ESTC: T74467. A reissue of the first edition, with an additional gathering of four leaves inserted with the drop-head title ’Preface to the second edition’.

James Cook led three voyages through Oceania from 1768-1780, with the first voyage lasting from 1768 to 1771. The aims of this first expedition were twofold, being to observe the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun, and to seek evidence of the then unknown but hypothesized Terra Australis Incognita. The expedition was the second European voyage to reach New Zealand (and the first in 127 years) and the first known Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia. This second edition came out in August 1773.

The first volume details John Byron's account of the 1764–1766 voyage of HMS Dolphin, Samuel Wallis' journal of the 1766–1768 voyage of the same ship that included the first European encounter with Tahiti, and Philip Carteret's 1766–1769 circumnavigation on HMS Swallow, where some islands including Pitcairn Island were found. The second and third volume concern the first voyage of James Cook, The second volume, lacking here, focuses largely on Tahiti and the transit of Venus. The third volume focuses on New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.

Quartos, volumes one and three only. In Very Good condition. Bound in contemporary calf, later rebacking with new spine. Spine with gilt lettering and tooling. Some light wear and rubbing to bindings. Bookplate to front pastedowns. Volume three with water-stains to upper gutter on pages 49-76 and upper and lower gutter from page 360-end. With all plates and maps in the two volumes as called for. Some folding plates with small tears near gutter.

PS consignment. Shelved case 9