During Charles Darwin's 1831-6 voyage on the Beagle, his on-board library included 'Cook's voyages' (the edition is not specified). This illustrated 1821 edition, in seven volumes, is representative of the versions available in the early nineteenth century. Volumes 5-7 cover the third Pacific voyage of James Cook (1728-79), which began in July 1776. Volume 7, written by James King (1750-84), Cook's astronomer and second lieutenant, first describes the events leading up to Cook's violent death, and its aftermath. In March 1779 the expedition sailed for Kamchatka to continue exploring the north...