An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

381. Captain Cook: To the Ends of the Earth (Part 2)

October 25, 2023

Description

Cook has been sent by the Royal Navy to the Pacific to track the transit of Venus from Tahiti, but also with a second, secret mission: once he’s reached Tahiti, he will go on to search for the...
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Books Referenced

Discoveries

Author: Nicholas Thomas

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as 'his wonderful book, Discoveries' when discussing an alternative interpretation of a Tahitian woman's behavior during Banks's encounter - suggesting she was displaying her tattoo markings as business credentials rather than engaging in sexual exhibitionism

The Voyages of Captain James Cook

Author: Richard Hoff

Context:

Referenced as 'Cook's biographer' when quoting his assessment that killing more than half a canoe load of people to cultivate friendship 'appears to be an unbalanced calculation' - discussing Cook's violent encounters with Maori in New Zealand