A “thrilling and superbly crafted” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.

One of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year

“In this masterly history, Sides tracks the 18th-century English naval officer James Cook’s third and final voyage across the globe, painting a vivid and propulsive portrait that blends generations of scholarship with the firsthand accounts of European seafarers as well as the oral traditions of Indigenous Pacific islanders.”
—The New York Times Book Review

Book Overview: The Fateful Final Voyage

On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples, come to that fatal moment?

Hampton Sides’ bravura account wrestles with Cook’s complex legacy. Renowned for his humane leadership and dedication to science, Cook was initially interested in the native people he encountered, even embarking on a mission to return a Tahitian man, Mai, to his home islands. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.

Yet, the final voyage was different. Cook became mercurial, resorting to violence and leading his two vessels into danger. This shift may have been due to his secret orders—to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage.

The tension between Cook’s overt scientific efforts and his covert imperial mission led to a catastrophic confrontation on the shores of Hawaii. At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration—this is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.

"This is a thrilling and necessary update to one of history’s most consequential cultural collisions."
—John Vaillant, New York Times Bestselling Author of Fire Weather and The Tiger

“With quietly forceful and meticulous research, Sides gives us a tale that is fascinating, important, and inexplicably sad.”
—David Treuer, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee and Rez Life

“An instant classic. . . this majestic account reminds us just how deep runs our desire to know the shape and limits of our world.”
—Dean King, New York Times Bestselling Author of *Skeletons on the Zahara*

“A rare gift: One of the world’s greatest storytellers tells one of the world’s greatest stories, in this thrilling, clear-eyed account."
—Julian Sancton, New York Times Bestselling Author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth

“The Wide Wide Sea braids the sweeping flair of a Patrick O’Brian novel with Nathaniel Philbrick’s boundless love for the world’s wild oceans.”
—Kevin Fedarko, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Emerald Mile

“Skillfully navigating the shoals of myth, he transports readers back in time to give us a presence at Cook’s historic encounters with the peoples of the Pacific and Northwest America.”
—Cliff Thornton, Former President of the International Captain Cook Society

Hampton Sides is an American historian, journalist, and the author of several bestselling narrative history books, including Blood and Thunder and Ghost Soldiers.

Career Highlights:

• Author of New York Times bestsellers including Hellhound on His Trail, Ghost Soldiers, Blood and Thunder, In the Kingdom of Ice and On Desperate Ground.
• Editor-at-large for Outside magazine.
• Has written for publications such as The New Yorker, National Geographic, and Esquire.
• Awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Colorado College.

Sides lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is a Miller Distinguished Scholar at the Santa Fe Institute and teaches at Colorado College. His recent work, The Wide Wide Sea, was named one of The New York Times' Ten Best Books of 2024.

Book Title: The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

• Author: Hampton Sides
• Publisher: Random House
• Published: 2025-05-27
• ISBN-13: 9780525565703
• ISBN-10: 0525565701
• Book Binding: Paperback
• Book Language: English
• Subjects: History, Biographies & Memoirs, Explorers and Travelers, Captains & Maritime Figures, Pirates & Buccaneers