Captain Cook

Captain James Cook was one of Britain’s foremost naval explorers. Cook made three voyages to the islands of the Pacific where he was the first recorded European to make contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. Having joined the navy as a teenager Cook rose through the ranks before being given his pivotal commission in 1766 as commander of the HMS Endeavour. Walter Besant presents a detailed view of Captain Cook, with a unique look at his family life as well as his fascinating voyages across the pacific. Writing in 1890 Besant’s biography is in itself a historical document, a fascinating insight into Cook at a time when some of the world was still waiting to be discovered. Besant starts his story at Captain Cook’s humble beginnings, working in a shop in a seaside town before running away to sea. He shows Cook’s rise from ship’s boy to Captain and how he learned to navigate across the seas. Through a selection of journals Besant explores Cook’s famous journey in search of what is now known as Australia, his interaction with the natives of the Pacific islands and finally his death after a fight with the Hawaiians. Besant takes the reader on a fascinating journey with Captain Cook across the Pacific, revealing his discoveries, the beautiful Pacific islands and the people who lived there. Sir Walter Besant (14 August 1836 – 9 June 1901) was a novelist and historian. His main novels include All in a Garden Fair (which Rudyard Kipling credited in Something of Myself with inspiring him to leave India and make a career as a writer) Dorothy Forster, Children of Gibeon, and All Sorts of Conditions of Men. The two latter belonged to a series in which he endeavoured to arouse the public conscience to the hardship among the poorest classes of cities. Albion Press is an imprint of Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.