First edition of the French translation of the best of the unofficial accounts of Cook's first voyage, followed by an extensive summary of Cook's second and third voyages which takes up most of the second volume. Sydney Parkinson (1745?-1771) was engaged by Sir Joseph Banks to accompany him in the Endeavour to the South Seas, as natural history draughtsman. He made numerous botanical drawings as well as landscapes, portraits of local chiefs etc. "Banks spoke highly of his "unbounded industry" in making for him a much larger collection of drawings than he anticipated. His observations, too, were valuable, and the vocabularies of South Sea languages given in the journal are of great interest" (Hill).
Parkinson died on January 26, 1771, on the homeward voyage, and was buried at sea. By the terms of his will, his brother Stanfield claimed all of his drawings and proceeded to make preparations, with the assistence of Dr. Kenrick, for a rival publication to Hawkesworth's authorized account of the voyage. Hawkesworth succeeded in court in delaying the Parkinson publication till his own edition would have been published, and he further excluded mention of Parkinson in his account. Before the actual publication in 1773, Stanfield Parkinson died of insanity.
The present French translation adds an extensive introduction by the translator Captain Henri and the extensive summary of Cook's second and third voyages as added to the 1784 reissue of the original English edition.
With the bookplate of Franz Pollack-Parnau (1903-1981), descendant of a Jewish industrialist family from Vienna, who accumulated an impressive library in the family palace on Schwarzenbergplatz, library stamps of the Verein Humanitas from Vienna and a related owner's inscription on both half-titles. Some spots throughout and the spines restored, but generally in good condition. Beddie 715; Forbes 277; Kroepelien 946; Sabin 58789; cf. Hill 1308-1309.