Introduction: The History of Islands
I have a much treasured, if diminutive, volume on my bookshelves. Its title is A Narrative of the Voyages Round the World, Performed by Captain James Cook and it was written by Andrew Kippis, a prolific British author of the latter half of the eighteenth century. My edition—one of many produced in the nineteenth century, reflecting the lasting popularity of the book—was published in London, probably in the 1820s. Alongside the details of Cook's adventures, the book contains a striking document in its opening pages: a “letter” dated June 13, 1788, addressed to no less a personage than George III. In this short addition to the text, Kippis dedicates his work to the monarch whose patronage is said to have enabled Cook to execute his “vast undertakings”, and goes on to list the achievements of His Majesty's reign—the many “improvements” and forms of “advancement” and “progress” that have “rendered the name of Britain famous in every quarter of the glo...
