Captain James Cook’s three voyages of exploration to the Pacific between 1768 and 1780 were the first of the great European voyages of discovery to carry professional artists. The Art of Captain Cook’s Voyages contains all the known drawings and paintings done for these voyages as well as a fascinating narrative and explanatory text by Bernard Smith and Rudiger Joppien. Volume III, describing Cook’s final voyages, is of particular interest for its descriptions of the Pacific Northwest of America as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
