Captain Cook

An intimate biography of one of histories greatest explorers.

Assured, thorough and perceptive investigating

A vivid, absorbing account of the great explorer...animated by his biographer's passion for the humbly-born Yorkshireman

Vanessa Collingridge is best known as a presenter and reporter on Tonight with Trevor MacDonald. A first class Geography graduate of Oxford, Vanessa's presenting career has spanned many scientific and historical programmes on both TV and radio. She has also had her own column with the Daily Telegraph.

A uniquely woven story encompassing three separate centuries and three different lives. Captain Cook, best known for his heroic voyages through the Pacific Ocean, is brought to life in vivid detail. We follow his humble beginnings as the son of a farm labourer, through his convention-shattering treatment of the indigenous groups he met on his travels, and then onto his final tragic voyage which signalled the end of his revered reputation. 
 
One hundred years on from the death of Cook, another great man, George Collingridge begins his own adventure. He, like Cook was oblivious to the implications his journey would have. Along the way he unfolds ancient maps, secret tales and unearths hidden lands and buried treasure. He is also said to have realised that it was not Cook who discovered Australia - it was the Portugese. This firm belief was the eventual cause of his self-destruction. 
 
 Another hundred years later Vanessa Collingridge, is searching for books on her lifelong hero Captain Cook in a university library. She discovers the name of a distant cousin, George Collingridge, in a dusty card index. And so a new journey of discovery begins - in the footsteps of her hero and his nemesis.

Vanessa Collingridge

Deeply researched and powerfully explosive

Intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic

The author has a real passion for her subject and it shows

Boudica has been immortalised throughout history as the woman who dared take on the Romans - an act of vengeance on behalf of her daughters, tribe and enslaved country. Her known life is a rich tapestry of wife, widow, mother, queen and Celtic quasi-Goddess. But beneath this lies a history both dark and shocking, with fresh archaeological evidence adding new depth and terrifying detail to the worn-out myths. From the proud warrior tribes of her East Anglian childhood to the battlefields of her defeat, this is a vividly written and evocatively told story, bringing a wealth of new research and insight to bear on one of the key figures in British history and mythology. 
 
From the author of the much-praised Captain Cook comes a major new historical biography; a gripping and enlightening recreation of Boudica, her life, her adversaries, and the turbulent era she bestrode.

Vanessa Collingridge

Praise for Boudica

A compelling tale

Deeply researched and powerfully explosive

Intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic

A compelling tale

Deeply researched and powerfully explosive

Intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic

A compelling tale

Deeply researched and powerfully explosive

Intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic

Books by Vanessa Collingridge

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