Cook, James (sold)

This is a fine map shows the explorations of Captain Cook, Captain Byron, Captain Wallis and Captain Carteret in the vicinity of Tahiti and the Society Islands from 1765 to 1769. Extends from Is. Scilly [i.e. the Scilly Islands] in the west and to I. Whitsunday ... (more details)

This is a fine example of the first published map of the Society Islands, composed by James Cook on his first voyage. Consists of the islands of Maurua, Tubai, Bolabola, Otaha, Ulietéa and Huaheine. This group was identified by Cook in 1769, when he wrote in ... (more details)

This seminal 1773 first edition map by James Cook is the first map of New South Wales, Australia. Oriented to the West, the map extends from Cape York, Prince of Wales Island, and the Endeavour Straits to Point Hicks (Victoria). The map is a product of Cook's search for the often speculated upon southern continent or 'Terra Australis,' which scholars from the 16th century on believed, based upon ancient Greek texts, must exist at the base of the world.

After observing the Transit of Venus on June 3, 1769, Cook sailed westward, planning to return to England via the Cape of Good Hope, as he believed the Endeavour would not survive a second trip around Cape Horn. Instead he sailed west, where he hoped to discover Terra Australis. He sailed around New Zealand and headed for Tasmania, intending to follow up on Abel Tasman's work, when gales forced him northward. On April 19, 1770, his second, Zachary Hicks, signed land, what Cook immediately named Point Hicks. While Cook was most certainly aware he had not discovered 'Terra Australis', he did spend several months, from April 19 to August 22, 1770, mapping long sought east coast of New Holland (Australia), what he came to call New South Wales. He proceeded northwards, navigating the coast with great care, naming notable locations along the way.

It is of note that the coasts between Cape Flattery and Weymouth remains unmapped. This area is so full of small islands and dangerous reefs that Cook aptly named it 'The Labyrinth.' Just as he entered this area, near Cape Tribulation, the Endeavour struck a reef. On our map there is a note reading, 'On this ledge the ship laid 23 hours.' Rather than risk his ship further Cook sailed the Endeavour further out to sea, around the perilous reefs, landing at Cape York to officially name New South Wales and claim the land for England,

I now once more hoisted English Coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took possession of the whole Eastern Coast from the above Latitude [38] down to this place by the name of New South Wales, together with all the Bays, Harbors, Rivers, and Island s situate upon the said coast. (Cook, J., Journal, August 22, 1770)

Until this time it was assumed that Australia, or New Holland as it was known, was a barren wasteland, as the Dutch navigators had explored only a small part of the arid western coast. Cook on the other hand, sailed up the fertile east coast, and was impressed by what he saw. It was Cook who recommended settlement and persuaded Joseph Banks to argue for using the remote continent as a penal colony. This map is significant for Australia collectors as the first definitive mapping of the coasts of New South Wales. Cook's nomenclature largely remains in use today. The map notes both Botany Bay and Port Jackson. (more details)

This is a rare 1773 map of the South Pacific issued to illustrates English voyages of exploration in this region between 1765 and 1769, including the voyages of John Byron (1723 - 1786), Samuel Wallis (1728 - 1795), Philip Carteret (1733 - 1796), and James Cook (1728 - 1779). At the time of publication this was the most accurate extant map of this region, unveiling a wealth of new information to curious Europeans. Coverage extends from Sumatra to South America, and from Baja California and Taiwan to Tierra del Fuego, including all of Australia, Polynesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Melanesia, and eastern Indonesia. Tasmania or Van Diemen's Land is notably attached to the Australian mainland. Tracks drawn from ship's original logs detail with precision the routes taken by Commodore Byron and Captain Mouat (1765), Captain Carteret (1767), Captain Wallis (1767), and Lieutenant James Cook (1769). (more details)

This is an important map of the bays of northern New Zealand (Mercury, Tolaga, Bay of Islands, and the Firth of Thames) published by John Hawkesworth in his An account of the voyages undertaken, a 1773 book recounting recent British voyages to the Pacific, including the first voyage of Captain James Cook. The map is based on Cook's papers and sketches and constitutes the first detailed map of these bays. (more details)

This is a 1774 map of the Society Islands - the French edition of the first map revealing the exploration of these islands by then-Lieutenant James Cook during his first Pacific voyage. Now part of French Polynesia, the map shows the islands of Maupiti (Maurua on the map), Tupai (Tubai), Bora Bora (Bolabola),Tahaa (Otaha), Raiatea (Ulieta) and Huaheine. Cook's visit was the Islands' first contact with Europeans; Cook discussed in his journal the naming of the 'Society Islands:

'So call'd by the Natives and it was not thought advisable to give them any other names but these three together with Huaheine, Tubai, and Maurua as they lay contiguous to one another I have named Society Isles .'

