Troisième Voyage de Cook, ou Journal d'une expédition faite dans la Mer Pacifique du Sud & du Nord, en 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 & 17780. Traduit de l'Anglois.

FIRST FRENCH EDITION, second state, x, 508 pp., folding engraved frontispiece of the death of Cook, folding engraved map, ink stamps of La Comtese de Berchtold to pp. 310& 319, pages unopened, text block uncut, original blue paper wrappers, slightly chipped, slight loss to spine foot, paper label with number “110” to spine, 8vo, Paris, for Pissot… Laporte, 1782.

The first full account in French of Cook’s third voyage, with an important description of the Death of Cook in Hawaii.

This work is attributed to Lieutenant John Rickman, who served on Cook’s last voyage to the Pacific Ocean. This account was based on the elicit copy of Cook’s journal that Rickman managed to retain, despite the Admiralty’s orders that all logs, journals, maps and illustrations should be handed over to Captain King and sealed.

Due to this, the work was published anonymously in 1781, predating the official account by more than two years. The English version was followed by a German translation the same year, this French edition was published the following year.

“The text, especially as regards details of Cook’s death, differs considerably from other accounts.” Hill

[Beddie 1611; Hill 1453]