The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook (Paperback)

On July 12, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two and a half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawai'i, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiins. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fated moment? Hampton Sides' Bravura account wrestles with Cook's legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science. Yet something was different on this last voyage. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. Whatever Cook's intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. At once a ferociously paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the age of Exploration, The Wide Wide Sea is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.