Planset review HM BARK ENDEAVOUR - Her Place in Australian History" by Ray Parkin

Uwek

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Forum Moderator
Joined
Dec 25, 2017
Messages
30,718
Points
1,238

Location
Vienna, Austria
Planset Review:
HM BARK ENDEAVOUR
Her Place in Australian History
with an account of her Construction, Crew and Equipment and a narrative of her Voyage on the East Coast of New Holland in the year 1770

by Ray Parkin

IMG_31661.jpg IMG_31671.jpg

IMG_31681.jpg IMG_31691.jpg

IMG_31711.jpg

  • Hardcover: 2 volumes, 468 pages + 15 plates in extra case
  • Verlag: Melbourne University Publishing; Auflage: Har/Chrt (1. Oktober 1997)
  • Sprache: English
  • ISBN-10: 0522847161
  • ISBN-13: 978-0522847161
  • Größe und/oder Gewicht: 15,2 x 7,9 x 22,9 cm
  • Produktgewicht inkl. Verpackung: 7,3 pounds

2 Vols., The Miegunyah Press, Carlton South, Victoria, 1st ed., Limited to 1,000 Copies.
Vol. I (text) : Xii + 468 pp. Illustrated with plans, Sydney Parkinson s drawings, rigging & sail plans, maps, etc.
Vol. II (portfolio) : containing 15 large plans (all fldg.). Both volumes in maroon cloth ; gilt ; the portfolio has the plans secured in a black case within.
Both volumes contained within a maroon cloth slip-case with large paper labels to both sides. 31 x 21cm.

After the first limited edition several new editions were published, but partly without the drawings


SYNOPSIS:

This is the most extensive study of Captain James Cook s ENDEAVOUR ever published. The author not only describes its historic voyage along the east coast of New Holland in 1770 but also examines every aspect of the vessel : her construction, rigging and sail plans, the world of the 18th century sailor living below decks, the captain, the dangers of scurvy on long voyages and the need for the right provisions, the ship s company, Sydney Parkinson s drawings (Cook s artist), etc. In addition, the portfolio provides 15 large plans depicting the design, construction, architecture, fittings, armament, boats, cables, anchors, accommodation, rigging, etc., of the ENDEAVOUR. Parkin, a seaman, author and artist himself, spent more than 25 years recording everything he could discover about this ship, encouraged by the renowned Cook scholar Professor Beaglehole. The result is a painstaking and unique study revealing what the ENDEAVOUR looked like, how she sailed, what daily life was like for those onboard - every tiny detail of the vessel has been examined and recorded. The voyage up the Australian coast can be followed by a series of explanatory charts that skilfully supplement the commentary. FINE copy, Limited Edition.


About the Author

Ray Parkin was born in Melbourne. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1928 and spent eighteen years in the service. In 1942 he was on board HMAS Perth when the cruiser was sunk by the Japanese in the Sunda Strait, killing two-thirds of those on board. After the sinking of Perth Mr Parkin spent three and a half years as a Japanese prisoner of war in Java, on the Burma-Siam Railway and in coal mines in Japan. His experience during this period led to three books which were published by the Hogarth Press: Out of the Smoke (1960); Into the Smother (1963); and The Sword and the Blossom (1967). At the end of the war Mr Parkin completed a fine art course. He worked on the Melbourne waterfront until his retirement in 1975 when he went to London to continue his research into Endeavour.



IMG_31721.jpg IMG_31731.jpg

IMG_31741.jpg IMG_31751.jpg


CONTENT:

Acknowledgements, Weights and Measures, Preface
PART I: THE WORLD OF THE SHIP
Introduction
The Sailor and His Environment
The Captain
The Ship
Scurvy and Provisions
The Ship´s Company
From Misfortune, and by Their Sins
Peradventure
PART II: THE VOYAGE
Introduction
The Decision
Towards New Holland
Towards Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Port Jackson to Sandy Cape
Sandy Cape to Thirsty Bay
Endeavour Reef
Endeavour River: June
Endeavour River: July
Departure
Escape to Sea
The Breadth of One Wave
Keeping the Main on Board
L´envoi
Notes to Part I, Bibliography, Index of Individuals and Locations


Review on Amazon:

This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time. The high quality drawings are well researched and extremely well presented. My desire to purchase this book is based on an interest in sailing ships of this period and I had purchased the paper back version of this book. The drawings were too small and thus I decided to go to the next step and spend the money to get the best. I was not disappointed. The layout of the text starting from the choice of ship and Cook's organisation of the voyage through to the description of life on board and the technologies of the day gives a good foundation to understanding of the hardships of sailing those ships. The departure from England to the arrival off the Australian coast is covered in a fair amount of detail but the nitty gritty starts with the voyage along Australia's east coast. Here the detail is provided by the actual journal entries of Cook, Banks, Parkinson and others as well as the entries in the ship's log. Ray Parkin writes, after the journal and log entries, to explain certain terms and conditions of the time compared to the situation today and turns the somewhat dry eighteenth centaury language into clear and understandable live history. This book is for anybody interested in the ships of the eighteenth centaury, Captain Cook and Australian history.

and please read also the Review at Naval History Society of Australia by GREG DENING (adjunct professor, Centre for Cross-Cultural Research. Australian National University.)

