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The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
From New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, an epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution . Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?
Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.
Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.
At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution . Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?
Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.
Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.
At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
March 30, 2024
My thanks to Doubleday books, Hampton Sides and Netgalley.
I love this author when it involves the sea. I don't want to read anything about landlocked anything. For me? It's Mr. Sides and the sea!
And boy howdy, does he know how to make a reader wish for a front row seat! Hampton puts a reader right smack dab in the middle! I love his writing and research.
So. Captain Cook. I can't hate in the man. He did what most any one of us would have at that time. He just freaking explored. Give me a ship and some funds? Hell yes, I'd have been exploring.
Yes, I know it was so much more than that to others, but let's be real.
I'm not going to get into the past or current politics of this. Rest assured, that I think it's all idiotic. That was the past.
Australia was the main country that I'd always wanted to visit, then I heard that it was a 20 hour flight. W.T.F? No. Nope. Hell to the cuss word, and more cuss words and yes, a few more! Whew! I feel better now! So, maybe a ship? Actually, I would love to be in a few weeks voyage to see Australia. Could you imagine? I'd love to swim, and scuba off the western coast. Yes, I know..sharks and crocs. It's a choice I suppose. I'll choose that. That's funny! I'll take the sharks and crocs over a 20 hour flight? Hmm. 😒 Sounds about right!
It's Hampton Sides for fish sakes. Read it!
All the stars!😜
I love this author when it involves the sea. I don't want to read anything about landlocked anything. For me? It's Mr. Sides and the sea!
And boy howdy, does he know how to make a reader wish for a front row seat! Hampton puts a reader right smack dab in the middle! I love his writing and research.
So. Captain Cook. I can't hate in the man. He did what most any one of us would have at that time. He just freaking explored. Give me a ship and some funds? Hell yes, I'd have been exploring.
Yes, I know it was so much more than that to others, but let's be real.
I'm not going to get into the past or current politics of this. Rest assured, that I think it's all idiotic. That was the past.
Australia was the main country that I'd always wanted to visit, then I heard that it was a 20 hour flight. W.T.F? No. Nope. Hell to the cuss word, and more cuss words and yes, a few more! Whew! I feel better now! So, maybe a ship? Actually, I would love to be in a few weeks voyage to see Australia. Could you imagine? I'd love to swim, and scuba off the western coast. Yes, I know..sharks and crocs. It's a choice I suppose. I'll choose that. That's funny! I'll take the sharks and crocs over a 20 hour flight? Hmm. 😒 Sounds about right!
It's Hampton Sides for fish sakes. Read it!
All the stars!😜
April 20, 2024
As I look back to the two other books I've read from Sides, I notice they were both 5 star reads from me. He has this penchant for knowing the narrative style his readers want and crave. He's one of the best out there, so it's interesting to see what topic he's writing about.
His recent foray into exploration writing brings him to the third and final voyage of Captain James Cook. Sides tells you at the beginning that he's not being biased by any means. He is taking written accounts from the western world and combining them with the written histories from local Hawaiian historians and oral histories from the Natives in an attempt to tell the story in the most effective and truthful way possible.
As I remember with In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, Sides treats his true characters like a novel -- not only does the main characters have his or her say, but some of the others are outspoken and described very thoroughly. Sides knows how to tell a story and leaves no stone unturned.
Sides's conclusion brings in hypotheses from historians over the years, but I am left satisfied what he determines as I agree with why Cook was murdered, but will leave the reader of this review to determine it themselves.
Recommended for his on-going fans and new ones alike.
His recent foray into exploration writing brings him to the third and final voyage of Captain James Cook. Sides tells you at the beginning that he's not being biased by any means. He is taking written accounts from the western world and combining them with the written histories from local Hawaiian historians and oral histories from the Natives in an attempt to tell the story in the most effective and truthful way possible.
As I remember with In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, Sides treats his true characters like a novel -- not only does the main characters have his or her say, but some of the others are outspoken and described very thoroughly. Sides knows how to tell a story and leaves no stone unturned.
Sides's conclusion brings in hypotheses from historians over the years, but I am left satisfied what he determines as I agree with why Cook was murdered, but will leave the reader of this review to determine it themselves.
Recommended for his on-going fans and new ones alike.
February 29, 2024
The chances of me not loving The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides were admittedly nil. I rank Sides as one of the best best non-fiction writers today. You also add in the fact he is writing about my favorite explorer of all time in Captain James Cook. Sides looks specifically at Cook's final journey around the world which, if you know nothing about it, is epic. Last year, in 2023, a lot of people who don't usually read non-fiction took a chance on David Grann's The Wager and loved it. Well, it is not an insult to either book to say that The Wide Wide Sea is this year's The Wager. It's only February but this book will be in my Top 5 of the year when it is all said and done without question.
Sides has a gift for taking big stories and making them feel small and intimate. I also already knew he can write an exceptional book about ocean voyages (if you haven't read In the Kingdom of Ice yet, you should rectify that as soon as possible). He added another wrinkle with this book. Before it begins, Sides states that he is going to look at this story with recognition of how some of these actions look to us today. Before you write this book off, this doesn't mean Sides took today's politics and painted everyone as an evil imperialist. Instead, what he provides is context. Sure, a lot of things you will read about would be abhorrent to most people today, but Sides places them in their time and calls out double standards when he sees them.
What I didn't expect was that Sides willingness to look back at Captain Cook with a contemporary lens makes him even more interesting. Cook was (for his time, let's not overstate this) a more compassionate explorer than most. If you put Hernán Cortés on the inhumane side of the scale, Cook is on the other end. That is, until this final voyage. Cook's third voyage shows cracks in his armor and it leads to ruin. I knew how it ended and I was still riveted because Sides is just that good. Make sure you read this book.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Doubleday Books.)
