Solid ( )

Easy read. Well written, Dugard brings Cook to life in this book, even if some of the things are embellished slightly...that makes for a good read from the driest of histories. Cook was a very appealing character, until he wasn't. The author's theme of boy commoner to near Admiral in the Royal Navy beat me over the head every time. History that reads like a novel is a fun read and I'll listen to more of Dugard, I'm sure. ( )

This is somewhat shallow history, and a straightforward story. As far as I can tell Dugard simply makes things up when he discusses Cook's inner thoughts and motivations.

> Cook step into his beloved great cabin. He relaxed and felt a fatigue greater than he’d ever known wash over him. As he took a deep breath, Cook was overwhelmed with his responsibilities. His compulsive need to touch every last island and passage, to do it better than any other discoverer preceding him, to rename all those previously named islands so people would know they were the property of James Cook—it was all becoming exhausting. When would it end? he wondered. How much would be enough?

But I still enjoyed it. I particularly liked how Dugard made an effort to give context to the places and people. For example, when Cook discovers South Georgia Island, Dugard spends a page briefly summarizing Shackleton's voyage and how Shackleton sailed in a lifeboat to South Georgia in order to get help. I knew this, and a lot of the context pieces, but it is still helpful to tie things together. Although these Wikipedia asides could be seen as padding, and they are, Dugard never over-does it. And occasionally I learned something. For example, I hadn't known that Vancouver was along on Cook's last voyage.

> in 1792, George Vancouver, the young midshipman on Discovery, would return to those waters and make a circuit of the island’s vast coastline, giving it his name.

> Magellan, Queirós, Tasman, and Drake always seemed as much in a hurry to get home as to explore—but Cook saw things differently.

> He would sail so far south in this brave gamble that only two explorers in history have duplicated the feat since (James Weddell on his trip of 1822–24, and James Clark Ross aboard the Terror on his 1839–43 voyage. Both men accomplished this in the South Atlantic; only Cook pushed as far south in the Pacific)

Captain Cook's rise from farm hand to superstar.
Read in Samoa Jan 2003 ( )

I enjoyed reading this biography while I was in Hawaii. The author definitely brings the Captain, his ships, his time and events to life. The writing was very dramatic and the author may have taken some liberties with historical accuracy to give the book color and drama. I am sure the major points are accurate but I doubt he has sources to verify some of his more colorful conversations and events told. ( )