James Cook Popular Books

James Cook Biography & Facts

Captain James Cook (7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, cartographer and naval officer famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia in particular. He made detailed maps of Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Cook joined the British merchant navy as a teenager and joined the Royal Navy in 1755. He served during the Seven Years' War and subsequently surveyed and mapped much of the entrance to the St. Lawrence River during the siege of Quebec, which brought him to the attention of the Admiralty and the Royal Society. This acclaim came at a crucial moment for the direction of British overseas exploration, and it led to his commission in 1768 as commander of HMS Endeavour for the first of three Pacific voyages. In these voyages, Cook sailed thousands of miles across largely uncharted areas of the globe. He mapped lands from New Zealand to Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean in greater detail and on a scale not previously charted by Western explorers. He surveyed and named features, and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps for the first time. He displayed a combination of seamanship, superior surveying and cartographic skills, physical courage, and an ability to lead men in adverse conditions. During his third voyage in the Pacific, Cook encountered the Hawaiian islands in 1779. He was killed while attempting to take hostage Kalaniʻōpuʻu, chief of the island of Hawaii. He left a legacy of scientific and geographical knowledge that influenced his successors well into the 20th century, and numerous memorials worldwide have been dedicated to him. He remains controversial as an enabler of British colonialism and for his occasionally violent encounters with indigenous peoples. Early life and family James Cook was born on 7 November [O.S. 27 October] 1728 in the village of Marton in the North Riding of Yorkshire and baptised on 14 November (N.S.) in the parish church of St Cuthbert, where his name can be seen in the church register. He was the second of eight children of James Cook (1693–1779), a Scottish farm labourer from Ednam in Roxburghshire, and his locally born wife, Grace Pace (1702–1765), from Thornaby-on-Tees. In 1736, his family moved to Airey Holme farm at Great Ayton, where his father's employer, Thomas Skottowe, paid for him to attend the local school. In 1741, after five years' schooling, he began work for his father, who had been promoted to farm manager. Despite not being formally educated, he became capable in mathematics, astronomy and charting by the time of his Endeavour voyage. For leisure, he would climb a nearby hill, Roseberry Topping, enjoying the opportunity for solitude.In 1745, when he was 16, Cook moved 20 miles (32 km) to the fishing village of Staithes, to be apprenticed as a shop boy to grocer and haberdasher William Sanderson. Historians have speculated that this is where Cook first felt the lure of the sea while gazing out of the shop window. After 18 months, not proving suited for shop work, Cook travelled to the nearby port town of Whitby to be introduced to Sanderson's friends John and Henry Walker. The Walkers, who were Quakers, were prominent local ship-owners in the coal trade. Their house is now the Captain Cook Memorial Museum. Cook was taken on as a merchant navy apprentice in their small fleet of vessels, plying coal along the English coast. His first assignment was aboard the collier Freelove, and he spent several years on this and various other coasters, sailing between the Tyne and London. As part of his apprenticeship, Cook applied himself to the study of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, navigation and astronomy – all skills he would need one day to command his own ship.His three-year apprenticeship completed, Cook began working on trading ships in the Baltic Sea. After passing his examinations in 1752, he soon progressed through the merchant navy ranks, starting with his promotion in that year to mate aboard the collier brig Friendship. In 1755, within a month of being offered command of this vessel, he volunteered for service in the Royal Navy, when Britain was re-arming for what was to become the Seven Years' War. Despite the need to start back at the bottom of the naval hierarchy, Cook realised his career would advance more quickly in military service and entered the Navy at Wapping on 17 June 1755.Cook married Elizabeth Batts, the daughter of Samuel Batts, keeper of the Bell Inn in Wapping and one of his mentors, on 21 December 1762 at St Margaret's Church, Barking, Essex. The couple had six children: James (1763–1794), Nathaniel (1764–1780, lost aboard HMS Thunderer which foundered with all hands in a hurricane in the West Indies), Elizabeth (1767–1771), Joseph (1768–1768), George (1772–1772) and Hugh (1776–1793, who died of scarlet fever while a student at Christ's College, Cambridge). When not at sea, Cook lived in the East End of London. He attended St Paul's Church, Shadwell, where his son James was baptised. Cook has no direct descendants – all of his children died before having children of their own. Start of Royal Navy career Cook's first posting was with HMS Eagle, serving as able seaman and master's mate under Captain Joseph Hamar for his first year aboard, and Captain Hugh Palliser thereafter. In October and November 1755, he took part in Eagle's capture of one French warship and the sinking of another, following which he was promoted to boatswain in addition to his other duties. His first temporary command was in March 1756 when he was briefly master of Cruizer, a small cutter attached to Eagle while on patrol.In June 1757 Cook formally passed his master's examinations at Trinity House, Deptford, qualifying him to navigate and handle a ship of the King's fleet. He then joined the frigate HMS Solebay as master under Captain Robert Craig. Canada During the Seven Years' War, Cook served in North America as master aboard the fourth-rate Navy vessel HMS Pembroke. With others in Pembroke's crew, he took part in the major amphibious assault that captured the Fortress of Louisbourg from the French in 1758, and in the siege of Quebec City in 1759. Throughout his service he demonstrated a talent for surveying and cartography and was responsible for mapping much of the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River during the siege, thus allowing General Wolfe to make his famous stealth attack during the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham.Cook's surveying ability was also put to use in mapping the jagged coast of Newfoundland in the 1760s, aboard HMS Grenville. He surveyed the northwest stretch in 1763 and 1764, the south coast between the Burin Peninsula and Cape Ray in 1765 and 1766, and the west coast in 1767. At thi.... Discover the James Cook popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Cook books.

