I first came across these diaries when I read a quote from them on the internet somewhere. Until that point I didn't even realise Captain Cook had wrote a diary, and once I found out I was soon on Amazon ordering a copy. It was suprisingly easy to read considering it was wrote in the late 1700's, and theres nothing better in my opinion than personal accounts. It's a fascinating read, from their travels in the freezing, silent Antartic waters, to their sailing between the pacific islands, as scores of canoes come out to greet them and welcome them ashore. Theres hundreds of events, comments etc in the book, that will make you laugh, teach you something new or have you re-reading the sentence in disbelief and that to me is the sign of a really good book.