Discoveries

Captain James Cook was one of the greatest sea explorers of all time. His epic voyages charted the islands of the Pacific, defined the coasts of New Zealand and eastern Australia and ventured into both Arctic and Antarctic ice. His men suffered near shipwreck, were ravaged by tropical diseases and survived frozen oceans. They did all this not for conquest but, as Nicholas Thomas's compelling book shows, to map the unknown and chart new territory. Nicholas Thomas draws on twenty years' research into Pacific art, culture, and history to explore the drama of Cook's expeditions. Central to the story is Captain Cook's curiosity. Discoveries re-imagines these encounters for a new audience, overturning the familiar images of Cook as both hero and ruthless colonizer, and exploring the fascinating and far more ambiguous figure beneath.