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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780312422608 |
Powells.com Staff Pick
In a highly entertaining adventure, Tony Horwitz rides the wake of Captain James Cook, recreating the history of his pioneering voyages, the stories of his island landings, and the lasting impact his contact had on the indigenous populations. Accompanied by his comic sidekick, Roger, Horwitz visits many of the places Cook landed, meeting with locals to get their view of Cook's lasting legacy. If you enjoy the writing of Bill Bryson, you'll appreciate the history and levity of this wonderful book. Michal Drannen, Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Captain James Cook's three epic journeys in the 18th century were the last great voyages of discovery. His ships sailed 150,000 miles, from the Artic to the Antarctic, from Tasmania to Oregon, from Easter Island to Siberia. When Cook set off for the Pacific in 1768, a third of the globe remained blank. By the time he died in Hawaii in 1779, the map of the world was substantially complete.
Tony Horwitz vividly recounts Cook's voyages and the exotic scenes the captain encountered: tropical orgies, taboo rituals, cannibal feasts, human sacrifice. He also relives Cook's adventures by following in the captain's wake to places such as Tahiti, Savage Island, and the Great Barrier Reef to discover Cook's embattled legacy in the present day. Signing on as a working crewman aboard a replica of Cook's vessel, Horwitz experiences the thrill and terror of sailing a tall ship. He also explores Cook the man: an impoverished farmboy who broke through the barriers of his class and time to become the greatest navigator in British history.
By turns harrowing and hilarious, insightful and entertaining, Blue Latitudes brings to life a man whose voyages helped create the 'global village' we know today.
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Synopsis:
Synopsis:
Two centuries after James Cook's epic voyages of discovery, Tony Horwitz takes readers on a wild ride across hemispheres and centuries to recapture the Captain’s adventures and explore his embattled legacy in today’s Pacific. Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Confederates in the Attic, works as a sailor aboard a replica of Cook’s ship, meets island kings and beauty queens, and carouses the South Seas with a hilarious and disgraceful travel companion, an Aussie named Roger. He also creates a brilliant portrait of Cook: an impoverished farmboy who became the greatest navigator in British history and forever changed the lands he touched. Poignant, probing, antic, and exhilarating, Blue Latitudes brings to life a man who helped create the global village we inhabit today.
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Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780312422608
- Subtitle:
- Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Picador USA
- Location:
- New York
- Subject:
- General
- Subject:
- Adventurers & Explorers
- Subject:
- Oceania
- Subject:
- Modern - 17th Century
- Subject:
- Voyages around the world
- Subject:
- General Travel
- Subject:
- General History
- Subject:
- Expeditions & Discoveries
- Edition Number:
- 1st Picador ed.
- Edition Description:
- Revised
- Series Volume:
- no. 275
- Publication Date:
- August 2003
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 480
- Dimensions:
- 8.28x5.58x.94 in. .98 lbs.










