Farther Than Any Man: The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook [Paperback]

In the annals of seafaring and exploration, there is one name that immediately evokes visions of the open ocean, billowing sails, visiting strange, exotic lands previously uncharted, and civilizations never before encountered -- Captain James Cook.
This is the true story of a legendary man and explorer. Noted modern-day adventurer Martin Dugard, using James Cook's personal journals, strips away the myths surrounding Cook's life and portrays his tremendous ambition, intellect, and sheer hardheadedness to rise through the ranks of the Royal Navy -- and by his courageous exploits become one of the most enduring figures in naval history.
Full or realistic action, lush descriptions of places and events, and fascinating historical characters such as King George III and the soon-to-be-notorious Master William Bligh, Dugard's gripping account of the life and death of Captain James Cook is a thrilling story of a discoverer hell-bent on going farther than any man.Martin Dugardis the author ofKnockdown: The Harrowing True Account of a Yacht Race Turned Deadlyand co-author of theNew York TimesbestsellerSurvivor: The Ultimate Game.His dispatches have appeared inGQ, Sports Illustrated,andEsquire.An avid adventurer, Dugard has completed the Raid Gauloises race three times, and is co-holder of the Around the World Speed Record. He lives with his wife and three children in Orange County, California.Chapter 1: Land of Hopes and Dreams

August 1768

The summer had been one of the hottest on record. The Friday-night air was muggy, or close as Londoners liked to say, when James and Elizabeth Cook spent their last night together beforeEndeavour's departure. Through the open bedroom window of their cramped brick row house, the mingled aromas of fermenting juniper from the gin distillery next door and the open sewers of Mile End Road below wafted past the thin curtains. He was thirty-nine, stoic and six footl“2