A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean. Illustrated with Charts.

BURNEY, Capt. James.

$15,000.00

Item Number: 117105

London: Printed by Luke Hansard, 1803.

Rare first edition of “the most important general history of early South Seas discoveries, containing practically everything of importance on the subject; collected from all sources, with the most important remarks concerning them. Many of the early voyages to California would be inaccessible were they not collected herein” (Hill). Quarto, 5 volumes bound in full calf with red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, botanical ruling stamped in blind to the front and rear panels, marbled endpapers. Containing 28 engraved maps (15 folding), 13 plates (1 folding), woodcut illustrations throughout text. In near fine condition. Perforated library stamps to the title pages. Rare and desirable, published in a format intended to complement Cook’s Voyages on the library shelf.

James Burney accompanied Cook as on his second and third scientific voyages aboard the HMS Endeavor and HMS Resolution and witnessed Cook's killing in Hawaii in 1779. He reached the rank of captain, but his repeated acts of insubordination and openly republican political views soon ended his naval career and forced him into retirement where he turned to writing, the profession of both his father, Charles Burney, and sister, Frances. Burney's first work was as ghost writer of William Bligh's A Voyage to the South Sea in HMS Bounty (1792), he later wrote two books on naval voyages and a third on the game of whist. His Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea contains accounts of nearly every expedition made by Europeans into the Pacific Ocean, from its earliest discovery by the Portuguese explorers António de Abreu and Francisco Serrão in 1512 to the Voyage of Sir Francis Drake in 1579.