Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook

Martin Dugard

Sep 2001 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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, leading three historic journeys that would forever link his name with fearless exploration (and inspire pop-culture heroes like Captain Hook and Captain James T. Kirk). In Farther Than Any Man, noted modern-day adventurer Martin Dugard strips away the myth of Cook and instead portrays a complex, conflicted man of tremendous ambition (at times to a fault), intellect (though Cook was routinely underestimated) and sheer hardheadedness.
When Great Britain announced a major circumnavigation in 1768 -- a mission cloaked in science, but aimed at the pursuit of world power -- it came as a political surprise that James Cook was given command. Cook's surveying skills had contributed to the British victory over France in the Seven Years' War in 1763, but no commoner had ever commanded a Royal Navy vessel. Endeavor's stunning three-year journey changed the face of modern exploration, charting the vast Pacific waters, the eastern coasts of New Zealand and Australia, and making landfall in Tahiti, Tierra del Fuego, and Rio de Janeiro.
After returning home a hero, Cook yearned to get back to sea. He soon took control of the Resolution and returned to his beloved Pacific, in search of the elusive Southern Continent. It was on this trip that Cook's taste for power became an obsession, and his legendary kindness to island natives became an expectation of worship -- traits that would lead him first to greatness, then to catastrophe.
Full of action, lush description, and fascinating historical characters like King George III and Master William Bligh, Dugard's gripping account of the life and gruesome demise of Capt. James Cook is a thrilling story of a discoverer hell-bent on traveling farther than any man.

Ratings and reviews

Having just read "Farther Than Any Man"... I enjoy learning about these historical figures especially from an author that shares a similar passion as the subject. In this case, having known Dugard's personal interest in Adventure and Discovery I looked at this story of Cpt. Cook as having been told by a peers or acquaintance. The writing does not give the feeling that the author would make many unverified claims about Cook's personal thoughts. By referring in the text to letters and personal journals of the subjects, and being clear when he is making personal assumptions it reminded me that leaving a biographical patina in a novel can be quite enjoyable. The book is well suited for reading then discussing with other armchair captains. Debating the morality of these explorers and their various tactics of Discovery.

A fascinating and illuminating study of the man and his singular accomplishments. I had no idea of what Captain Cook actually had done; while America was busy separating itself from Britain, Captain Cook was out there defining its future boundaries (albeit for Britain), mapping much of the coast of Alaska and Canada, Hawaii, and myriad other Polynesian islands. The man was the greatest naval explorer of all time, bar none. Dugard's examination of the explorer is adequate, written like an adventure novel and does not get bogged down in dry examination. Instead, Dugard chooses to examine the character of Cook and offers the high points of his exploits. It is an excellent capsule, but not a comprehensive treatise.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

About the author

Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author of Into Africa, The Training Ground, Last Voyage of Columbus, and The Explorers. He is also the coauthor, with political commentator Bill O’Reilly, of Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, and Killing Patton. He lives in Southern California with his wife and three sons.