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.
1 有用 L1ize 2025-06-14 12:33:14 美国
感觉写得挺一般的。如果故事也没太引人入胜,相比于严肃历史著作就没什么亮点了。库克最后倒是死得其所,探险家最好的归宿。
0 有用 Myra 2025-04-27 17:37:50 加拿大
在这样一个仅限语言的取消文化当道、仅限学术圈的反殖民主义盛行(是的,真正的邪恶和殖民不但没有稍减,反有抬头的趋势)的时代,Sides写这样一本书,为James Cook作传,是难得的勇气。如作者所说,这不是一部传统意义上的传记,它更是一部历史叙事作品,因为它没有采纳单一传记视角,而是呈现了库克第三次航行的全景画面。作者认为库克航行最珍贵的所得,就是“邂逅”(这一点,与我前几年翻译的《寻找西北航道》... 在这样一个仅限语言的取消文化当道、仅限学术圈的反殖民主义盛行(是的,真正的邪恶和殖民不但没有稍减,反有抬头的趋势)的时代,Sides写这样一本书,为James Cook作传,是难得的勇气。如作者所说,这不是一部传统意义上的传记,它更是一部历史叙事作品,因为它没有采纳单一传记视角,而是呈现了库克第三次航行的全景画面。作者认为库克航行最珍贵的所得,就是“邂逅”(这一点,与我前几年翻译的《寻找西北航道》一书作者所见略同)。邂逅相遇又有什么是非对错呢?欧洲人打开那个历史胶囊,就像打开了一个潘多拉的盒子,带来了枪炮与病菌,但世界本来就是一个潘多拉的盒子啊,它有那么多让我们难过、抑郁、愤怒、绝望的东西,但它也有希望。相遇本身,就会给人类带来希望。 那以后的世界,再也没有初次邂逅了。 (展开)
0 有用 庄常飞 2025-07-20 08:14:02 美国
整体很流畅,故事本身精彩,和其他人探险故事一起读更佳
0 有用 why or why not 2024-10-18 19:18:11 澳大利亚
s61 一贯地对航海故事没有兴趣
1 有用 Vitœ✨ 2024-11-22 15:44:50 美国
作者开篇说这不是biography而是narrative history…