Cook led three famous expeditions to the Pacific Ocean between 1768 & 1779. In voyages that ranged from the Antarctic circle to the Arctic Sea, Cook charted Australia & the whole coast of New Zeal&, & brought back detailed descriptions of the natural history of the Pacific. Accounts based on Cook`s journals were issued at the time, but it was not until this century that the original journals were published in Beaglehole`s definitive edition. ” The Journals” tells the story of these voyages as Cook wanted it to be told, radiating the ambition, courage & skill which enabled him to carry out an unrivalled series of expeditions in dangerous waters.