Cook: The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended!
Review: As a member of the Captain Cook Society (www.captaincooksociety.com) I was asked to review Nicolas Thomas's new book on Captain Cook and his voyages. I found it very interesting indeed.
Thomas is Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and it is the interaction of people with which he is concerned in this book, the interaction between Cook and his crew (including the artists) and the indigenous people they encountered on the voyages. As Thomas explains in his introduction Cook's ". . . life is my lens, for a new look at these formative encounters" with other cultures. Thomas is not so much repeating the well known story of Cook and his exploration; rather he is examining the voyages from an anthropologist's viewpoint, being more concerned with the interaction of new cultures and people, than with the technological, geographical and navigational aspects.
Too often, when you read a biography of a long dead person, it is all too easy to keep in your mind the knowledge of what happens next. Most biographies start with the birth and end with the death. Thomas's book is slightly different in that immediately the reader is catapulted into the year 1767 and the preparations of the first voyage. As the name of the book implies, it is the voyages which tell the story; Cook's childhood and early career serve only as material which the reader is filled in on briefly, to explain how Cook got to be in charge of the Endeavour. Thomas tries to write without the benefit of hindsight, which to a large degree I believe he succeeds in.
I approached this book with anticipation but wondering why, and how, another book could be written on Cook, when there have been so many published beforehand. However, I feel Thomas adds something to the debate surrounding Cook's life as he reviews some of the aspects and events which I thought were set in stone and give them fresh consideration. After Cook's death, he was for a long time regarded as someone who had done no wrong. In recent years this opinion has been reversed, with the third voyage viewed as a trip during which Cook's mental decline is demonstrated.
Thomas considers these differing views and gives it what I consider to be an interesting summarisation. For example, "Cook's third voyage has often been seen as one marked by the growing, indeed the enveloping fatigue of the great navigator. It is supposed that Cook suffered lapses in his abilities, curiosity and decisiveness; more antagonistic commentators claim that he became detached, irrational, and violent. It is not hard to understand why the tale has been told in these terms: we like it when a great character's life exhibits a rise and fall, and may perhaps be seduced by the notion that a colonizer might collapse, like Conrad's Kurtz, into some black hole of his own evil. But Cook's voyages do not exhibit any such trend. Some of the worst violence occurred in New Zealand as early as 1769, when the man was supposedly saner. And the third voyage is marked by ups and downs, not by any sort of downward spiral." (p.376)
Cook's death is also treated in this way, with Thomas stating previous views and dismissing them; "It has been argued that something in Cook snapped, prompting him to shoot, and this led to his death. But there was nothing perverse or anomalous in his behaviour on the morning of 14 February 1779. He had fired, sometimes with small shot, and sometimes with ball, during both his first and second voyages." (p.396)
One assumes academics will produce good books but that you need a dictionary beside you! It was refreshing to read a book which was written by a normal person! Yes, it was clear that the author was an academic but it was an easy and enjoyable book to read. I have only two minor complaints; first, it would have been nice to have had some of the paintings reproduced in colour as the descriptions are so multi-coloured. And secondly, I wish someone would invent a way of snuggling up to a hardback book in bed!

