An interesting if somewhat dry account of the working histories of the various merchant vessels that Cook sailed on in his nautical career. The title is somewhat misleading, since Cook himself features rarely in the story, it is more of a an account of the merchant shipping industry in and around Whitby in Yorkshire where Cook learnt to sail and where the ships he used in his voyages mostly originated. Famously, Cook's exploration vessels were all converted merchant vessels, and this book describes the origins and previous histories of all his ships. I found it fascinating, but less nautically interested readers may find it hard going. Nevertheless an original and very worthy addition to Cook scholarship. ( )