Captain Cook in New South Wales; Or, The Mystery of Naming Botany Bay

The book presents a critical inquiry into the published account of a maritime voyage, comparing surviving crews' logs and editorial narratives to unpack inconsistencies. It scrutinizes the provenance and authenticity of multiple journals, noting erasures, later insertions, and divergent copyist practices that affected place-naming and reported events. Special attention is given to disputes over coastal names and the wording used when claiming territory, showing how editorial choices shaped public understanding. The work emphasizes documentary analysis and source criticism rather than a biographical portrait, seeking to reconstruct how the familiar narrative was composed.