Captain Cook:the Seamen's Seaman by Alan. Villiers this is a biography of the 18th century British explorer, he is best known for discovering Australia. There isn't much here about his early life this appears to be due to a lack of sources. The personal papers of Cook such as they were destroyed by his wife after his death. This means that his personality must be described through others and through his rather sterile official documents. This unfortunately makes the biography rather lifeless in places.
Villiers spends most of his time with the three voyages of discovery. He had done some sailing in a comparable vessel in the 20th century so he is able to provide some insights. This is geared towards a popular audience so various technical jargon is defined. The explanations are clear and I did learn something. The book concludes with a brief description of sailing vessels of the era and a further reading section.
Recommended.
Is available through Abebooks.
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