fishers. Ultimately, M olyneaux's commercial fis hermen come across as powerless pawns who, in their reaction to this sys tem, contributed to the decimation of m any fish stocks. The D oryman's Reflection is an often poignant and engaging acco unt of a declining way of m ari time life, but readers might look to other sources fo r a m ore balanced acco unt of fisheries policy. JOHN ODIN JENSEN Wakefield, Rhode Island
Resolution: Captain Cook's Second Voyage of Discovery, by Peter Aughron (Cold Spring Press, Cold Spring H arbo r, NY, 2005 , 189pp, maps, notes, index, ISBN 1-5 9360-044-5; $13pb) Resolution was the name of Captain James Cook's flagship for his second voyage of discovery; it is, aptly, also the nam e of this fin e effort by Peter Aughron, which details the trials and tribulations Cook and his crew experienced on their threeyear voyage of discovery. Two ships sailed from England on a mission to fill in the gaps from Coo k's first voyage in Endeavour and to verify the location of islands previo usly identifi ed by o ther explorers. The second vessel, Adventure, was smal ler than Cook's Resolution and carried more than eigh ty onboardship's company plus four supernumeraries, including as tro nomers. Each ship carried copies of the latest navigational invention , H arrison's chro nom eter, inval uable fo r determining their position. The autho r researched his topic thoroughly, using contemporary acco unts, logs, letters, and m odern histories of the cruises of Adventure and Resolution. H e regularly used the words of witnesses to describe events-frequent contributors to this effo rt were the fa ther-son team of naturalists, Johann and George Forster. Each documented his experien ces from the fr ustra tions of rhe freezing sub-Antarctic regions to the bal my and som etimes hostile islands of the Pacific. Augh to n provided wo nderful insight to the frequent infighting between the civilian scientists and their displeasure at being at sea for so long. Nonetheless, they did a superb job of findin g and mapping new lands, describing their inhabitants, and documenting new fl ora and fa una. They also studied the SEA HISTORY 112, AU TUMN 2005
languages of the Pacific islands peoples, discovering commonalities previo usly unkn own. Ravages of the cold seas, ice, and gales of the southern latitudes (below 60 S) took their roll; detours to locate landm asses Cook believed must exist caused further consternation am o ng the civilians aboard bo th vessels and added to their
Qiptain Cook's Seco nd Voyage orDiscovery
Author of Endauour and ~·eon~ Appk:
frustration at having nothing on whi ch to "ply their trade" (as naturalists) save penguins, albatrosses, and pack ice w ith, of course, nothing growing on it. They did, however, reach 67° South by 39° 35' East, an incredible achievement for a sailing ship, and o nly about sixty miles from the Antarctic Continent. W hile at times the tale was a bit repetitive (bur then , so was the cruise), Resolution is a solidly-crafted and well-told tale of a great explorer's tribulations .and discoveries. For any who revel in the exploits of Jam es Cook or eigh teenth-century sea exploration, I would surely invite them to read Peter Aughron's epic tale of Cook's second voyage of discovery, 1772- 1775 . WIL LIAM
H. WHITE
Rumson, New Jersey
A Mariner's Miscellany: Things Forgotten, Recalled-Things Known, Illuminated by Peter H . Spectre (Sheridan H ouse, D obbs Ferry, N Y, 200 5, 304pp, ISBN 1-57409-1 95-6; $ 19. 95pb) This latest wo rk by the ed itor of Maine Boats and H arbors is, in a wo rd, a deli ght! It's a potpo urri of wit, wisdo m, and
enlightenment, all packed in a convenient forma t. Peter Spectre acknowledges that this book grew out of bo th The Mariner's Book ofDays and his earlier M ariner's Catalog, and readers familiar with them will find this book has the same characteristic abili ty to grab one's attention and lead it alo ng paths it otherwise might never have considered fo llowing. H ere yo u'll fi nd both serious poetry and light-hearted rhym es interspersed with topics such as seafaring superstitions, guidance fo r standing effective watches at night, lists of great books about rhe sea and the mariner's life, and practical nitty-grit ty such as instructions for washing clothes at sea. From tall ship lo re to small boat savvy, fro m grog recipes to rowing terms and techniques, Spectre has collected a vas t store of knowledge and recounted it in a most enjoyable fas hi on. Ir's a book one can open to any page and find something that will educate, entertain, and motivate. Whether o ne reads it several chapters at a time o r simply dips into it fo r a few minutes when there is a lull in activity, A Mariner's Miscellany delivers good in fo rmation and does it in a quick and pleasant manner. CAPTAIN HAL SUTPHEN Kilmarnock, V irginia
Unknown Seas: How Vasco da Gama Opened the East by Ronald Watkins (John Murray, distributed by Trafalgar Books, North Pomfre t, VT, 2005, 336pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 0-7 19564 17-4; $ 15pb) Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route aro und Africa to India in 1497 to 1499 changed the course of Euro pean history. This is a gripping tale of four ships that sailed fro m Lisbo n, manned by a crew of abo ut 150, eventually reduced to two vessels and about 50 m en , sailed 23, 000 nautical miles to reach Calcutta and then return to Europe. Navigational problems were dwarfed by difficulties in finding supplies and port fac ilities to repair ships in Africa and India. The hostili ty of the Muslims, who wished to maintain their monopoly on the spice trade, proved as dangerous as rhe perils of the unknown sea. Shipboard artillery was as important as navigati o nal instruments and charts in 45