, as the vast expanse of the Pacific is contrasted with the cramped conditions aboard ships. An excellent work of popular history that recounts the exploits of men who dramatically expanded our knowledge of the globe.

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