Best Seller James Cook Books of 2024

  • A Bitter Feast synopsis, comments

    A Bitter Feast

    Deborah Crombie

    A Bitter Feast has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

  • Meat synopsis, comments

    Meat

    James Peterson

    Meat: A Kitchen Education is awardwinning author James Peterson’s guide for carnivores, with more than 175 recipes and 550 photographs that offer a full range of meat and poultry c...

  • Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking synopsis, comments

    Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

    Anya Von Bremzen

    A James Beard Awardwinning writer captures life under the Red socialist banner in this wildly inventive, tragicomic memoir of feasts, famines, and three generations  “Delicio...

  • Cooking at Home synopsis, comments

    Cooking at Home

    David Chang & Priya Krishna

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The founder of Momofuku cooks at home . . . and that means mostly ignoring recipes, using tools like the microwave, and taking inspiration from his mom t...

  • Where Cooking Begins synopsis, comments

    Where Cooking Begins

    Carla Lalli Music

    JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER  PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER  GOOP COOKBOOK CLUB PICK NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New Yorker Food52 Library Journ...

  • How to Lead synopsis, comments

    How to Lead

    David M. Rubenstein

    The New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal BestsellerThe essential leadership playbook. Learn the principles and guiding philosophies of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Ruth Bade...

  • Fatally Flaky synopsis, comments

    Fatally Flaky

    Diane Mott Davidson

    Fatally Flaky has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

  • Farther Than Any Man synopsis, comments

    Farther Than Any Man

    Martin Dugard

    James Cook never laid eyes on the sea until he was in his teens. He then began an extraordinary rise from farmboy outsider to the hallowed rank of captain of the Royal Navy, leadin...

  • Sea of Glory synopsis, comments

    Sea of Glory

    Nathaniel Philbrick

    "A treasure of a book."David McCulloughThe harrowing story of a pathbreaking naval expedition that set out to map the entire Pacific Ocean, dwarfing Lewis and Clark with its discov...

  • Flour Water Salt Yeast synopsis, comments

    Flour Water Salt Yeast

    Ken Forkish

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Portland’s most acclaimed and beloved baker comes this musthave baking guide, featuring recipes for worldclass breads and pizzas and a variety of sc...

  • Captain James Cook synopsis, comments

    Captain James Cook

    Rob Mundle

    A biography that puts you on the quarterdeck with history's greatest sailorCaptain James Cook is one of the greatest maritime explorers in world history. Over three remarkable voya...

  • On Food and Cooking synopsis, comments

    On Food and Cooking

    Harold McGee

    A kitchen classic for over 35 years, and hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible which food lovers and pro...

  • The Korean Vegan Cookbook synopsis, comments

    The Korean Vegan Cookbook

    Joanne Lee Molinaro

    THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST NEW COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Epicurious EATER Stained Page Infatuation Spruce Eats Publisher’s Weekly Food52 Tor...

  • Medium Raw synopsis, comments

    Medium Raw

    Anthony Bourdain

    Medium Raw has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

  • Crust and Crumb synopsis, comments

    Crust and Crumb

    Peter Reinhart

    The heart and soul of classic bread baking, from master baker Peter ReinhartFrom wholewheat, sourdough, and rye to pita, focaccia, and naan, this classic cookbook from expert baker...

  • My Life in France synopsis, comments

    My Life in France

    Julia Child & Alex Prud'homme

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER  Julia's story of her transformative years in France in her own words is "captivating ... her marvelously distinctive voice is present on every page.”...