Sides has a gift for taking big stories and making them feel small and intimate. I also already knew he can write an exceptional book about ocean voyages (if you haven't read In the Kingdom of Ice yet, you should rectify that as soon as possible). He added another wrinkle with this book. Before it begins, Sides states that he is going to look at this story with recognition of how some of these actions look to us today. Before you write this book off, this doesn't mean Sides took today's politics and painted everyone as an evil imperialist. Instead, what he provides is context. Sure, a lot of things you will read about would be abhorrent to most people today, but Sides places them in their time and calls out double standards when he sees them.
What I didn't expect was that Sides willingness to look back at Captain Cook with a contemporary lens makes him even more interesting. Cook was (for his time, let's not overstate this) a more compassionate explorer than most. If you put Hernán Cortés on the inhumane side of the scale, Cook is on the other end. That is, until this final voyage. Cook's third voyage shows cracks in his armor and it leads to ruin. I knew how it ended and I was still riveted because Sides is just that good. Make sure you read this book.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Doubleday Books.)
May 5, 2024
There is a growing tendency today to classify works such as this as "popular history". These are works that aim to capture a wider reading audience, rather than works of true scholarly or historical analysis. This classification is accurate for many historical books being published today. Hampton Sides does not quite fit neatly into that category. His books are structured and written in a way to capture a wider audience, yes, but Sides also takes great pains to critique individuals and historical events from a multitude of angles.
In the case of James Cook, Sides considers the natives' perspectives and rationale behind their actions. This is a difficult task given that the Polynesian and Hawaiian historical records have been passed down orally over the generations. Sides is clearly appreciative of Cooks' accomplishments, but this is an objective work.
Sides is also one of the best historians working today in terms of constructing a narrative and telling an incredible story. This is the "pop history" aspect of his work. But it does not cheapen the scholarly quality of this new book either. It's a wonderful work and perhaps Sides' best book to date. If you are new to Sides, this is a great one to start with. Another personal favorite is 'Blood and Thunder'. Easy five stars.
In the case of James Cook, Sides considers the natives' perspectives and rationale behind their actions. This is a difficult task given that the Polynesian and Hawaiian historical records have been passed down orally over the generations. Sides is clearly appreciative of Cooks' accomplishments, but this is an objective work.
Sides is also one of the best historians working today in terms of constructing a narrative and telling an incredible story. This is the "pop history" aspect of his work. But it does not cheapen the scholarly quality of this new book either. It's a wonderful work and perhaps Sides' best book to date. If you are new to Sides, this is a great one to start with. Another personal favorite is 'Blood and Thunder'. Easy five stars.
May 8, 2024
I've known Hampton Sides to be a splendid author of narrative nonfiction, and this is no exception. On the face of it, this book recounts the "discovery" of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook during his third voyage to the Pacific. In reality, it is about Cook; about how his behaviors on this trip differed from those that distinguished his efforts on his earlier explorations.
Sides had choices as to how to approach this material. Much ink has been spilled, as they say, by scholars debating the possible explanations. It would have been easy, and perhaps typical, for Sides to tell the tale and then conclude with an analysis of the various interpretations of Cook's behaviors.
That's not what he's done. He's quietly dropped suggestions as the story unfolds and left it to the reader to draw their own conclusions. I seem to have a fondness for tales, whether fiction or nonfiction, that require that I stretch my imagination and understanding, and I would say this falls into that category.
Cook was a brilliant navigator, an even more gifted cartographer, and something of an instinctive anthropologist. He seemed to have a sixth sense for locating remote islands and for identifying safe havens for his ships to moor, and he was known for his efforts to leave the native cultures he encountered undisturbed.
He was also appreciated as a fair captain who prioritized the needs of his crew and used the lash sparingly. Although he didn't understand the biochemistry of scurvy, he intuitively stocked his ships with foods that countered the outbreak of the disease that was responsible for a 50% death rate on ships with other captains. Cook's men survived.
His achievements in exploration and mapmaking were so highly valued that after his second voyage he was offered a cushy retirement at Greenwich. But when he learned of plans for a voyage with the objective of searching for a Northwest Passage starting from the Pacific Ocean rather than the Atlantic, he insisted on being put at the helm.
He was also charged with the responsibility of returning Ma'i, a young man who had talked his way onto a British ship and spent two years in England, back to his home in the Society Islands. Ma'i's issues become part of this story, and my one criticism of the book is that Sides devotes unnecessary attention to them.
On this voyage Cook was demonstrably less patient with infractions by his crew and dispensed lashings much more freely. His attitudes toward the Pacific Island native populations, once known for their patience and understanding, now tended to be erratic. Minor offenses such as thefts of inconsequential items could trigger a violent temper in Cook and result in destructive acts of revenge.
We can never have a absolute explanation for these changes. Perhaps the circumstances of the voyage - the ship was in poor repair, and he was forced to bring along, and care for, native British plants and animals to "improve" conditions for the islanders - took the edge off his normal adventurous spirit and left him irritable.
Tribes he had encountered previously showed evidence of his visits - their bargaining skills had improved, and venereal diseases had been transmitted from the sailors to local women (and thus the rest of the population). It could be that this disheartened Cook and his volatile behaviors reflected this.
It is certainly possible (and IMO this is the most likely explanation) that his physical or mental health was poor. Although Cook kept extensive journals, they include no reflections on his interior life or his health, and Sides does not attempt to invent any. Cook was buried at sea, leaving no possibility that his remains might be examined for clues.
