Celebrated mariner Captain James Cook set sail in July 1776 to confirm the outline of North America's Pacific coastline and to search for the elusive Northwest Passage. These extraordinary journals--discovered languishing in Australian archives--offer remarkable eyewitness accounts from that demanding voyage. Written by two young officers and particularly noteworthy for descriptions of landings along Hawai'i, Vancouver Island, and Alaska, they describe initial European contact and Cook's dramatic death at Kealakekua Bay. Their pages also include the first reasonably accurate maps of North America's west coast and the earliest comprehensive report from the Bering Sea ice pack.

First lieutenant James Burney, writing one of the few chronicles from the consort vessel "Discovery," provides new details and important, thoughtful impressions of North and South Pacific people and places. Working under the notorious William Bligh, Henry Roberts was Master's Mate on the "Resolution," performing essential hydrographic and cartographic tasks. He was only a few feet away when Cook perished. His logbook includes coordinates, tables of routes, and records of weather at sea, as well as lively depictions of shore excursions.

This lavishly illustrated volume integrates the officers' maps and drawings with images by official expedition artist John Webber, all held by the State Library of New South Wales. Maritime historian and researcher James K. Barnett adds context and commentary to complete the story.

James K. Barnett is an Alaskan attorney who has written, co-edited, or contributed to multiple books and anthologies on Captain James Cook, Captain George Vancouver, and the history of Alaska. He served as president of the Cook Inlet Historical Society in Anchorage from 1998 to 2015, and found these long forgotten journals and images while researching in Sydney nearly ten years ago.

"Interesting from beginning to end]]the geographic orientation toward North America is, in itself, a r