Alexander Dalrymple was the man who would have been Captain Cook. He was the leading proponent of the theory that there existed a vast southern continent. He wished to lead the British expedition to the South Seas, but was bitterly disappointed when the Royal Society passed over him and chose Cook. His disappointment could not have been eased when Cook disproved his southern continent theory on his second voyage. Nonetheless, Dalrymple compiled an outstanding history of voyages and many nautical charts that greatly aided sea travel. Item 28 is an autographed letter from Dalrymple to John Gideon Loten, Governor of Batavia (now Jakarta) dated October 14, 1783. It talks about maps and various geographic locations. $2,600.

Here is an item for the Cook collector: Sammandrag af Capitain Jacob Cooks Aren 1772, 73, 74 och 1775, published in 1783. This is the Swedish edition of Cook's second voyage. $2,550.

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