Sides' description of the events leading up to Cook's death struck just the right tone for me. Not sensationalized, matter of fact, but still communicating a sense of mystery regarding Cook's decisions. These images stayed with me, and I found myself thinking about it well after I'd finished the book.
Were it not for the lengthy descriptions of Ma'i's time in England this would have been an easy 5 stars. Many thanks to Brendan for calling the book to my attention!
Sides had choices as to how to approach this material. Much ink has been spilled, as they say, by scholars debating the possible explanations. It would have been easy, and perhaps typical, for Sides to tell the tale and then conclude with an analysis of the various interpretations of Cook's behaviors.
That's not what he's done. He's quietly dropped suggestions as the story unfolds and left it to the reader to draw their own conclusions. I seem to have a fondness for tales, whether fiction or nonfiction, that require that I stretch my imagination and understanding, and I would say this falls into that category.
Cook was a brilliant navigator, an even more gifted cartographer, and something of an instinctive anthropologist. He seemed to have a sixth sense for locating remote islands and for identifying safe havens for his ships to moor, and he was known for his efforts to leave the native cultures he encountered undisturbed.
He was also appreciated as a fair captain who prioritized the needs of his crew and used the lash sparingly. Although he didn't understand the biochemistry of scurvy, he intuitively stocked his ships with foods that countered the outbreak of the disease that was responsible for a 50% death rate on ships with other captains. Cook's men survived.
His achievements in exploration and mapmaking were so highly valued that after his second voyage he was offered a cushy retirement at Greenwich. But when he learned of plans for a voyage with the objective of searching for a Northwest Passage starting from the Pacific Ocean rather than the Atlantic, he insisted on being put at the helm.
He was also charged with the responsibility of returning Ma'i, a young man who had talked his way onto a British ship and spent two years in England, back to his home in the Society Islands. Ma'i's issues become part of this story, and my one criticism of the book is that Sides devotes unnecessary attention to them.
On this voyage Cook was demonstrably less patient with infractions by his crew and dispensed lashings much more freely. His attitudes toward the Pacific Island native populations, once known for their patience and understanding, now tended to be erratic. Minor offenses such as thefts of inconsequential items could trigger a violent temper in Cook and result in destructive acts of revenge.
We can never have a absolute explanation for these changes. Perhaps the circumstances of the voyage - the ship was in poor repair, and he was forced to bring along, and care for, native British plants and animals to "improve" conditions for the islanders - took the edge off his normal adventurous spirit and left him irritable.
Tribes he had encountered previously showed evidence of his visits - their bargaining skills had improved, and venereal diseases had been transmitted from the sailors to local women (and thus the rest of the population). It could be that this disheartened Cook and his volatile behaviors reflected this.
It is certainly possible (and IMO this is the most likely explanation) that his physical or mental health was poor. Although Cook kept extensive journals, they include no reflections on his interior life or his health, and Sides does not attempt to invent any. Cook was buried at sea, leaving no possibility that his remains might be examined for clues.
Sides' description of the events leading up to Cook's death struck just the right tone for me. Not sensationalized, matter of fact, but still communicating a sense of mystery regarding Cook's decisions. These images stayed with me, and I found myself thinking about it well after I'd finished the book.
Were it not for the lengthy descriptions of Ma'i's time in England this would have been an easy 5 stars. Many thanks to Brendan for calling the book to my attention!
May 5, 2024
Review to come. Got to think a bit first.
Having thought, and having looked over my highlights, then --
As Sides says in his Author's Note at the beginning, "In Cook’s long wake came the occupiers, the guns, the pathogens, the alcohol, the problem of money, the whalers, the furriers, the seal hunters, the plantation owners, the missionaries."
So, no hagiography here; "The Wide Wide Sea" isn't the adult version of the morally and politically vacuous Europeans Discovered Things and Established Colonies narrative I daresay most of us in the global North heard in grade school (and probably high school as well). But of course none of the European explorers, even those consciously in the service of empire, could know the future, and they would have had to be extraordinarily perceptive to, for example, observe human sacrifice in Polynesia and recognize a kinship with capital punishment as practiced by their own governments. (And so on, with respect to everything from clothing to food to religious belief. Do the Natives prostrate themselves before their chiefs? Well, how about the way servants are supposed to turn their faces to the wall when the master of the house passes by?)
Anyway, it's easy to vilify the European explorers en masse, but if you can't see the future then how much responsibility do you appropriately bear for the consequences that flow, a hundred or two hundred years later, from your acts? I thought about this frequently as I read "The Wide Wide Sea," and came to no conclusion.
Remember how much heat Bill Maher took for pointing out that whatever you might say about the 9/11 hijackers, it made no sense to call them cowards, the way a chorus of establishment voices did? Same here. Sides vividly evokes the precarity and the terror of sea voyages over thousands of miles in tiny, often leaky ships with maggoty food, scummy water, and, especially, raging storms. Whatever we think of them, the explorer-captains had to be brave. Their crews had to be braver.
And, on the other hand. Mostly the European explorers approached Native peoples with contempt. Often they killed people. They brought rats and disease. And in their wake, as the quotation above points out, events that for many peoples and cultures amounted to the end of the world.
Sides makes some attempt to describe how Native peoples might have experienced their first encounters with Europeans, sometimes extrapolating from what human beings in general are like, sometimes quoting from Native oral histories that have been recorded. What, frustratingly, he doesn't much do is offer a critical perspective on his European sources themselves. He gives us their narrative of events, and in the absence of Native accounts, those narratives and perceptions are left to stand. The lack of Native accounts is of course not Sides's fault, but I do wish he had read his sources more critically.
An aspect of this book that I found heartbreaking: the abundant and (in the case of uninhabited islands) often fearless wildlife the explorers encountered. This richness, like so much human richness, has been devastated.