Topography of each of the islands is shown pictorially, including reefs, mountains, and valleys. Depth soundings and anchorages are shown for Huaheine, Raiatea and Otaha. Engraved by Bernard for the 1774 French edition of John Hawkesworth's Account of the Voyages…, in which this was contained as Plate 1 in Volume III. (more details)

This is a 1774 map showing the explorations of Captains Cook, Byron, Wallis and Carteret in the vicinity of Tahiti and the Society Islands from 1765 to 1769. The chart extends from the Scilly Islands in the west to Whitsunday Island in the east, and from Tepoto Island in the north to Oheiroa in the south. Each of the circumnavigators' tracks are shown as they tacked through the islands. Tahiti, Bora Bora, Otaha, Marma, Ulietea, and other islands are named and shown. These voyages represented the first recorded European contacts with many of these remote places. (more details)

This is a 1774 map of the South Pacific Ocean, comparing the routes taken during three great circumnavigations of the 18th century: Byron and Mouat's 1763 journey aboard HMS Dolphin and Tamar; the 1767 circumnavigation of Wallis and Carteret aboard HMS Dolphin and the Swallow; and the 1769 voyage of the Endeavor under then - Lieutenant James Cook. To the East, the map shows the coasts of southern Mexico, part of the Caribbean islands, Central America and South America, including Tierra del Fuego and the Falklands. The western extremes of the map include part of China, Cochinchina, and the East Indies as far as Sumatra. Revealed in the ocean between are the late discoveries in the South Pacific, especially those of Cook, which provided the first detailed charting of Australia and New Zealand since Tasman's 1642 voyage. (more details)

Recognized as the most important map in the history of New Zealand, this is the first French edition of Captain James Cook's landmark map of New Zealand. The first map to prove that New Zealand is composed of two islands, Cook's course through what is still known as Cook's Strait separating the two islands, is depicted as well. (more details)

This is the 1774 first French edition of the first map of New Zealand's North Island, navigated by then-Lieutenant James Cook during his first voyage of discovery aboard the H.M.S. Endeavor. (more details)

A highly uncommon chart of the Friendly Islands, or Tonga, from 1777. Oriented to the East, this map depicts the Tongatapu Island Group and the Ha'Apai Group that make up the Kingdom of Tonga. Shows the routes of the Resolution and the Adventure on Captain ... (more details)

A rare 1777 George Forster map of James Cook's second voyage of exploration to the South Pole, from 1772 to 1775. (more details)

This is a 1778 Robert Bénard and James Cook map of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Depicting the islands from the north, the map depicts New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines on the top left and several of the islands in the Vanuatu archipelago, including Espiritu Santo, on the lower right. Discovered during his second voyage, Cook called Vanuatu the New Hebrides, the name that was used until 1980 when the Republic of Vanuatu was established. Cook's route through Vanuatu and around New Caledonia is traced here and there are even references to specific dates where he and his crew landed. Both island groups had been completely unknown to Europeans before Cook's arrival in 1774, although Europeans had 'discovered' Espiritu Santo twice before. A Portuguese explorer sailing for the Spanish Crown landed on the island in 1606, and a French explorer arrived in 1768, but it was Cook's discovery and name that history remembers. (more details)

A scarce 1794 first edition example of the official record of Captain Cook's discoveries in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and the Behring Strait. The map covers the northeast part of Asia and the northwest part of North America from the Sea of Okotsk to ... (more details)

A scarce 1794 map of the southwest coast of Newfoundland, Canada, issued by the Depot de la Marine and surveyed by Captain Cook. This map, the third in this series, covers from Cape Anguille on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, southwards to Channel-Port aux ... (more details)

An attractive full original color example of Henry Robert's 1784 map of the world drawn to exhibit Captain James' Cook's voyages. This is the official chart of the voyages, published with the official account, and when it was issued, was the most sophisticated map of the world yet introduced, exhibiting heretofore unknown discoveries in the high arctic, and elsewhere. Coverage, as the title suggests, is expansive, underscoring the extensiveness of Cook's voyages ranging from the polar extremes to the Equator and circumnavigate the globe. The tracks of all three voyages are noted, with dating identifying important moments and annotations in Cook's journals. (more details)

Offered here is an extraordinary and important map of the Hawaiian Islands (Sandwich Islands) printed by G. Nicol and T. Cadell for the 1785 edition of Captain James Cook and James King's, A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean…in the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, ... (more details)

This is a scarce and important 1785 map of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and the Bering Strait depicting the two expeditions of Captain Cook. It covers the Bering Strait from the Chukchi Sea north of Cape Prince of Wales south to St. Lawrence Island ... (more details)

An important c. 1784 nautical chart or map of the Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound along the Kenai Peninsula, just south of Anchorage, Alaska. It was the product of the third and final Pacific voyage of Captain James Cook, and was published in George William Anderson and Alexander Hogg's A New, authentic, and complete collection of voyages round the world, undertaken and performed by royal authority.... (more details)

This is a 1788 Rigobert Bonne map of the Hawaiian Islands, a result of the third and final voyage of Captain James Cook. The map includes the entire archipelago: Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, and Nihau. The route followed by Cook's expedition appears along with dates. An inset map of the Bay of Karakakooa is situated in the lower left. (more details)

A superb example for Giovanni Maria Cassini's elegantly engraved map of the Southern Hemisphere. The map shows the tracks of all four of Captain Cook's famous voyages, including the return track taken by his survivors after his 1779 death in Hawaii. The map shows Cook's mapping of Australia and New Zealand (from his first voyage of 1768 - 1771) and his circumnavigation of the Antarctic Circle, in search of the still-undiscovered southern continent (Terre Australis). The map is flanked with tables (decorated with birds, beasts and vines) giving the distances between meridians at different latitudes. (more details)

An extraordinarily fine example of Cassini's 1798 map of Alaska, the Bering Strait, and Siberia. Cassini issued this map in his 1798 atlas to illustrate the discoveries made by James Cook. Cook was the first to accurately chart the Alaskan ... (more details)