Kangaroos, forgotten figures and more

In 1768, British explorer Captain James Cook embarked on the first of his three voyages to the Pacific. His expeditions took him to places that had been unfamiliar to Europeans, including Tahiti, Easter Island, New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. While his voyages opened up the landscapes and cultures of the Pacific to a global audience, his actions have been marked with controversy. Regarded by some as a heroic explorer, and others as a colonial invader, Cook’s legacy continues to generate debate.
 
To mark the anniversary of Cook’s first voyage 250 years ago, the British Library has brought together original journals, maps and artworks from all three expeditions, as part of its exhibition James Cook: The Voyages. To coincide with the exhibition, British Library Publishing has released a landmark book, written by the curators, William Frame and Laura Walker. Titled James Cook: The Voyages, the work showcases the treasures from the British Library’s Captain Cook collection. Here, we reveal some of the wonders you can see inside.

The stories from the voyages

Structured around the three voyages, the work offers a detailed insight into the places, people and wider scientific context that shaped the expeditions. Weaving together personal accounts and artworks, the book takes care to interrogate – and provide a nuanced approach to – the European-sided nature of the source material. It explores how 18^th-century European perceptions of non-European cultures have influenced the legacy of the expeditions.
 
However, the book reveals the stories of lesser-known figures that Cook encountered on his travels. Uncover the story and artwork of Tupaia, a Polynesian high priest, who accompanied Cook on his voyage around Australia and New Zealand. While with Cook, Tupaia produced a series of drawings of the landscape and people of Tahiti. His sketch of this Tahitian scene juxtaposes the serenity of the trees with the fighting on the war canoes.

Tahitian Scene by Tupaia © British Library Board​

The book provides biographical information about the leading figures on the voyages, including Cook and the artists Sydney Parkinson, William Hodges and John Webber. The artists recorded the natural landscapes and people they encountered, to be used in the published accounts of the expeditions.
 
In this work, discover the first European drawings of the kangaroo, as sketched by natural history artist Parkinson, and explore the varied landscapes of the Pacific, as documented by John Webber. ‘Webber was very much a skilled landscape artist; his artwork was described almost as picture-postcard drawings,’ Frame reveals.

View of the Harbour of Huaheine by John Webber, 1777  © British Library Board

The book concludes with an overview of exploration in the Pacific following Cook’s death, and poses questions about the voyages’ wide-reaching influence. Detailed, discerning and beautifully designed, this book is a must-read for those eager to understand Captain Cook’s world-changing expeditions.  

Published by British Library Publishing; bl.uk/shop; £25 (paperback). James Cook: The Voyages runs until 28 August at the British Library