"The Wide Wide Sea" is always fascinating, often frustrating, and well worth the time spent reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.
Having thought, and having looked over my highlights, then --
As Sides says in his Author's Note at the beginning, "In Cook’s long wake came the occupiers, the guns, the pathogens, the alcohol, the problem of money, the whalers, the furriers, the seal hunters, the plantation owners, the missionaries."
So, no hagiography here; "The Wide Wide Sea" isn't the adult version of the morally and politically vacuous Europeans Discovered Things and Established Colonies narrative I daresay most of us in the global North heard in grade school (and probably high school as well). But of course none of the European explorers, even those consciously in the service of empire, could know the future, and they would have had to be extraordinarily perceptive to, for example, observe human sacrifice in Polynesia and recognize a kinship with capital punishment as practiced by their own governments. (And so on, with respect to everything from clothing to food to religious belief. Do the Natives prostrate themselves before their chiefs? Well, how about the way servants are supposed to turn their faces to the wall when the master of the house passes by?)
Anyway, it's easy to vilify the European explorers en masse, but if you can't see the future then how much responsibility do you appropriately bear for the consequences that flow, a hundred or two hundred years later, from your acts? I thought about this frequently as I read "The Wide Wide Sea," and came to no conclusion.
Remember how much heat Bill Maher took for pointing out that whatever you might say about the 9/11 hijackers, it made no sense to call them cowards, the way a chorus of establishment voices did? Same here. Sides vividly evokes the precarity and the terror of sea voyages over thousands of miles in tiny, often leaky ships with maggoty food, scummy water, and, especially, raging storms. Whatever we think of them, the explorer-captains had to be brave. Their crews had to be braver.
And, on the other hand. Mostly the European explorers approached Native peoples with contempt. Often they killed people. They brought rats and disease. And in their wake, as the quotation above points out, events that for many peoples and cultures amounted to the end of the world.
Sides makes some attempt to describe how Native peoples might have experienced their first encounters with Europeans, sometimes extrapolating from what human beings in general are like, sometimes quoting from Native oral histories that have been recorded. What, frustratingly, he doesn't much do is offer a critical perspective on his European sources themselves. He gives us their narrative of events, and in the absence of Native accounts, those narratives and perceptions are left to stand. The lack of Native accounts is of course not Sides's fault, but I do wish he had read his sources more critically.
An aspect of this book that I found heartbreaking: the abundant and (in the case of uninhabited islands) often fearless wildlife the explorers encountered. This richness, like so much human richness, has been devastated.
"The Wide Wide Sea" is always fascinating, often frustrating, and well worth the time spent reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.
January 27, 2024
I'm not really a history buff so when an author can engage me in a historical tale, I tip my hat. Hampton Sides does just that in this narrative of James Cook last sea voyage. I really didn't know anything about Cook going into this read, but his character is slowly revealed as we follow his attempt to find a northwest passage around the American continent. The crux of the book focuses on Cook's interactions with various indigenous peoples he meets on the lands he explores. Let's just say, some of these interactions went a lot better than others. Sides does a good job of giving the reader of how hard these voyages really were and how Cook needed to be a leader, a diplomat, a problem solver, - all while remaining calm, cool, and collected. This book was my second that I've tried from this author, and it definitely won't be my last.
May 2, 2024
So I finished my fifth book by Hampton Sides and now must endure a two year or more wait for his next book (?) As my favorite writer of historical non-fiction that’s what I immediately came away with upon completing the last page.
Mr. Sides, is the consummate researcher and writer, he really makes historical events come alive. Between his acumen and erudition as an author, the subject matter concerning itself with 18th century maritime exploration, for me, well, it’s as though I can literally FEEL the salt spray, queasiness of endless days at sea and the aching muscles associated with being a crewman at the height of the age of sail. There are several bittersweet moments in the book, such as the the transformation of a Tahitian native, brought to England, becoming something of a bon vivant, educated and indoctrinated into “polite society” only to in the end witness him becoming a “man without a country”. Tribal societies, too, forever relinquishing a “loss of innocence” owing to the inevitable encroachment of civilization into their lives makes for food for thought as to whether Captain James Cook should shine for fostering an age of life enlightenment or should he vilified for aiding the colonization cause. The reader will have to decide.
Mr. Sides, is the consummate researcher and writer, he really makes historical events come alive. Between his acumen and erudition as an author, the subject matter concerning itself with 18th century maritime exploration, for me, well, it’s as though I can literally FEEL the salt spray, queasiness of endless days at sea and the aching muscles associated with being a crewman at the height of the age of sail. There are several bittersweet moments in the book, such as the the transformation of a Tahitian native, brought to England, becoming something of a bon vivant, educated and indoctrinated into “polite society” only to in the end witness him becoming a “man without a country”. Tribal societies, too, forever relinquishing a “loss of innocence” owing to the inevitable encroachment of civilization into their lives makes for food for thought as to whether Captain James Cook should shine for fostering an age of life enlightenment or should he vilified for aiding the colonization cause. The reader will have to decide.
February 3, 2024
I had recently read Hampton Sides’ book Blood and Thunder and enjoyed it, so I was happy to receive an ARC for this new book on Captain James Cook. The travel tale includes Cape Horn and the Pacific Islands as well as the Alaskan coastline as Cook tries to find a Northwest Passage. His mark on history was navigation skills and cartography as he drew new maps of these areas that only sketchily been filled in before. The downside was the negative influence on indigenous people culturally by trying to convert them to gardening and raising livestock, as well as his promiscuous seaman spreading venereal disease. He was eventually killed by some Hawaiian natives after a conflict quickly escalated resulting in a frenzy attack. The writing is compelling and interesting but a little to detailed at times, ie the sexual behavior was a bit too much information.
