Science and Exploration in the Pacific: European Voyages to the Southern Oceans in the Eighteenth Century

The exploration of the Pacific in the eighteenth century by western Europeans has an enduring fascination for both specialists and a wider public. Within this field, Cook's voyages have a particular appeal: they include exciting elements of danger, scientific investigation, encounters between different cultures. The essays in this volume, the result of a conference held in 1997 by the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Society, take as their point of departure Cook's first voyage in the Endeavour (1768-71); they re-evaluate its political and social context, look at the expectations and outcomes of the event, and focus on the scientific and cultural issues emerging from this and subsequent Pacific voyages.Dr MARGARETTE LINCOLN is Director of Research at the National Maritime Museum. Contributors: GLYNDWR WILLIAMS, ALAN FROST, JOHN GASCOIGNE, WAYNE ORCHISTON, DONALD C. CUTTER, NIGEL RIGBY, PETER GATHERCOLE, DAVID TURNBULL, HAROLD B. CARTER, NEIL RENNIE, ROD EDMOND, MARKMAN ELLIS, NEIL HEGARTY, JACKIE HUGGINS