The Wide Wide Sea: One of the New York Times Top Ten Books of 2024
Apr 2024 · Random House
Ebook
432
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
*** BARACK OBAMA'S SUMMER READING LIST 2024 ***
*** One of the New York Times Top Ten Books of 2024 ***
*** NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ***
'The story of Captain Cook’s third voyage. Extraordinarily compulsive and fascinating on every page, it combines the satisfaction of a Patrick O’Brian or CS Forester maritime blockbuster with the insights and revelations of a true historian. I felt it somehow told me more about the making of the modern world than any book I had read for ages' STEPHEN FRY, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2024, OBSERVER
From New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, the epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, culminating in Captain James Cook's death
‘An astounding tale . . . recreated in swashbuckling detail . . . Sides delivers it with narrative urgency. The cast of characters is a joy’ Sunday Times
‘An enthralling account of Captain Cook’s final, fatal voyage... An excellent new book’ The Economist
‘A rollicking good read, with a tone that reminds me of David Grann’s recent tale of the 1741 Wager shipwreck . . . riveting’ Daily Telegraph
'Vivid and propulsive' New York Times
---
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach in Hawaii, Cook was killed – beaten and stabbed in a conflict with the indigenous population.
What brought Cook to these final moments, so at odds with his reputation? Renowned for his humane leadership, dedication to science and the curiosity and respect, not judgement, with which he greeted societies that were new to him, Cook had already mapped huge swathes of the Pacific and initiated first European contact with numerous native peoples.
The stated mission for his third voyage was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London high society, to his home islands. But Cook carried secret orders to venture north, to discover the fabled Northwest Passage and chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals. And Cook himself was different on his final, fatal voyage.
Deeply researched and vividly told, The Wide Wide Sea is at once a ferociously-paced, epic adventure and a searching examination of the consequences of the Age of Exploration from a master storyteller.
----
‘Sides has written a riveting book, deeply researched, light of touch and always judicious and full-sailed about an exceptional man’s final extraordinary journey’ SPECTATOR
'A wonderful, visceral yarn and an enthralling read, replete with brilliant detail' ROBERT MCCRUM
PRAISE FOR HAMPTON SIDES
'Enthralling . . . as gripping as any well-paced thriller but a lot more interesting because it is also true' THE TIMES
‘Stunningly vivid’ MARK BOWDEN, AUTHOR OF BLACK HAWK DOWN
'Splendid in every way. . . a marvellous nonfiction thriller' WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘Extraordinary . . . meticulous research shores up a fast-paced narrative’ FINANCIAL TIMES
'Viscerally dramatic . . . spellbinding . . . bold, dynamic, unusually vivid’ NEW YORK TIMES
'Unforgettable . . . a pulse-racing epic . . . a masterful work of history and storytelling' LOS ANGELES TIMES
‘Reads like a first-class epic thriller' TIME
*** One of the New York Times Top Ten Books of 2024 ***
*** NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ***
'The story of Captain Cook’s third voyage. Extraordinarily compulsive and fascinating on every page, it combines the satisfaction of a Patrick O’Brian or CS Forester maritime blockbuster with the insights and revelations of a true historian. I felt it somehow told me more about the making of the modern world than any book I had read for ages' STEPHEN FRY, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2024, OBSERVER
From New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, the epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, culminating in Captain James Cook's death
‘An astounding tale . . . recreated in swashbuckling detail . . . Sides delivers it with narrative urgency. The cast of characters is a joy’ Sunday Times
‘An enthralling account of Captain Cook’s final, fatal voyage... An excellent new book’ The Economist
‘A rollicking good read, with a tone that reminds me of David Grann’s recent tale of the 1741 Wager shipwreck . . . riveting’ Daily Telegraph
'Vivid and propulsive' New York Times
---
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach in Hawaii, Cook was killed – beaten and stabbed in a conflict with the indigenous population.
What brought Cook to these final moments, so at odds with his reputation? Renowned for his humane leadership, dedication to science and the curiosity and respect, not judgement, with which he greeted societies that were new to him, Cook had already mapped huge swathes of the Pacific and initiated first European contact with numerous native peoples.
The stated mission for his third voyage was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London high society, to his home islands. But Cook carried secret orders to venture north, to discover the fabled Northwest Passage and chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals. And Cook himself was different on his final, fatal voyage.
Deeply researched and vividly told, The Wide Wide Sea is at once a ferociously-paced, epic adventure and a searching examination of the consequences of the Age of Exploration from a master storyteller.
----
‘Sides has written a riveting book, deeply researched, light of touch and always judicious and full-sailed about an exceptional man’s final extraordinary journey’ SPECTATOR
'A wonderful, visceral yarn and an enthralling read, replete with brilliant detail' ROBERT MCCRUM
PRAISE FOR HAMPTON SIDES
'Enthralling . . . as gripping as any well-paced thriller but a lot more interesting because it is also true' THE TIMES
‘Stunningly vivid’ MARK BOWDEN, AUTHOR OF BLACK HAWK DOWN
'Splendid in every way. . . a marvellous nonfiction thriller' WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘Extraordinary . . . meticulous research shores up a fast-paced narrative’ FINANCIAL TIMES
'Viscerally dramatic . . . spellbinding . . . bold, dynamic, unusually vivid’ NEW YORK TIMES
'Unforgettable . . . a pulse-racing epic . . . a masterful work of history and storytelling' LOS ANGELES TIMES
‘Reads like a first-class epic thriller' TIME
About the author
Hampton Sides is an editor-at-large for Outside magazine and teaches literary journalism and narrative history at Colorado College. The bestselling author of Kingdom of Ice, Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, and Hellhound On His Trail, he lives in Santa Fe with his wife Anne.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