April 22, 2024
This is a six star book by Hampton Sides about the incomparable Captain James Cook, an exceptional man of the Enlightenment age.
His third and final sea voyage extends so far on the globe from south to north that he held the record for coverage of territory at the time.
Highly recommended!
His third and final sea voyage extends so far on the globe from south to north that he held the record for coverage of territory at the time.
Highly recommended!
April 24, 2024
What a book. It's kind of weighty, full of names, places, dates, etc., but I read it in just a few days. Could not put it down. Read it on the couch, in bed, on the deck in the windy sunshine. Lost track of some of the historical features but wow, what a book.
The story of Captain James Hook with emphasis on his last voyage. Sent by the Admiralty of England to find the Northwest Passage by going from the Pacific Northwest (North America) over and above Canada, through the Arctic Ocean, and then home to England. This was a reverse order voyage - those are my words - because at this time, and later, most voyagers searching for the passage went from east to west; Cook tried to go west from east.
Spoiler alert - he couldn't find one because it didn't exist.
But the story itself is so much bigger than all of that. In today's world - and thinking - the early European explorers didn't discover much of anything. Nope, not Australia or Tasmania, the islands of Polynesia, Hawai'i, none of it, nothing. But what many of them did do was explore, or make first contact with many, many cultures across these wide areas. This author, Mr. Sides, is very careful to acknowledge that how we viewed what these explorers of the 1600's - up and through the early 1900's - did was not 'find' or discover these cultures, these people, but simply made contact with them. Were the results often disastrous? Yes, and he documents episodes where the worst one can imagine did occur, however...
He also gives Cook a fair view as a man, a sailor, and leader of his time - and that Cook did try to limit the contact his officers and crew had with any new group, tribe or culture they encountered. Many of these contacts were peaceful - some were not. I find the author to be very balanced in how he treats the entire subject - which can currently be so controversial.
What I did find interesting were the reports of these cultures - the Tasmanians, for example -written by the naturalists, the doctor, and some of the 'ordinary' seamen aboard the two ships involved. They were fascinated! Often respectful. Learned the native languages and shared aspects of their own culture with these people. In one case Cook kept his men in the two boats of the expedition, refusing to let them 'consort' with the native women for fear of spreading disease to them. Unfortunately, that did not last long...
At the same time, Cook made the first good maps of many areas across the Pacific, and of the western coast of North America all the way up to and past Alaska. There's much to like about this book, as well as much to lament. I found it a richly fascinating read, eye-opening, and like I said, fair and balanced. Cook came to a sad end, for those who know, due to a series of weird misunderstandings. But I also found it remarkable that his name - and those of some of his officers - still exist on geographical features all over Alaska and into Canada. (I didn't know how many there were!)
Five stars
The story of Captain James Hook with emphasis on his last voyage. Sent by the Admiralty of England to find the Northwest Passage by going from the Pacific Northwest (North America) over and above Canada, through the Arctic Ocean, and then home to England. This was a reverse order voyage - those are my words - because at this time, and later, most voyagers searching for the passage went from east to west; Cook tried to go west from east.
Spoiler alert - he couldn't find one because it didn't exist.
But the story itself is so much bigger than all of that. In today's world - and thinking - the early European explorers didn't discover much of anything. Nope, not Australia or Tasmania, the islands of Polynesia, Hawai'i, none of it, nothing. But what many of them did do was explore, or make first contact with many, many cultures across these wide areas. This author, Mr. Sides, is very careful to acknowledge that how we viewed what these explorers of the 1600's - up and through the early 1900's - did was not 'find' or discover these cultures, these people, but simply made contact with them. Were the results often disastrous? Yes, and he documents episodes where the worst one can imagine did occur, however...
He also gives Cook a fair view as a man, a sailor, and leader of his time - and that Cook did try to limit the contact his officers and crew had with any new group, tribe or culture they encountered. Many of these contacts were peaceful - some were not. I find the author to be very balanced in how he treats the entire subject - which can currently be so controversial.
What I did find interesting were the reports of these cultures - the Tasmanians, for example -written by the naturalists, the doctor, and some of the 'ordinary' seamen aboard the two ships involved. They were fascinated! Often respectful. Learned the native languages and shared aspects of their own culture with these people. In one case Cook kept his men in the two boats of the expedition, refusing to let them 'consort' with the native women for fear of spreading disease to them. Unfortunately, that did not last long...
At the same time, Cook made the first good maps of many areas across the Pacific, and of the western coast of North America all the way up to and past Alaska. There's much to like about this book, as well as much to lament. I found it a richly fascinating read, eye-opening, and like I said, fair and balanced. Cook came to a sad end, for those who know, due to a series of weird misunderstandings. But I also found it remarkable that his name - and those of some of his officers - still exist on geographical features all over Alaska and into Canada. (I didn't know how many there were!)
Five stars
October 20, 2023
One of the best books I've ever read! I was absolutely spellbound reading about Captain Cook and his final voyage. I'll admit I knew pretty much next to nothing about him but what a man he was. The author painstakingly did their research in putting this book together. Typically stories like these can be dry and difficult to get through unless you are really into the subject matter but not this one. You will find yourself making excuses to get back to reading it. I can't say enough about it but just read it! You will learn so much and be fascinated at the same time. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 17, 2024
This fascinating and engaging history of James Cook’s last voyage presents a complicated man. He had extraordinary skills and abilities that had brought great fame and success, and yet fatal errors in judgement toppled the great man to his death.