For years I have had three heroes in the field of scholarship around James Cook and his voyages: John C. Beaglehole for his editing of the Cook journals; Bernard Smith for his cataloguing and annotation of the art of the voyages and the charts and coastal views; and Adrienne Kaeppler for her location and description of all the artifacts collected from the voyages in the world’s museums.



IMG_31761.jpg IMG_31771.jpg

IMG_31781.jpg IMG_31791.jpg

IMG_31801.jpg IMG_31811.jpg

IMG_31821.jpg IMG_31831.jpg

IMG_31841.jpg

For a Look Inside of the drawings please go to the following post ........
 
Planset Review: PART II
HM BARK ENDEAVOUR
Her Place in Australian History
with an account of her Construction, Crew and Equipment and a narrative of her Voyage on the East Coast of New Holland in the year 1770

by Ray Parkin


The DRAWINGS

IMG_31851.jpg

IMG_31861.jpg IMG_31871.jpg

IMG_31881.jpg IMG_31891.jpg

IMG_31901.jpg IMG_31911.jpg

IMG_31921.jpg IMG_31931.jpg

IMG_31931.jpg

IMG_31941.jpg IMG_31951.jpg

IMG_31961.jpg IMG_31971.jpg

IMG_31981.jpg IMG_31991.jpg

IMG_31981.jpg

IMG_32001.jpg

Many Thanks for your interest
 
Good description of this monograph, I have a kit from Billing that I have made 3 copies of the hull itself, this will be
hulls that I will practice on planknig techniques, Billing has very poor plans on this topic.
In the pictures you show, I can at least count the number of planks.
Thanks-
 
I am fortunate enough to have this publication as well..albeit in a slightly different format. It is a single volume but still with those wonderful massive sheets of plans and drawings....………...I have bravely put it aside until I acquire the skills to do justice to the ship... Don't hold your breath!!!
 
@Uwek

Hello Uwe,

I came across your 2019 review of the book and drawings of the HM Bark Endeavour a couple of weeks ago. Firstly my thanks for a good review, which helped me in my decision to purchase this set. I saw a lot of second hand editions on many sites, some at extraordinarily inflated prices. Amazon in particular seems to adjust prices much higher the more “searches” are conducted by buyers. Somewhat dishonest I feel but it’s a buyers choice I guess. However, I was particularly pleased to find a new edition sold by the National Museum of Australia. The book and plans set is winging its way towards me as I type.

I worked the Australian coast and Pacific Islands many years ago. Those were some of the best times I spent deep sea. Cook and the Endeavour history has a certain appeal to me, as no doubt it does for others. So just in case there are other SOS members interested in this set I have added a link to the museum shop. Overall it is a good price I feel.

 
I new Ray Parkin quite well and had discussions about Endeavour on numerous occasions. He struggled to get his work published. We are so lucky he did. At that time Karl Marquardt was researching Endeavour as well and I set up a meeting of the 3 of us. It is a very memorable day. Quite tense at times as the disagreed on a few points. I still talk to his daughter who is a member of a car club that I am also a member of. I have a spare copy of Ray's 2 volume set I would be happy to sell for AU$100 + postage if anyone is interested.
Regards
Allan.
 
I new Ray Parkin quite well and had discussions about Endeavour on numerous occasions. He struggled to get his work published. We are so lucky he did. At that time Karl Marquardt was researching Endeavour as well and I set up a meeting of the 3 of us. It is a very memorable day. Quite tense at times as the disagreed on a few points. I still talk to his daughter who is a member of a car club that I am also a member of. I have a spare copy of Ray's 2 volume set I would be happy to sell for AU$100 + postage if anyone is interested.
Regards
Allan.
I find it fascinating that there is so much knowledge and there are so many members on SOS with links to important historical subjects. To have known Ray Parkin and been part of his work must have been exhilarating. No doubt you have some fine memories Allan.

As I mentioned I am waiting on delivery of the book and plans, which I am looking forward to very much. The external reviews I have read are truly excellent.

Best wishes,
Roger

@alpayed
(Edit: Allan, since posting I have read some other Endeavour articles and I’m now aware who Karl Heinz Marquardt was. The meeting for the three of you must have been just remarkable).
 
