Lot 30: Captain James Cook (1728-1779) is a complete set of First Editions of Cook's Voyages. This is a ten volume set of books about Cook's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd voyages. This lot is only sort of related to Antarctica, as Cook never did make it to Antarctica. In fact Antarctica was not even discovered until over 40 years after his death. However, his first two voyages had the main goal of trying to find Terra Australis Incognita (i.e. the southern continent that Aristotle hypothesized about in the 1st century).
The volumes on the 1st voyage are called An Account of the Voyages undertaken ... for making discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere. This is a three volume set by John Hawkesworth. The set is a First Edition Early Release.
The 2nd voyage volumes are called A Voyage towards the South Pole, and round the world ... in the years 1772, 1773, 1774, and 1775. This is also a three volume set, although only two are text and one is an atlas volume. This set is by James Cook and is First Edition.
The 3rd voyage volumes are called A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean ... for making discoveries in the northern hemisphere (this voyage does not related to looking for Terra Australis Incognita, but rather a Northwest Passage). This is a four volume set (3 text, 1 atlas) by James Cook and Captain James King. It is also a First Edition.
The complete set of Cook's Voyages is being auction off on September 22, 2010 as part of Christie's Exploration and Travel with the Polar Sale. The estimated value is £15,000 - £25,000 ($23,250 - $38,750).
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