After two voyages into uncharted waters, surveying and mapping unknown lands and making first contact with human societies across the Pacific, Cook was preparing for a comfortable retirement. But his king had another task for him: a third voyage with the mission of seeking a Northwest Passage. First, he was to return a man to his native homeland in the South Seas. In England, Mai became a celebrity and a dandy, and Cook resettled him with his numerous gifts, including livestock and plants from the king who wanted to display British civilization and superiority.
The voyage was filled with challenges. The Resolution’s subpar repairs resulted in leaks. There was the vagaries of the sea and weather to contend with. They met unfamiliar human societies both friendly and hostile. Life was complicated by Cook’s sometimes aberrant behavior and bad judgement.
Making first contact with Hawaii altered Cook’s luck. He arrived as the islanders were celebrating the god Lono, perfectly timed to for Cook to be considered the return of the god, and he was worshipped as Lono. The Resolution required extensive repairs resulting in the men overstayed their welcome, draining the island paradise’s resources. Meantime, the islanders were mad for anything made of iron, resorting to stealing it in their greed.
Cook sailed further than any man before, rounding the coast of Alaska and crossing the Arctic Circle. But he encountered ice instead of a northern shortcut and quickly turned back before the ships became encased in the ice. He returned to Hawaii for repairs and provisioning, but became embroiled in the conflict that ended his life. This visit, the islanders discovered that Cook was no god.
The book presents Cook, the good and the bad, and his legacy, the good and the bad. Cook had a scientific attitude, observing and recording the cultures and people he encountered without judgement. He was careful to protect the islanders from sexual disease, but he also left a ship load of rats behind. Cook’s emphasis on fresh foods resulted in no losses of crew to scurvy, while he was more diligent and brutal in his punishments. His discoveries of new lands gave his country impetitus for colonization to claim the natural resources, while missionaries arrived to enforce Christian beliefs and morality.
It was so interesting to learn about the many cultures Cook encountered, from New Zealand to the Inuit of Alaska.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
After two voyages into uncharted waters, surveying and mapping unknown lands and making first contact with human societies across the Pacific, Cook was preparing for a comfortable retirement. But his king had another task for him: a third voyage with the mission of seeking a Northwest Passage. First, he was to return a man to his native homeland in the South Seas. In England, Mai became a celebrity and a dandy, and Cook resettled him with his numerous gifts, including livestock and plants from the king who wanted to display British civilization and superiority.
The voyage was filled with challenges. The Resolution’s subpar repairs resulted in leaks. There was the vagaries of the sea and weather to contend with. They met unfamiliar human societies both friendly and hostile. Life was complicated by Cook’s sometimes aberrant behavior and bad judgement.
Making first contact with Hawaii altered Cook’s luck. He arrived as the islanders were celebrating the god Lono, perfectly timed to for Cook to be considered the return of the god, and he was worshipped as Lono. The Resolution required extensive repairs resulting in the men overstayed their welcome, draining the island paradise’s resources. Meantime, the islanders were mad for anything made of iron, resorting to stealing it in their greed.
Cook sailed further than any man before, rounding the coast of Alaska and crossing the Arctic Circle. But he encountered ice instead of a northern shortcut and quickly turned back before the ships became encased in the ice. He returned to Hawaii for repairs and provisioning, but became embroiled in the conflict that ended his life. This visit, the islanders discovered that Cook was no god.
The book presents Cook, the good and the bad, and his legacy, the good and the bad. Cook had a scientific attitude, observing and recording the cultures and people he encountered without judgement. He was careful to protect the islanders from sexual disease, but he also left a ship load of rats behind. Cook’s emphasis on fresh foods resulted in no losses of crew to scurvy, while he was more diligent and brutal in his punishments. His discoveries of new lands gave his country impetitus for colonization to claim the natural resources, while missionaries arrived to enforce Christian beliefs and morality.
It was so interesting to learn about the many cultures Cook encountered, from New Zealand to the Inuit of Alaska.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book.
May 12, 2024
I’m not big on reviews or criticism, but this is one of the best books I’ve read all year. Sides is a brilliant writer that can write a gripping narrative while also providing a lot of meaningful detail. The balance between deep diving and keeping the pages turning isn’t easy to accomplish. Sides does that wonderfully here with Captain Cook. Sides also presents a well balanced account and recognizes the disastrous consequences of colonialism. Sides treats indigenous people of the time with the dignity and respect they deserve.
May 13, 2024
4✚🌎🌎🌎🌎
May 11, 2024
3.5. Sides is a master storyteller. I just didn’t find this story as riveting as some of his previous books.
April 30, 2024
I had only ever heard good stories/history about Captain James Cook and honestly do not remember ever hearing about his third [and last] voyage or his death during that voyage so I was excited to read this.
Yeah.
Imagine learning that someone you admired did an about face and became someone that even his shipmates didn't recognize and then finding out they died [in a brutal and ugly way] because of said behavior; THAT is what happens with this book, and I was left just wondering if I should still admire all the good that Captain Cook did, or will I ever be disillusioned by what I just learned? The jury is still heavily out on that.
This telling, by the respected author and historian Hampton Sides, is nothing short of brilliant. I cannot even imagine all the time and research that went into an endeavor such as this. There was just so much detail and I learned SO MUCH about the sailing ships of that time and how they ran and what happened while they were on the voyage [there was never a case of scurvy on Captain Cook's ships, but who needs that when you have a plethora of venereal disease??] - I was completely enthralled for most of the book [something that blew me away was, that they left England on September 12, 1776 and only learned bits and pieces about the War for Independence whilst on their trip - crazy to think about] and some of what I learned reminded me of the movie "Master and Commander" in how they dealt with "bad people" on board and how they rationed food etc.
