I'm reading Captain James Cook's journals starting with his first voyage around the world.
At times, it is a lot of description of islands he encounters. Other times it is lists of longitude and latitude coordinates. Then there are the moments that he lists the time of day when something happened or the depth of the water at a specific point.
It might seem like a dull read on the surface but this is one of the best adventure books I've read. Using technology from the 16th century they load a wooden boat full of men and make their way around the world. With wind, tides, and ocean currents powering them.
Along the way they discover new land and meet natives in places that had not previously met Europeans. Captain Cook describes their near shipwreck along the Eastern coast of Australia as they discover the Great Barrier Reef. At one point they had more water rushing into the boat than the mechanical pumps could handle.
On the shores of Eastern Australia, Cook describes finding an animal that is the color of a dog but moves like a hare. The larger ones are the size of a sheep. After the English explorer describes the Kangaroo in more detail he then proceeds to tell you how they taste (yummy!).
When they approach a port in the East Indies he swears his crew to secrecy about where they have been and he collects all of their journals.
The best part of this adventure story. . . it's true.
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