The British Empire has long been famous for its sailors and naval commanders, dashing pirates and fighting admirals: Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, William Dampier, Horatio Nelson, Henry Hudson, William Baffin, Matthew Flinders... you can’t count them all. But undoubtedly the greatest of them is Captain James Cook (1728-1779). In just ten and a half years (1768-1779), James Cook circumnavigated the globe three times, discovered hundreds of islands, including the pearl of Hawaii, and “closed” one mythical continent – the Southern Continent. He was the first - and five times - to cross the Antarctic Circle, laying the foundation for the colonization of New Zealand, Australia and many other territories by the British Empire. The natural scientists of his expeditions discovered, studied, described and sketched hundreds of species of animals and plants previously unknown to science. Unlike Cook did not massacre the native population of the Spanish conquerors (although he sometimes took hostages for very unimportant reasons). But in the end, unable to withstand the monstrous tension, he snapped once: he ordered their king to be taken hostage for a boat stolen by the aborigines, and then shot at the crowd defending their ruler. But the aborigines did not eat Cook! Considering him the incarnation of the god Lono, after the death of the navigator, they gave him the highest posthumous honors: they dismembered him and dismantled him for souvenirs... There is no longer a British Empire. Many of the species of fauna and flora discovered by Cook's scientists were destroyed. Most of the natives were driven out or died out from diseases introduced by Europeans. The descendants of the survivors became inhabitants of reservations, rickshaw pullers, prostitutes, tour guides, foreign ministers of their independent states. But Cook's diaries have survived - a meticulous account of how all these marines, midshipmen, ship doctors, natives lived, worked, had fun, rebelled and were pacified princes and their cheerful thieving subjects. Thanks to the stern, lonely, unsociable captain, they gained immortality. The book publishes the diary of James Cook relating to the First circumnavigation of the world (1768-1771), during which Oceania, New Zealand and Australia were explored. Electronic publication includes all the texts of the paper book and basic illustrative material. But for true connoisseurs of exclusive publications, we recommend a gift classic book. In it, the visual range complementing the narrative is represented by hundreds of black-and-white and color ancient paintings and drawings that will introduce the domestic reader to the population, landscapes, flora and fauna of the places that were visited by the First Around the World Expedition of J. Cook. The publication is printed on beautiful offset paper and elegantly designed. This edition, like all the books in the “Great Travels” series, will adorn any, even the most sophisticated library, and will be a wonderful gift for both young readers and discerning bibliophiles.