by Graeme Lay
The Secret Life of James Cook also depicts the often-stormy relationship between the self-made English naval commander and the dashing, privileged naturalist Joseph Banks, who accompanied Cook on his first world voyage.
‘a good read and it rings true … what more can anyone ask?’ Weekend Herald, Auckland
James Cook’s New World
by Graeme Lay
The second book in Graeme Lay’s trilogy continues in fictional form the story of navigator James Cook’s triumphs and tragedies, as this dutiful, driven man seeks to discover and put in place the last pieces of Earth’s geographic jigsaw puzzle.
In 1771, at the age of 43, James Cook has recently returned from an epic circumnavigation in HMS Endeavour. Promoted by his sovereign, King George III, to the rank of captain, he is instructed to embark on a search of the Southern Hemisphere.
This voyage proves to be one of the longest and most perilous ever undertaken. In command of HMS Resolution and its consort vessel HMS Adventure, Cook ventures further south than any other previous voyagers.
Although this second world circumnavigation represents a personal triumph for Cook, his successes count for little to his wife, Elizabeth, when tragic losses occur at home. Her misgivings prompt James to frequently wonder: where does duty to King and Country end, and loyalty to wife and family begin?
‘… a masterful re-creation of James Cook’s late eighteenth century world.’
Landfall
‘A rattling good yarn … just about everything you would expect from a sea story.’
Otago Daily Times
About the Author
Graeme Lay was born in Foxton, New Zealand, and grew up in coastal Taranaki, which instilled in him a lifelong love of the sea. After graduating from Victoria University of Wellington in 1967 he lived overseas for some years, then returned to New Zealand to live on Auckland’s North Shore. First published in 1978, he has written novels for adults and young adults, as well as collections of short stories and travel writing, and several non-fiction works. Many of his books are set in the islands of the South Pacific. A past secretary of the Frank Sargeson Trust, he writes from his home in the marine suburb of Devonport. He is married to Gillian and they have three adult children.
ALSO BY GRAEME LAY
Novels and Short Story Collections
The Mentor
The Fools on the Hill
Temptation Island
Dear Mr Cairney
Motu Tapu: Stories of the South Pacific
The Town on the Edge of the World
Alice & Luigi
The Secret Life of James Cook
James Cook’s New World
Young Adult Fiction
The Wave Rider
Leaving One Foot Island
Return to One Foot Island
The Pearl of One Foot Island
The Jacket
Children’s Fiction
Are We There Yet? A Kiwi Kid’s Holiday Exploring Guide
Nanny Potaka’s Birthday Treat
Non-fiction
The Cook Islands (with Ewan Smith)
Pacific New Zealand
In Search of Paradise: Artists and Writers in the Colonial South Pacific
Whangapoua: A History
Travel
Passages: Journeys in Polynesia
New Zealand: A Visual Celebration (with Gareth Eyres)
Samoa (with Evotia Tamua)
Feasts & Festivals (with Glenn Jowitt)
The Globetrotter Guide to New Zealand
The Best of Auckland
New Zealand: The Magnificent Journey (with Gareth Eyres)
The Miss Tutti Frutti Contest: Travel Tales of the South Pacific
The Globetrotter Travel Atlas of New Zealand
Inside the Cannibal Pot
Copyright
Fourth Estate
An imprint of HarperCollins HarperCollinsPublishers
First published in 2015
This edition published in 2015
by HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
harpercollins.co.nz
Copyright © Graeme Lay 2015
Graeme Lay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. This work is copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
HarperCollinsPublishers
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Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
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2 Bloor Street East, 20th floor, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8, Canada
195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, USA
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
National Library of New Zealand.
ISBN 978 1 7755 4042 7 (pbk)
ISBN 978 1 7754 9079 1 (epub)
Cover design by HarperCollins Design Studio
Cover images: James Cook by Richard Jenkins; background images by shutterstock.com
Map by Map Illustrations www.mapillustrations.com.au