Holding Captain Cook's Voyages in Your Hands

A few weeks back, I made a fortunate discovery.  The Avenue Victor Hugo bookshop (https://avenuevictorhugobooks.com/about/), for decades an icon of Boston literati, had relocated to Lee, New Hampshire, a rural enclave just south of my town, Newmarket. So, this is now where I spend an hour or so every Saturday.  And, two weeks ago, I was delighted to find a compact, travel-size version of Cook’s Voyages (publicized by a number of mariners and writers, including clergyman/author, Andrew Kipis).  

What came into my hands was a Kipis.  First published in 1788 in London, my edition was published in Boston on the 40^thanniversary in 1828.  On the inside cover, several inscriptions remain visible, including one past owner who boldly states “Property of….”.  It is a well-thumbed copy, with watermarks throughout.  Did it accompany a mariner on a voyage, much the way a Delano or Fanning brought earlier texts on board with them?  There were other indications that this was a ‘traveler’s copy’--the very small type and engravings; the simple binding with no title on the spine, and its modest size that fits easily into a palm or pocket.

What worked in 1828 works today.   Having a resource like this small volume on my bookshelf adds immensely to my writing. In moments of forced idleness—afterschool pick-up, awaiting an appointment—I can peruse random pages of Cook’s narrative for my forthcoming book,Eastward of Good Hope: Early America in a Dangerous World(Johns Hopkins University Press).   I had the opportunity include some Cook material in my last book for JHUP True Yankees: The South Seas and the Discovery of American Identity (https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/true-yankees), published in 2014, and look forward to incorporating more into the upcoming text.