Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

Fun and well-written. Makes me want to go to the places I have not been! ( )

Quite a rousing read about Tony Horowitz's journey to follow Captain Cook. Tony and his friend Roger find themselves on quite an interesting tour of the places Captain Cook ventured to. The story flips back and forth from Captain Cook to Horowitz. While I found the parts where it was Horowitz and friends much more entertaining, I did find some of the Captain Cook parts quite informative. ( )

Excerpts from my original GR review (May 2010):
- I love these epic seafaring histories, and this one about Capt James Cook's three incredible voyages hits the mark too. I equate these explorations to our somehow launching a manned spacecraft into a distant galaxy with no idea of what is to be found. Other than vague suppositions (usually wrong) of land masses, this is precisely what Cook faced.
- The author uses an engaging method in telling the story. He expertly covers the most significant episodes of discovery, danger and human contact among the three journeys, and then alternates within chapters to his present-day retracing of Cook's important landings, in places such as Tahiti, Nuie (pron: New-way), New Zealand and of course Hawaii. He also visits Cook's native North Yorkshire.
- What I most like of the historic narrative is Cook's virginal contact with island peoples who in some cases had not been contacted in centuries! The initial interplay is amazing, as related in the logs of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks and others. Also, the hardships and dangers the crews face make for good reading, such as Cook's miraculous feat of will in delicately escaping the Great Barrier Reef (Chap 6), and his making an historic crossing of the 71st parallel before hitting pack ice (Chap 8).
-What I like most overall with the present-day narrative is Horwitz's close examination of legacies left from Cook's contact with the "savages", and how the cultures are faring today. He also digs deep in his forays for lasting memorials to Cook, including celebrations, namesakes etc. Plenty of humorous anecdotes. His wanderings are clearly enhanced by the presence of his Aussie pal Roger, always with drink in hand.
- Very well done. I can't imagine a better memorial to Cook's legacy than this book. ( )

Horwitz sets out to trace the voyages of Captain Cook. Blending history with travelogue, he does cover most of the major points of Cook's voyages and also touches on the many controversies surrounding Cook's legacy today. I was a bit disappointed that Horwitz's travel narrative is not particularly personal and engaging.I almost feel he could have written a better book by staying home and simply writing a vivid account of Cook's voyages based on source material. ( )

Excellent narrative which is part travelogue, part history and part humor. Put off reading this for a while which I now regret. Should have read it sooner. The author tells the story of Capt James Cook in such a way that the tale never becomes boring despite the large length of the book. I learned a lot not only about Cook, but also sailing, the Pacific region, Alaska and exploration. Highly reccomended. This is non-fiction writing taken to a high level. ( )