Hardcover with tan boards and pictorial dust jacket, reprint, 400gms 191 pages, blank endpapers. As we follow the story of James' Yorkshire boyhood, his service aboard the colliers of Whitby, his growing interest in mathematics and the chart work he carried out along Canadian coasts (he was present, too, at Wolfe's taking of Quebec), it becomes clear how all this previous experience combined to make him the right choice to command that first, momentous voyage of exploration planned by the Admiralty. Book is in good condition with light general wear and tear and mild page discolouration/spotting throughout. Boards are in good condition with only light shelf wear. Dust jacket is in fair to good condition with moderate shelf, chipping and a few small nicks to the corners and edges, otherwise no other pre-loved markings.