News reaches us of yet another Cook book by a New Zealand author. And the gestation of this tome is almost as circuitous as Cook’s travels.

The Captain Cook Encyclopaedia has been written by John Robson, Map Librarian at the University of Waikato in Hamilton and author of the critically acclaimed Captain Cook’s World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook RN.

The Encyclopaedia was commissioned by Chatham Publishing in the UK, and sold on to Random, both here and in Australia. According to Robson,

This is a nice twist as Random NZ published my earlier book and sold it on to Chatham. I am not sure exactly when it will be published here in NZ. The UK date is 27 October (Cook’s birthday) and NZ won’t be too far away from that date. Anne Salmond’s recent success [The Trial of the Cannibal Dog] shows there is still interest in Cook - so hopefully the book will meet a need in a receptive audience.

If the new book is anywhere near as good as the sublime Captain Cook’s World, Robson is likely to be onto another winner.