A voyage to the Pacific Ocean for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere: performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke, and Gore, In the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780. By Captain James Cook, F. R. S. and Captain James King, LL. D. and F. R. S. Illustrated with elegant plates, and a large chart
Four volumes. New York: Tiebout and O’Brien for Benajmin Gomez, 1796. First expanded American edition.
Octavo in 4s (8 1/16” x 4 ¾”, 205mm x 122mm).
Vol. I: a2(–a1) b12 c-d4 e2(–e2), B-E4 F4(–F4) G-3A4 3B2 [$2 signed; –Z2; D2 mis-signed as “C2”, L2 mis-signed as “K 2”, Gg1 mis-signed “Ff”]. 207 leaves, pp. iii-v (title, blank, contents) vi-xii (7pp. contents), 2i 2ii-xxxiv (34pp. introduction), 1 2-370. [=xliv, 370] With 19 engravings: a portrait frontispiece, 17 plates and a folding map (part perished).
Vol. II: a2(–a1 blank) b4 B-Zz4 [$2 signed; –B2, YY2; H2 mis-signed as “Hh”]. 185 leaves, pp. iii-v (title, blank, contents) vi-xii (7pp. contents), 1 2-359, blank. With 16 engraved plates.
Vol. III: a2 (a1 blank) b4 B-Tt4 Ww4 Xx-3E4, binder’s blank [$2 signed; –b2, Dd2, Mm2, Oo2]. 206 leaves, pp. [2] (2 blanks), i-iii (title, blank, contents) iv-x, 1 2-400. With 9 engravings: 7 plates, a folding plate and a folding chart.
Vol. IV: a2 (a1 blank) b4 B-RR4 (RR4 blank), 2A-E4 +4 [$2 signed; –Q2, 2C2]. 186 leaves, pp. i-v (2 blanks, title, blank, contents) vi-xii, 1 2-310, [2] (2 blanks); 21 22-40, [8] (6pp. subscribers, 2pp. instructions to the binder). With 5 engraved plates.
With 49 engravings (of 47 per the directions to the binder) in toto: 46 plates, a folding plate and 2 folding maps (one partly perished).
Bound in contemporary marbled calf. On the spines, six panels divided by gilt fillets. Author and title (“Cook’s Voyage” to voll. 1, 3-4; “Cook’s Voyages” to vol. 2) gilt to red sheep in the second panel. Number gilt to a black oval (voll. 1, 3-4) or a black lozenge (vol. 2) in the fourth panel. All edges of the text-blocks glazed yellow.
Vol. 2 evidently married, and re-backed with the original back-strip laid down. Corners and hinges strengthened. Tanned throughout. Engraved folding map in opposite p. I.xxxiii partly perished (though not called for in the list of plates). Chip to the fore of I.I2 (pp. 57-57), just touching two letters, and to the plate opposite I.161, just touching the sky. Plate opposite p. II.163 repaired verso from ink burn, just touching the image. Folding map opposite p. III.148 torn and crudely repaired. Ex-libris “From the Library of Richard G. Durnin” with mechanical stamps 1740-1743 to the front paste-down of each volume. Ink presentation inscription to the recto of the front free end-paper of vol. I: “George. L. Rice/ from/ Grandma Sawyer.” “Vesty Rolls Book” in ink manuscript to the verso of the front free end-paper of vol. II. Ink pen-trials to the rear paste-down and verso of the free end-paper of vol. IV. Bookplate of Ted Benttinen loose with the set. Presented in a red clam-shell box by the Chelsea Bindery.
Captain Cook (1728–1779) was a seasoned seaman, commanding three voyages, the final of which is described in these volumes. His voyage from 1776–1779 was intended to locate a Northwestern passage, and resulted in Cook and his crew becoming the first Europeans to visit the Hawaiian islands. Tensions rose between the Hawaiian population and the European explorers, spurred on by the burning of fences and wooden icons from a burial site. This resulted in Captain Cook’s murder and dismemberment, leaving some of his body parts for a burial at sea.
This is the first expanded edition of Cook printed in America, preceded by a single volume edition in 1783 and an abridged edition in 1792. In edition to the expanded text which includes the Life of Captain James Cook at the end of volume IV, this edition reproduces the plates from the folio atlas of the 1784 English edition rendering it one of the finest illustrated travel books printed in XVIIIc America. As such they are an integral piece of the American Age of Exploration, and their publication in America around the turn of the century (i.e., just before Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801 and the Louisiana Territory was purchased and explored in 1803) shows a distinct shift from America the explored to America the explorer.
The early ownership marks — particularly the intriguing presentation of the set to George L. Rice from “Grandma Sawyer,” good evidence of women’s role in the book trade — yield frustratingly little. Richard G. Durnin’s earliest publication is the 1954 Mathers of Colonial Massachusetts and the latest a 2006 survey of Books relating to Benjamin Franklin from his own collection. He wrote on American history, particular collegiate history, as well as book history.
From the collection of Theodore “Ted” Benttinen (1948-2023), an MIT-educated oceanographer and explorer who went to both poles on research missions. Benttinen amassed a formidable collection of books of exploration, particularly strong in Pacific voyages as well as in polar accounts. The present volume was lot 60 in the Sotheby's New York 9 December 2024 sale of his library.
Sabin 16251; Howes C729a; Evans 30274.
Item #JLR0709
Price: $3,500