H.M. Bark Endeavour

Here, in one accessible volume, is Ray Parkin's highly acclaimed and multi-award winning study of Captain James Cook's Endeavour. This incomparable book is a unique account of a great journey-Endeavour's voyage up the east coast of Australia in 1770-and a remarkable re-creation of the experience of being on board ship. Parkin draws on meticulous research to reveal what the Endeavour looked like, how it sailed, how it smelled, what daily life would have been like for those on board. How many strands of yarn were in the ship's cable? (954.) Did the ship have a lightning conductor? (Yes.) What was the diameter of her main mast? (21 inches.) These details are illustrated by plans and figures depicting the ship's architecture and construction, its deck plan, rigging, sails, armament, boats, cables, anchors and accommodation, all beautifully drawn by Parkin. A composite log of Endeavour's voyage-extracts from journals kept by those on board-is supplemented by an interpretive commentary and explanatory charts. H.M. Bark Endeavour is an absorbing book: discursive, erudite, at times poetic, full of wisdom, insight and information.