The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. VII

What it is

This is the seventh volume of a printed account titled The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, published in 1821. This volume, covering the final part of the third voyage, was written by James King, an officer who took command and completed the official account after Cook died during the expedition.

Why it matters

Because Cook was killed before the voyage ended, the record of his final expedition had to be finished by someone else. This shows how historical accounts of explorers are often shaped and completed by companions and successors, not only by the explorers themselves.

Look closer

• Why might it matter that this account was finished by someone other than Cook?
• What might change in a report written after a leader's death compared to while he was alive?
• What parts of the voyage might be told differently by King than they would have been by Cook?