“Hampton Sides, an acclaimed master of the nonfiction narrative, has taken on Cook’s story and retells it for the 21st century.”—Los Angeles Times
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?
Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.
Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.
At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.
“Hampton Sides, an acclaimed master of the nonfiction narrative, has taken on Cook’s story and retells it for the 21st century.”—Los Angeles Times
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?
Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.
Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.
At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.
Critiques-
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November 1, 2023
Award-winning and best-selling Sides (On Desperate Ground; In the Kingdom of Ice; Ghost Soldiers) turns his attention to Captain James Cook, his last sailing, and his death in Hawai'i. Sides uses Cook, a key figure in the Age of Exploration, not just to proffer a biography or an adventure saga but also to consider the still-reverberating impacts of the European voyages. Prepub Alert.
Copyright 2023 Library Journal
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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February 1, 2024
The best-selling Sides (On Desperate Ground, 2018) tackles the somewhat controversial topic of contact between European explorers and Indigenous peoples through the life and exploits of the great British navigator and cartographer James Cook in this adventure of the high seas. Cook set sail from London in July 1776 with the objectives of returning a Polynesian man to his home islands after an extended stay in England and exploring the Pacific coast of North America in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. Sides has an impressive knack for immersing the reader in the realities of seafaring, from the miseries of vermin, disease, and accidental deaths to the need for supplies and repairs on Cook's vessels--all expertly contrasted with the exhilaration of reaching new and different locales. Sides proceeds objectively, describing the voyage as it was while also providing an historical context and current scholarly arguments surrounding the effects of European exploration. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, The Wide Wide Sea will delight readers new to the topic as well as those versed in earlier looks at James Cook and his milieu.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Starred review from February 5, 2024
Bestseller Sides (On Desperate Ground) recreates in this propulsive account the final expedition of Captain James Cook (1728–1779), which culminated with his murder by native Hawaiians. Diving into the long-standing mystery of what went wrong, Sides spins an observation made by previous chroniclers—that “on his final voyage something wasn’t quite right with the famous captain... his personality had definitely changed”—into a sidelong indictment of imperialism. Tracing Cook’s transformation from toast of the Enlightenment, a heroic “mariner-scientist” who ferried naturalists around the world and made friends with Natives, to violent authoritarian who dispensed brutal punishments for minor infractions, like theft of supplies, against Indigenous communities as well as his crew, Sides eschews the conventional “medical” explanation of Cook’s “profoundly changed... outlook.” Instead, Sides insinuates, the “sinister force pulling at his psyche and his soul” was Cook’s growing conviction—heightened by increasingly frequent signs that Spanish vessels were exploring the same territories in the Pacific—that he must be more ruthless in claiming new land for Britain. With an admirably light touch, Sides teases out his convincing thesis amid a riveting day-by-day narrative of the voyage and fascinating asides on such matters as the fierce anthropological debate over whether the Hawaiians really considered Cook to be the god Lono. This exquisitely crafted and novelistic portrait of the mercurial captain enthralls. -
February 1, 2024
An acclaimed historian takes to the sea in this rousing tale of exploration. Sides, author of Hellhound on His Trail and Ghost Soldiers, writes that James Cook's (1728-1779) voyages "form a morally complicated tale that has left a lot for modern sensibilities to unravel and critique." The author seeks to "describe what happened during his consequential, ambitious, and ultimately tragic final voyage," with 180 people on two ships--the Discovery and the Resolution, captained by William Bligh--that embarked in July 1776. Along with a wide range of animals, leaving with Cook was Mai, a Tahitian whose "life story offered a poignant allegory of first contact between England and the people of Oceania." The plan was to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, drop Mai off on an island, claim any new territories, and search for the Northwest Passage. Fortunately, Capt. Charles Clerke, released from debtor's prison, joined the Discovery in Plymouth. Crew members were noticing changes in Cook's demeanor. They reached Cape Town in October, rested, and repaired and restocked. After Clerke arrived, they set off in November. In late January, they reached Tasmania and then New Zealand. In August, they arrived at Tahiti, the "place of their wildest desires," and removed most of the animals the king gave them. When a Native islander stole a goat, Cook began destroying canoes and setting fires on Moorea, "punishing the many for the misdeeds of an individual." In December, Cook headed north, eventually reaching America's western coast, Alaska, Asia, and the icy Arctic Circle, making contact with many Natives. His voyage ended in Hawaii when he was killed by angry Natives in a grisly fight. Sides draws on numerous contemporaneous sources to create a fascinating, immersive adventure story featuring just the right amount of historical context. Lusciously detailed and insightful history, masterfully told.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
