Description

Elegy for Cook: This very scarce elegy for Captain Cook, published in Paris, reflects the high regard in which Cook was held in Enlightenment France as both a navigator and a scientist. Blanc-Gilli claims that Cook was as respected in France as in England, noting that the centenary of his death was celebrated in Paris but not in London. The elegy provides a glowing narrative of Cook’s life and voyages, enriched with a 24-page appendix that includes notes on other voyagers to the South Seas, Cook’s importance to astronomy, and references to contemporary philosophers like Rousseau.

Author: Mathieu Blanc Gilli, a politically active writer from Marseille, served briefly in the Legislative Assembly before retiring to an obscure provincial post during the French Revolution. He published various reforms, including an abolitionist pamphlet critical of the plantation system in Santo Domingo.

Rarity: Forbes could locate only copies in the Mitchell Library and three American libraries, including Sir Maurice Holmes’ copy at UCLA.