Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before

  Eighteenth century maritime techniques, scurvy techniques, and British colonialism? This book belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Dad History! Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before is a travel adventure saga mixed with some hardcore history, which produces a downright entertaining read. Written by the unfortunately deceased Tony Horwitz, Blue Latitudes is the perfect combination of comedic, informative, and introspective writing that makes a book truly addicting. 

James Cook, a giant in the pantheon of oceanic explorers, engaged in three large scale Pacific voyages while employed by the British government. His travels brought novel information about the region to the West, while also “discovering” some previously unknown locations such as Hawaii. Horwitz, in an effort to study the legacy of Cook’s travels, wrote detailed accounts of Cook’s Pacific voyages while also traveling to some of the most prominent locations visited by Cook and his men. While in these locations, such as Tahiti and New Zealand, Horwitz looked for the remnants of Cook and made attempts to ascertain what exactly the impact of Cook was in these places. His effort revolved around a quest to determine how Cook was viewed (if thought about at all) by the people living in these places today. The author was joined by his companion Roger along the way, who provides much of the comedic relief throughout the book. There are moments in which I laughed out loud to the point of pain, especially when I was reading this after recovering from a minor surgery. Not often does a book in which I feel as if I have learned so much about an unknown topic also provide me with as many laughs as this one did. Once you pick it up, you will understand.

This book is easily digestible, and like I said in the introduction, flat out addicting. The descriptions of Cook’s voyages, particularly Horwitz’s depiction of seafaring while he spent a week on a replica of one of Cook’s vessels, left me in awe of what Cook was able to accomplish and what the experience of the average sailor was like. The book also dives into just how revolutionary of a captain James Cook was, detailing his advancements in regards to cartography and scurvy.  The author clearly did his due diligence in studying Cook’s life, but the history he provides is anything but dry. I am certain there are more exhaustive biographies of Cook out there, but I doubt any are this fun. In addition to the scholarship on Cook, Horwitz made earnest attempts to understand Cook’s interaction with the places he traveled to. In his descriptions of each location, he details the history since Cook’s landing, providing a good snapshot of what life is like there today. He meets a variety of characters along the way, telling stories of his encounters with each and making an attempt to make sense of what Cook’s journey means to the people there today. A search for allegedly extinct fruit and a sit down with His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga are just two of situations Horwitz recounts that add a lot of color to the story. 

This is not to say that all of the story is history and laughs, there is a serious side to the writing as well. Horwitz makes an honest effort to portray Cook in his entirety, detailing his complex legacy. He does not shy away from criticizing the colonial policies of the European powers of that era, and yet incorporates a discussion of the positives as well. Most definitely a fraught topic for many authors to cover today, Horwitz wrote this at a time (2002) in which American writers had to be less conscientious about the way they tackled historical topics, never having to be wary of accidentally stepping on a landmine. His coverage of the topic is freewheeling, critical but also all encompassing. 

This book is one I have recommended to friends more times than I can count, which is why I am doing it here again for all of you. You’ll come away from it armed with a plethora of dad facts and an appreciation for the legacy of such an important moment of human history. As promised, I believe you will also find yourself chuckling to yourself far more often than during the typical non fiction read.