The Wide Wide Sea

*** 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 Cookâs third voyage. Extraordinarily compulsive and fascinating on every page, it combines the satisfaction of a Patrick OâBrian 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
âAn astounding tale . . . recreated in swashbuckling detail . . . Sides delivers it with narrative urgency. The cast of characters is a joyâ Sunday Times
âAn enthralling account of Captain Cookâs final, fatal voyage⦠An excellent new bookâ The Economist
âA rollicking good read, with a tone that reminds me of David Grannâs recent tale of the 1741 Wager shipwreck . . . rivetingâ Daily Telegraph
''Vivid and propulsive'' New York Times

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On July 12^th, 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 â" 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 Britainâs 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.

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âSides has written a riveting book, deeply researched, light of touch and always judicious and full-sailed about an exceptional manâs final extraordinary journeyâ 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

âStunningly vividâ MARK BOWDEN, AUTHOR OF BLACK HAWK DOWN

''Splendid in every way. . . a marvellous nonfiction thriller'' WALL STREET JOURNAL

âExtraordinary . . . meticulous research shores up a fast-paced narrativeâ FINANCIAL TIMES

''Viscerally dramatic . . . spellbinding . . . bold, dynamic, unusually vividâ NEW YORK TIMES

''Unforgettable . . . a pulse-racing epic . . . a masterful work of history and storytelling'' LOS ANGELES TIMES

âReads like a first-class epic thriller'' TIME