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended!
Review: As a member of the Captain Cook Society (www.captaincooksociety.com) I was asked to review Nicolas Thomas's new book on Captain Cook and his voyages. I found it very interesting indeed.
Thomas is Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and it is the interaction of people with which he is concerned in this book, the interaction between Cook and his crew (including the artists) and the indigenous people they encountered on the voyages. As Thomas explains in his introduction Cook's ". . . life is my lens, for a new look at these formative encounters" with other cultures. Thomas is not so much repeating the well known story of Cook and his exploration; rather he is examining the voyages from an anthropologist's viewpoint, being more concerned with the interaction of new cultures and people, than with the technological, geographical and navigational aspects.
Too often, when you read a biography of a long dead person, it is all too easy to keep in your mind the knowledge of what happens next. Most biographies start with the birth and end with the death. Thomas's book is slightly different in that immediately the reader is catapulted into the year 1767 and the preparations of the first voyage. As the name of the book implies, it is the voyages which tell the story; Cook's childhood and early career serve only as material which the reader is filled in on briefly, to explain how Cook got to be in charge of the Endeavour. Thomas tries to write without the benefit of hindsight, which to a large degree I believe he succeeds in.
I approached this book with anticipation but wondering why, and how, another book could be written on Cook, when there have been so many published beforehand. However, I feel Thomas adds something to the debate surrounding Cook's life as he reviews some of the aspects and events which I thought were set in stone and give them fresh consideration. After Cook's death, he was for a long time regarded as someone who had done no wrong. In recent years this opinion has been reversed, with the third voyage viewed as a trip during which Cook's mental decline is demonstrated.
Thomas considers these differing views and gives it what I consider to be an interesting summarisation. For example, "Cook's third voyage has often been seen as one marked by the growing, indeed the enveloping fatigue of the great navigator. It is supposed that Cook suffered lapses in his abilities, curiosity and decisiveness; more antagonistic commentators claim that he became detached, irrational, and violent. It is not hard to understand why the tale has been told in these terms: we like it when a great character's life exhibits a rise and fall, and may perhaps be seduced by the notion that a colonizer might collapse, like Conrad's Kurtz, into some black hole of his own evil. But Cook's voyages do not exhibit any such trend. Some of the worst violence occurred in New Zealand as early as 1769, when the man was supposedly saner. And the third voyage is marked by ups and downs, not by any sort of downward spiral." (p.376)
Cook's death is also treated in this way, with Thomas stating previous views and dismissing them; "It has been argued that something in Cook snapped, prompting him to shoot, and this led to his death. But there was nothing perverse or anomalous in his behaviour on the morning of 14 February 1779. He had fired, sometimes with small shot, and sometimes with ball, during both his first and second voyages." (p.396)
One assumes academics will produce good books but that you need a dictionary beside you! It was refreshing to read a book which was written by a normal person! Yes, it was clear that the author was an academic but it was an easy and enjoyable book to read. I have only two minor complaints; first, it would have been nice to have had some of the paintings reproduced in colour as the descriptions are so multi-coloured. And secondly, I wish someone would invent a way of snuggling up to a hardback book in bed!

Rating:
Summary: A "Politically Correct" Fabrication
Review: Despite its promising title, this book contains very little historical information about Cook's voyages. Rather, it's a series of vignettes about the supposedly malicious Captain Cook's evil abuse of native peoples. Since the native people encountered by Cook had no written language, they are fortunate that Nicholas Thomas, more than 200 years later, has arrived to invent their points of view. For each encounter, Thomas mentions the historical evidence, discards it, and creates his preferred scenario instead. If you want the truth, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: quite a disappointment!
Review: I bought this book based on the recommendations here; unfortunately I have to say it's been a disappointment, and I feel compelled to write my own review too. While the book is obviously well researched and rich in details, the author interferes too much in the narrative -- I am frankly not very interested in Nicholas Thomas' personal relationship with Cook and Australian history. He claims in the introduction that he wants to stay away from the hero and anti-hero biases, but the whole book is very judgmental of Cook and his crew. In trying to be politically correct in 21st-century terms, the author fails to capture the 18th-century spirit of the voyages. Indeed, he paints a dark, boring picture of Cook that doesn't coincide with the exciting contemporary reception the navigator had in the second half of the 18th century. The style is poor, with long, convoluted sentences that take re-reading to decypher. Most annoyingly, there are several typos of foreign words, which I find unacceptable for a book published by a major publisher -- it shows a lack of attention to detail. I wish I could recommend another Cook biography, but I simply don't know. I can, however, highly praise Diana Preston's newly published biography of William Dampier, _A Pirate of Exquisite Mind_ for those interested in European navigators.

Rating:
Summary: A Disapointment
Review: I was expecting a book describing the sea voyages in some detail, including life aboard the ships, weather conditions, Royal Navy customs, etc. The book has very nice maps showing the voyages, but otherwise deals primarily with the sociology of culture clash between the English and the natives, with much PC and rank speculation thrown in.

Rating:
Summary: The book is extraordinary as well
Review: Nicholas Thomas has pulled off a rare achievement writing a book that will appeal to both those already quite familiar with Cook's three voyages and those looking for an introduction to his journeys.
This is not the classic biographical study of man replete with details about his family and early years. Indeed Thomas barely gives passing reference to Cook's background. The focus instead is not on who Cook was, but what he did.
Cook's 18th century expeditions made him among the first Europeans to explore such exotic locales as New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii (to name but a few). There he chartered islands, collected specimens and had many and various encounters with natives. Unlike those who had gone before, Cook paid the natives lengthy visits, allowing time to establish understanding and communication.
The historians' perspective has shifted in recent years to view European explorers of Cook's time as racist conquerors, given the consequences to indigenous peoples, this view has much merit. However Cook, like some of his contemporaries did not stoop to conquer, nor did he dismiss all people of color as savages. Cook would not hesitate to use force against natives who stole from his ships, but he also expressed admiration for many tribes and envied their happiness. He might even side with them over his own men when disputes arose. It is the fascinating meetings of cultures that make this time period, these types of voyages and Thomas' book so compelling. Cook's experiences, like many others in the years before exploration turned to conquest, were varied. Those that went badly could have tragic consequences, such as the one which claimed Cook's life. Thomas is to be lauded for presenting these meetings in what is at once a detailed and engaging manner.
My only quibble with Thomas' book is the over dependence on quotes from Cook's journals. How indispensable to historians that Cook (and others on his voyages) left such comprehensive journals. What a treat to read some of Cook's own words. But too often the narrative is bogged down by the author's decision to quote liberally, often paragraphs at a time, from the journals. Sometimes telling not showing is preferable.
That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I do not feel that I truly understand Cook, but much more importantly, I do feel that I understand what he did.

