"The exploration of the Pacific in the eighteenth century by western Europeans has an enduring fascination for both specialists and a wider public. Within this field, Cook's voyages have a particular appeal: they include exciting elements of danger, scientific investigation, encounters between different cultures. The essays in this volume, the result of a conference held in 1997 by the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Society, take as their point of departure Cook's first voyage in the Endeavour (1768-71); they re-evaluate its political and social context, look at the expectations and outcomes of the event, and focus on the scientific and cultural issues emerging from this and subsequent Pacific voyages."