Sea of Dangers: Captain Cook and his Rivals
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Two ships set out in search of a missing continent: the St Jean-Baptiste, a French merchant ship commanded by Jean de Surville, and the Endeavour, a small British naval vessel captained by James Cook. Distinguished historian Geoffrey Blainey tells the story of these rival ships and the men who sailed them. Just before Christmas 1769, the two captains were almost close enough to see one another – and yet they did not know of each other's existence. Both crews battled extreme hardships but also experienced the euphoria of 'discovering' new lands. Sea of Dangers is the most revealing narrative so far written of Cook's astonishing voyage. It also casts new light on the little-known journey by de Surville; Blainey argues that he was in the vicinity of Sydney Harbour months before Cook arrived.
'A master storyteller's account of the way fantasy and rumour have driven science and exploration' - Weekend Australian
'Blainey's characteristic curiosity raises new questions about Cook and his reputation' - The Age
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Renowned Australian historian Blainey (A Short History of the World) homes in on a detailed account of the 1768 1771 exploratory voyage of English navigator Capt. James Cook and the contemporaneous voyage of the rival French captain Jean de Surville through the same previously uncharted waters. Each hoped to find "David Land," a continent thought to lie in waters between New Zealand and South America rumored to have a Jewish colony and be rich in gold and natural resources. Blainey, a good storyteller, focuses primarily on Cook, recreating a compelling, sometimes minute-to-minute account of the historic voyage. The recounting of the near loss of the aptly named Endeavour on Australia's Great Barrier Reef is gripping. His descriptions of the conditions the sailors faced (tropical diseases and scurvy take a tremendous toll) are harrowing in their exactitude and his accounts of how Cook and de Surville viewed the native populations they met presage how fatally dangerous Europeans were to be to indigenous peoples. Blainey's knowledge of his material and his respect for the skills of Cook and de Surville make this an attractive tale for history enthusiasts. Illus., maps.