Rating:
Summary: An informed and informative biographical recounting
Review: Nicholas Thomas' Cook is no light coverage of historical hightligts, but a seriously informed and informative biographical recounting of the famous ocean voyageur of the 1700s. This is an in-depth result of twenty years' of meticulous research into Pacific history, culture and art. Captain Cook's voyages were to re-defined the known shape of the globe and introduced Europe to new peoples, new animals, and formerly unknown geographical boundaries. Thomas' Cook provides a new generaton of readers with both the positive aspects of Captain Cook's discoveries and the negatives surrounding his impact on native peoples he encountered in the name of king and country.

Rating:
Summary: As viewed from both sides
Review: Nicholas Thomas's vivid, interesting and anthropologically focused book is clearly not a biography of Captain James Cook. I found this a surprise, but as Thomas says in his rather obtuse 40-page introduction we meet up with Cook on these pages already 39 years old. He is about to take the first of his three voyages to the Pacific. The last ends tragically with his death at the hands of the Pacific People he both appear to admire and study. He even forgave them their reported cannibalism when they ate a number of his sister ships crew.

One would like to ask the American publisher (Walker) why they felt the need to change the books title from it's English edition title, "Discoveries: The Voyages of Captain James Cook" to COOK and then add "extraordinary" (although extraordinary they assuredly were). The English title is more apt in conveying Thomas's narrative achievement. For his volume is a compelling overall review and analysis of Cook's discoveries.

Thomas, an anthropology professor uses all available sources to view events from both sides of the beach as he studies, in part, the pacific people's reaction to being visited. Cultural differences and social relationships, even those among the crew and between Cook and the onboard "scientists" are the primary focus of the book. There is very little, if any, discussion of what it was like to live on the ships, and the sailing of them. Or for that matter what drove Cook to do what he did. Although Thomas does take issue with other authors that seem to make an issue of Cook's motive or psychological state. Perhaps making him much more complex than he really was.

Thomas's achievement is that he has expanded his narrative beyond the stoic Captain Cook. For example the first part of the book seems to be more about Joseph Banks, the voyages "scientist". And later by his replacement in the second voyage, George Foster. The roll played by art and the romantic images of William Hodges and Jack Weber. (One needs note that Thomas's narrative on their paintings is often accompanied by the actual drawing on the same page as the text. The book is very finely published and also includes very excellent maps.)

I found it interesting that Thomas ends his book bring the reader to the modern reenacting of Cook's visit to Cooks Town in Australia. The site he had reached to repair his ship after almost being lost on the Barrier Reef. This event is also very humorously dealt with in Tony Horwitz's fabulously entertaining "Blue Latitudes: Boldly going where Captian Cook has gone before" which is a great companion read to learn how the islands are today some 235 years after Cooks landings.

It took me a while to get into this COOK, but eventually I really enjoyed this journey with Captain Cook and those we meet via Nicholas Thomas honest research.



Rating:
Summary: Bile from the bilges
Review: Not the book to buy if you have any degree of admiration for the exploits of Captain Cook. A ready Australian chippiness pervades this anthropological work that seems to present Cook, Banks et al. as insensitive British blunderers impinging disastrously upon the noble savages they meet upon their voyages. An impressive knowledge of the cultures encountered on the voyages is offset by a surprising degree of ignorance about naval procedures coupled with jarring first person interventions and social speculation more appropriate to a Mills & Boon novelette. Throughout, judgements (of which there are many) are presented from the perspective of a 21st century anthropologist. Poor Cook he really should have more of a "New Labour" man - inclusiveness, social diversity, racial awareness should have been his watchwords. But then, endowed with such sensitivity, would he have ever have left Ushant on his port bow?

Rating:
Summary: Might have been great..
Review: The author does a fine job taking us through the three voyages of Cook -- bringing in quotes and material from the journals of the Captain and other participants. It is an easy read. But, the author repeatedly interject "holier than thou" judgements on Cook and the crew. I was repeatedly annoyed with the author's personal opinions and hindsight judgements -- in fact, at times I wanted to bonk the Thomas on the head for being so arrogant.