A Journal of a Voyage round the World, in His Majesty''s Ship Endeavour : In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, and 1771, Undertaken in Pursuit of Natural Knowledge, at the Desire of the Royal Society

Full of sharp observations and well-chosen detail, this fast-moving account of Cook's first voyage was published anonymously in 1771, within months of the expedition's return. The author's intelligent interpretations of his exotic environments, and fascination with social anthropology and language, make his anonymity all the more intriguing.

This slim volume, published anonymously in 1771 within months of the Endeavour's return from Captain Cook's first voyage, predates Hawkesworth's publication of Cook's own journal in his Voyages (1773, also reissued). It has been attributed variously to two of the ship's petty officers (Orton and Perry); Sydney Parkinson, draughtsman; his employer Joseph Banks; or the Swedish botanist Solander. The story moves rapidly, with well-chosen detail: mines that 'destroy two thousand slaves yearly', or the brown granite of a communal laundry. The author describes marine animals, Tahitian and New Zealand society, and foodstuffs including a 'large milky farinaceous fruit, which when baked resembles bread' - the breadfruit that Joseph Banks later decided to introduce to the Caribbean, leading to the ill-fated Bounty voyage (Bligh's account of which is also reissued). The author reports making 'considerable progress in learning the language of the country', and concludes with a short list of Tahitian words.