Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0522850936, Hardcover)

Here, in one accessible volume, is the long-awaited reprint of Ray Parkin's highly acclaimed and multi-award winning study of Captain James Cook's "Bark Endeavour". This incomparable book is at once a unique account of a great journey of discovery - Endeavour's voyage up the east coast of New Holland (Australia) in the year 1770 - and a remarkable re-creation of the experience of being on board ship. Writing for layperson and mariner alike, Parkin draws on meticulous research to reveal what the Endeavour looked like, how she sailed, how she smelled; what daily life would have been like for those on board. No aspect of the ship is too insignificant for his enquiries. How many strands of yarn were there in the ship's cable? (954) Did the ship have a lightening conductor? (yes) What was the diameter of her main mast? (21 inches) Further, these details are illustrated by a series of plans and figures depicting the ship's architecture and construction, her deck plan, rigging, sails, armament, boats, cables, anchors and accommodation, beautifully drawn by Parkin himself. Part two of the text contains a composite log of Endeavour's voyage up the east coast of Australia.