While I was saddened to read such an account of someone who I respected [along with a lot of other people], I find I am not particularly surprised. Given his age and frame of mind when he left, it is no wonder that he went a little off the rails. Makes one wonder, now with modern medicine, if something like Alzheimer's or a brain tumor was at work here as well [given just how dramatically different he was on this voyage from his previous ones]; of course, we will never know [especially because of how he was murdered - EEK!! That was a section that was particularly gruesome]; it is just more food for thought than anything else at this point.
If you love history, if you are a fan of Captain Cook, if you love anything to do with the sea and sailing and discover, this book is for you. It is just filled with so much that will amaze you and also fill you with both anger and deep sadness, it would be a shame to skip it. It is one of the best reads for me so far this year!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hampton Sides, and Doubleday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Yeah.
Imagine learning that someone you admired did an about face and became someone that even his shipmates didn't recognize and then finding out they died [in a brutal and ugly way] because of said behavior; THAT is what happens with this book, and I was left just wondering if I should still admire all the good that Captain Cook did, or will I ever be disillusioned by what I just learned? The jury is still heavily out on that.
This telling, by the respected author and historian Hampton Sides, is nothing short of brilliant. I cannot even imagine all the time and research that went into an endeavor such as this. There was just so much detail and I learned SO MUCH about the sailing ships of that time and how they ran and what happened while they were on the voyage [there was never a case of scurvy on Captain Cook's ships, but who needs that when you have a plethora of venereal disease??] - I was completely enthralled for most of the book [something that blew me away was, that they left England on September 12, 1776 and only learned bits and pieces about the War for Independence whilst on their trip - crazy to think about] and some of what I learned reminded me of the movie "Master and Commander" in how they dealt with "bad people" on board and how they rationed food etc.
While I was saddened to read such an account of someone who I respected [along with a lot of other people], I find I am not particularly surprised. Given his age and frame of mind when he left, it is no wonder that he went a little off the rails. Makes one wonder, now with modern medicine, if something like Alzheimer's or a brain tumor was at work here as well [given just how dramatically different he was on this voyage from his previous ones]; of course, we will never know [especially because of how he was murdered - EEK!! That was a section that was particularly gruesome]; it is just more food for thought than anything else at this point.
If you love history, if you are a fan of Captain Cook, if you love anything to do with the sea and sailing and discover, this book is for you. It is just filled with so much that will amaze you and also fill you with both anger and deep sadness, it would be a shame to skip it. It is one of the best reads for me so far this year!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Hampton Sides, and Doubleday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2024
Thanks to Doubleday for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.
This is not my first book on James Cook, however, I think it is my first one since pulling back the veil of colonization has become the norm. I feel like this was a more fair assessment of the impact of the explorer age on the world. I told us how Cook was mostly an exception to the rule with his Quaker sentiments.
He was known for being quite fair and had more of a fascination with the science and anthropology of interacting with new cultures. While there are many things around the world named for the English he personally used indigenous names trying to honor the autonomy of the peoples he encountered. He did not convert and did not engage with violence, with only one killing attributed to him in his whole life… And that was in the final minutes. He kept detailed records, so a lot of what we know came from him.
He had a bit of an understanding about disease and curiously found the cure for scurvy without really knowing it. And he was always trying to restrict his men who had venereal diseases from interacting with the natives, albeit not successfully. He had a mostly humble way with a human first approach… Until the very end when the Hawaiians mistook him for a god and things went awry…
This book has a little something for everyone: adventure and discovery, history, science, anthropology and of course violence.
Read this one if you liked The Wager.
This is not my first book on James Cook, however, I think it is my first one since pulling back the veil of colonization has become the norm. I feel like this was a more fair assessment of the impact of the explorer age on the world. I told us how Cook was mostly an exception to the rule with his Quaker sentiments.
He was known for being quite fair and had more of a fascination with the science and anthropology of interacting with new cultures. While there are many things around the world named for the English he personally used indigenous names trying to honor the autonomy of the peoples he encountered. He did not convert and did not engage with violence, with only one killing attributed to him in his whole life… And that was in the final minutes. He kept detailed records, so a lot of what we know came from him.
He had a bit of an understanding about disease and curiously found the cure for scurvy without really knowing it. And he was always trying to restrict his men who had venereal diseases from interacting with the natives, albeit not successfully. He had a mostly humble way with a human first approach… Until the very end when the Hawaiians mistook him for a god and things went awry…
This book has a little something for everyone: adventure and discovery, history, science, anthropology and of course violence.
Read this one if you liked The Wager.
March 15, 2024
Thank you to #DoubledayBooks and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #TheWideWideSea. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
I've been a fan of Hampton Sides since I read "Hellhound on His Trail" several years ago. He writes compulsively-readable narrative non-fiction about historically important people and events.
The Wide, Wide Sea follows the final voyage of Captain James Cook in the 1770s. Considered the greatest explorer during the "age of exploration" and "first contact, Cook was known for his respectful treatment of indigenous people. For his 3rd voyage, he was tasked with finding the rumored Northwest Passage. But this expedition was plagued with problems from the beginning, turning this into Cook's final voyage. Cook is a complex character and today's views on imperialism and its impact on indigenous people make this a really interesting story.
Highly recommend.
I've been a fan of Hampton Sides since I read "Hellhound on His Trail" several years ago. He writes compulsively-readable narrative non-fiction about historically important people and events.
The Wide, Wide Sea follows the final voyage of Captain James Cook in the 1770s. Considered the greatest explorer during the "age of exploration" and "first contact, Cook was known for his respectful treatment of indigenous people. For his 3rd voyage, he was tasked with finding the rumored Northwest Passage. But this expedition was plagued with problems from the beginning, turning this into Cook's final voyage. Cook is a complex character and today's views on imperialism and its impact on indigenous people make this a really interesting story.