  • The Cooking Gene synopsis, comments

    The Cooking Gene

    Michael W. Twitty

    The Cooking Gene has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

  • The Flavor Bible synopsis, comments

    The Flavor Bible

    Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page

    Widely hailed as one of the most influential cookbooks of all time, this is the timeless classic guide to culinary creativity and flavor exploration, based on the wisdom of the wor...

  • I Cook in Color synopsis, comments

    I Cook in Color

    Asha Gomez & Martha Hall Foose

    Expand your recipe collection with dishes that focus on crosscultural flavors, rainbows of vegetables, gemtoned desserts, and spiceforward twists from the author of the critically ...

  • A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook synopsis, comments

    A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook

    David Samwell

    The Captain James Cook was a legend in his own time and his tragic death in February 1779 forever assured his place in nautical history. However, exactly how his demise in the Hawa...

  • The New Midwestern Table synopsis, comments

    The New Midwestern Table

    Amy Thielen

    Minnesota native Amy Thielen, host of Heartland Table on Food Network, presents 200 recipes that herald a revival in heartland cuisine in this James Beard Awardwinning cookbook.Amy...

  • Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers synopsis, comments

    Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers

    Moosewood Collective

    The Moosewood Collective goes back to basics with Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers to deliver more than 175 fresh, imaginative, and quickly prepared dishes for the weeknight...

  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat synopsis, comments

    Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

    Samin Nosrat

    More than 1 million copies sold New York Times bestseller Winner of the James Beard Award and multiple IACP Cookbook Awards Available as a Netflix series Transform how you prep,...

  • Blue Latitudes synopsis, comments

    Blue Latitudes

    Tony Horwitz

    In an exhilarating tale of historic adventure, the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Confederates in the Attic retraces the voyages of Captain James Cook, the Yorkshire farm boy who ...

  • Vegetable Literacy synopsis, comments

    Vegetable Literacy

    Deborah Madison

    In her latest cookbook, Deborah Madison, America's leading authority on vegetarian cooking and author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, reveals the surprising relationships betwe...

  • James Cook synopsis, comments

    James Cook

    Peter FitzSimons

    The name Captain James Cook is one of the most recognisable in Australian history an almost mythic figure who is often discussed, celebrated, reviled and debated. But who was the ...

  • Jerusalem synopsis, comments

    Jerusalem

    Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

    A collection of 120 recipes exploring the flavors of Jerusalem from the New York Times bestselling author of Plenty, one of the most lauded cookbooks of 2011. This...

  • For You Mom, Finally synopsis, comments

    For You Mom, Finally

    Ruth Reichl

    Bestselling author Ruth Reichl examines her mother's lifeand gives voice to the unarticulated truths of a generation of exceptional women A former New York Times restaurant crit...

  • Scandal Above Stairs synopsis, comments

    Scandal Above Stairs

    Jennifer Ashley

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Death Below Stairs.A mystery of stolen antiquities has Kat Holloway setting aside her apron once again for the intrigues of the upper ...

  • Provence, 1970 synopsis, comments

    Provence, 1970

    Luke Barr

    Provence, 1970 is about a singular historic moment. In the winter of that year, more or less coincidentally, the iconic culinary figures James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Ri...

  • Life Support synopsis, comments

    Life Support

    Tess Gerritsen

    From New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, a terrifying novel of deadly proportions as an ER doctor tries to determine the cause and cure of a fatal and mysterious viru...

  • The Life of Captain James Cook synopsis, comments

    The Life of Captain James Cook

    Arthur Kitson

    A biography of one of the most famous and influential mariners of history of Captain James Cook FRS RN.

  • Salted synopsis, comments

    Salted

    Mark Bitterman

    A James Beard Award–winning field guide to artisan salts, with profiles of 80 varieties and 50 recipes that showcase the versatile ingredient. In Salted, Bitterman traces the ...

  • Grape, Olive, Pig synopsis, comments

    Grape, Olive, Pig

    Matt Goulding

    Grape, Olive, Pig has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

  • Death Below Stairs synopsis, comments

    Death Below Stairs

    Jennifer Ashley

    Victorian class lines are crossed when cook Kat Holloway is drawn into a murder that reaches all the way to the throne.Highly soughtafter young cook Kat Holloway takes a position i...

  • Secrets of a Jewish Baker synopsis, comments

    Secrets of a Jewish Baker

    George Greenstein

    In this James Beard Awardwinning cookbook, George Greenstein reveals 125 recipes for the yeasted and quick breads that have been handed down through his family by three generations...

  • Chasing Flavor synopsis, comments

    Chasing Flavor

    Dan Kluger

    Chasing Flavor has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.