Exploration in order to gain knowledge was a key characteristic of the Enlightenment, and it is thanks to Cook and the botanists, scholars and artists who accompanied him that Europeans received the first reliable maps and the earliest images and surveys of the flora and fauna of the Pacific Islands.
This book documents Cook's three voyages and reproduces around 500 ethnographic and natural history items gathered by him and his team. These are supplemented by magnificent paintings and drawings that offer a rare insight into the explorers' euphoric yet curious view of the exotic South Sea landscapes and peoples. Reproductions of original sea charts and navigation instruments add fascinating insight into the voyages.
This catalogue is published on the occasion of the exhibition James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific organized by the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn (28 August 2009 to 28 February 2010). It includes contributions by curators and scholars from The National Maritime Museum, The Smithsonian Institution, the Australian National University, the Universities of Auckland and Hawai'i, and many others.
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