Highly recommend.
April 29, 2024
This is an excellent, readable recounting of Captain Cook's fatal final voyage. Begun in 1776, at the beginning of the war to free the American colonies from British hegemony, the voyage was an English attempt to discover a Northwest Passage, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, from the Pacific side. Cook's Resolution, and a companion ship, sailed down the coast of Africa, around Cape of Good Hope and Australia, and up through the Pacific to Alaska and the Bering Straits. Along the way, Cook was charged with returning Mai, a personable Tahitian man who had been observed, coddled and feted in England as an exotic curiosity, to his homeland, along with a retinue of domestic animals intended to give Mai a good local start. Cook also stopped at a few islands on the way, and the accounts of the encounters between natives and the strange white visitors is interesting indeed. Cook also was the first European to document the existence of the Hawaiian Islands, an important discovery in the middle of the Pacific. It also proved to be his final resting place. Sides makes ample use of the journals of several individuals who recorded their experiences and impressions on the long voyage. Cook didn't find the passage he was looking for. But the story of his attempt, as told by Sides, is an interesting tale indeed.
May 8, 2024
This book is a fascinating, rich telling of Cook's final voyage attempting to move out from the top of the Pacific into the fabled Northwest Passage and cap his career with a crowning success. Instead, it appears over-confidence led to a brutal demise on a Hawaiian beach. Along the way, there are islands and animals that all make this an adventurous history. For me, there are two characters that rival Cook for interest. Foremost is a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London. Cook transports the partly Anglicized native to his home islands and his own sad tragedy. Then, lurking in the shadows of this story on the eve of the American Revolution is William Bligh, another fearless and daring sailor.
May 16, 2024
I highly recommend Hampton Sides's new book. In his hands, the third and final voyage of Captain Cook is riveting reading thanks to his sparkling prose and meticulous research. Even if you know the outcome, how James Cook gets to Hawai'i in February 1779 is the real story. Here is a portrait of a human who became a historical figure. I appreciate Sides's even-handed telling, especially his understanding of how first contact with Native peoples changed their lives. Sides is clear about when the record is murky, and he draws a portrait of not just Cook but others on the Resolution and Discovery during their years-long voyage. This volume has everything: maps, beautiful inset illustrations (I wish there were more from the Alaska mapping portion of Cook's journey), notes, an extensive (though labeled "selective" bibliography, and index. I liked this so much I had trouble settling into my next reading choices.
February 11, 2024
The subtitle of the book describes the contents. It is about the final voyage of James Cook covering both himself, the crews of the two ships and the indigenous people that they encountered on their voyage. The final voyage was a search for a passage in the north from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Also, it was a voyage that did document some discoveries, but not to the level of his first two voyages. Cook also was much moodier on this voyage than the first two. Overall, a well written and researched book.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
May 2, 2024
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides
Thank you so much Doubleday for my gifted copy.
Blurb:
A ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the age of exploration.
✨ My thoughts:
I love when non fiction draws me in the way a work of fiction can. The Author’s note was perfection. I appreciate how this book was written, with a lot of care. This book was eye opening for me and very rich with history and information. This is a book I’ll have to read over and over again, to retain all of the information and I’m happy to do it! You get adventure and violence in this book, what’s not to enjoy?? But really, The Wide Wide Sea is a book I think even those who don’t normally pick up non fiction to read, will be able to get through and enjoy. It’s a fascinating one!
Happy reading 📖
Thank you so much Doubleday for my gifted copy.
Blurb:
A ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the age of exploration.
✨ My thoughts:
I love when non fiction draws me in the way a work of fiction can. The Author’s note was perfection. I appreciate how this book was written, with a lot of care. This book was eye opening for me and very rich with history and information. This is a book I’ll have to read over and over again, to retain all of the information and I’m happy to do it! You get adventure and violence in this book, what’s not to enjoy?? But really, The Wide Wide Sea is a book I think even those who don’t normally pick up non fiction to read, will be able to get through and enjoy. It’s a fascinating one!
Happy reading 📖
April 25, 2024
Well-written and researched, detailed and fascinating. Hampton Sides has written a excellent and engaging history of the last voyage of Captain Cook. It reads like an adventure novel and was very hard to put down.
May 6, 2024
Hampton Sides did not disappoint on this one! He did such a great job, researching, writing and retelling the story of Captain Cook’s last voyage. I knew very little about him before reading the book. Highly recommend! The audiobook was great.
May 15, 2024
Many of us know of Captain Cook. The extent of his voyages are found all over this world. In this book, Sides allows the reader to visit far away places and experience the voyages as if one is a sailor on board. Well researched and written this book is full of adventure.
Read
November 24, 2023Rtc
May 11, 2024
There is a wealth of literature about Captain Cook and his three voyages of discovery. This book concerning his final fateful journey recounts his return of the Tahitian man Mai to his native islands with the wealth of animals and paraphernalia presented to him during his stay in England. Cook then journeys North to try and discover the North West Passage and then to winter near Hawaii where he meets his fate.
Lots of research went into this volume but did not find any new twist and for me ends up as just another account. It's an enjoyable read but unlikely to be marked down as a masterpiece. 3 stars.
Lots of research went into this volume but did not find any new twist and for me ends up as just another account. It's an enjoyable read but unlikely to be marked down as a masterpiece. 3 stars.
May 13, 2024
Wow! I knew nothing about captain cook outside of what one learns in grade school. What he sees, does and discovers staggers the imagination.
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