Discoveries: The Voyages Of Captain Cook

Nicholas Thomas

Editions

Review

This is an extremely interesting biography of Cook.  Although sometimes irritating and often provocative, Thomas makes a good case for some of his revisions and certainly contributes to a deeper understanding of his extraordinary subject.  His consistent point is that Cook became more and more interested in the islanders he met and troubled by the consequences he foresaw.  Not only was Cook an exceptional navigator but he was also a man of exceptional curiosity, and he was altered by what he came across.  Thomas argues convincingly against the idea that Cook was in some way mentally ill on his third voyage (a view that has been accepted without question since Beaglehole's work).  And by making the worlds he discovered  into active places  rather than passive tabulae rasae, he succeeds in painting a dynamic and complex portrait - while never losing sight of his subject's brilliance. - review by Johnny de Falbe