Last edited:
I have this book by Mr. Parkin also, excellent. Probably the same as danielw, single volume with the plans. In addition, people might also supplement their interest with an additional book by Geoffrey Blainey called "Captain Cook's Epic Voyage - The strange quest for a missing continent". Well worth the read. It is essentially a novel style historical account, that also "reveals the hardships, adventure and achievements of Cook's most important voyage".
Regards to one and all,
Jeff.
 
Last edited:
@Uwek

Hello Uwe,

I came across your 2019 review of the book and drawings of the HM Bark Endeavour a couple of weeks ago. Firstly my thanks for a good review, which helped me in my decision to purchase this set. I saw a lot of second hand editions on many sites, some at extraordinarily inflated prices. Amazon in particular seems to adjust prices much higher the more “searches” are conducted by buyers. Somewhat dishonest I feel but it’s a buyers choice I guess. However, I was particularly pleased to find a new edition sold by the National Museum of Australia. The book and plans set is winging its way towards me as I type.

I worked the Australian coast and Pacific Islands many years ago. Those were some of the best times I spent deep sea. Cook and the Endeavour history has a certain appeal to me, as no doubt it does for others. So just in case there are other SOS members interested in this set I have added a link to the museum shop. Overall it is a good price I feel.

Many Thanks for the link to the museum shop.
Great to see, that they republished this remarkable planset in 2020.
I new Ray Parkin quite well and had discussions about Endeavour on numerous occasions. He struggled to get his work published. We are so lucky he did. At that time Karl Marquardt was researching Endeavour as well and I set up a meeting of the 3 of us. It is a very memorable day. Quite tense at times as the disagreed on a few points. I still talk to his daughter who is a member of a car club that I am also a member of. I have a spare copy of Ray's 2 volume set I would be happy to sell for AU$100 + postage if anyone is interested.
Regards
Allan.
I am sure, that this talks and discussion with Marquardt and Parkin was highly interesting. ......
 
Hi Roger.
Yes some very treasured memories there.
Both were gentlemen and I am privileged to have known them. Karl was indisputably an authority on 17th century shipbuilding. He wasn’t afraid to express his opinions and I can’t remember too many occasions where he was wrong. A great mentor for me.


Hi Jeff.

Yes there are a lot of really good books about many of these explorers.
But unfortunately in this world of re writing history there are a lot of misleading accounts also.
You only have to read William Bradley’s “Voyage to New South Wales” to find that these men were very compassionate and not as they are often portrayed in modern takes on history.
Cook was not far short of a genius in my opinion. His charts were in use until very recent times.
A recent documentary implied that he had become insane because of his determination to retrieve a longboat stolen by the Tahitians.
Reading Ray Parkin’s book reveals the reason. If not for that long boat the Endeavour would have been lost when it struck the Barrier reef and the entire crew would have perished.
How the ship was saved from loss is a remarkable story of survival.
There is another event where the Endeavour was anchored north of where the repairs were done.
In a gale (cyclone) she was dragging all anchors and they took here down to main masts only in order to reduce wind resistance.
Extraordinary in those conditions.
Anyhow enough of that for now.
Regards
Allan
.
 
I new Ray Parkin quite well and had discussions about Endeavour on numerous occasions. He struggled to get his work published. We are so lucky he did. At that time Karl Marquardt was researching Endeavour as well and I set up a meeting of the 3 of us. It is a very memorable day. Quite tense at times as the disagreed on a few points. I still talk to his daughter who is a member of a car club that I am also a member of. I have a spare copy of Ray's 2 volume set I would be happy to sell for AU$100 + postage if anyone is interested.
Regards
Allan.
Hi Allan,
I am very interested in buying your spare copy, if you will ship it to Austria.
Best regards
Christian
 
Many Thanks for the link to the museum shop.
Great to see, that they republished this remarkable planset in 2020.
My 2020 boxed set from the National Museum of Australia arrived this morning. The set arrived in excellent condition, well packaged. I believe in giving a nod to organizations when they provide great service, so……..

One of the things I am most particular about is how well book sellers package books. If anyone decides to order this set from the National Museum of Australia (link in Post #5 above) they can be assured it should arrive in perfect condition. The boxed set is vacuum wrapped, the museum then covered it in protective tissue. It was then bubble wrapped and taped and placed in a substantial box The box was then sealed inside a plastic mailing wrapper for additional weather protection.

Someone took the time during these awful covid times to ensure the boxed set was packaged very well for delivery. There was even a small personal note inside from the museum - a very nice touch.

0D734A4F-C142-4947-B508-2F2895022A9B.jpeg
 
Back
Top