The volumes published by the Hakluyt Society always give a sense of pleasurable anticipation even before one opens them. The solidity of the binding, the engraved symbol on the front cover, the fine gold lettering on the spine, the sober blue cloth of the cover, the imposing length of the list of publications of the Society (this is volume 18 of the third series) and its great reputation, the quality of the paper, all betoken a book that has to be taken seriously. And that is even before one familiarises oneself with the contents. The book has won over a reviewer before a word is read!

And in this case, the anticipation is even more fulfilled because, instead of the usual edition of the works of one traveller, we have the relatively short works of four, only one of which is not of some relevance to Polar Record. The four documents presented are the 1775 journal of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra concerning his expedition northward along the Pacific coast of north America, Pringle Stokes' journal on board HMS Beagle in the Straits of Magellan in 1827, the journal of Midshipman Joseph Henry Kay during the voyage to the Antarctic among other destinations of HMS Chanticleer in 1828–1831, and, finally, Jacob Wainwright's diary of the transportation of Dr Livingstone's body to the coast of Africa in 1873–1874. The point is made in the general introduction that Kay might be the youngest writer ever to appear in the Society's publications, he was 14 at the time of the voyage, while Wainwright was the first black African to be so featured.

Four texts imply four editors or, in this case, five, since Kay's journal has two. The first section, on Bodega y Quadra is the most substantial and its editor, Herbert Beals, faithfully follows a Hakluyt Society tradition by prefacing his text by a long and discursive essay, covering approximately 70 pages, which does far more than merely set the scene for what is to come. He starts with the Treaty of Tordesillas and proceeds to the late eighteenth century with sections on Magellan and other explorers of what became a Spanish lake, leading to the preparations for the expedition in which Bodega y Quadra was master of the schooner known as Sonora, but officially named Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which reached a latitude of 57°58'N on the coast of Alaska. It had been intended that Sonora was to sail as consort with a larger vessel, Santiago, but they were separated and Sonora accomplished most of the voyage alone.

Bodega y Quadra's text reveals him to have been a typically competent, no nonsense, Spanish captain of the sort that did so much to maintain that nation's dominance in the Pacific for so long. It is extremely matter-of-fact, but Beals has illuminated it with a comprehensive critical apparatus together with several well-selected maps. One cannot believe that any other edition of Bodega y Quadra's journal will ever be necessary.

The second text in the book has a background that will probably be more familiar to readers of Polar Record. Pringle Stokes was captain of HMS Beagle before Robert Fitzroy, who replaced him because he had shot himself and had died on 12 August 1828. He was captain during the great expedition in which the crew of Beagle accomplished so much surveying in the notoriously difficult waters of the Straits of Magellan and adjacent waterways. This text is comprehensively prefaced by the editor, R.J. Campbell, in this case by a ‘hydrographic history’ of the straits, again starting with Magellan and lavishly illustrated with charts. This covers some 20 pages. Then Stokes' journal is presented. The main impression derived from this is that here is a mariner at the top of his powers with no trace of the mental problems that appear to have driven him to such a premature end. The other impression is that of the extraordinary difficulty of the task Beagle had been given and of the diligence with which it was tackled. The critical apparatus is comprehensive. But one has a slight caveat in that no map is presented in which the tracks of Beagle, and her boats are set out together with the names of the various points referred to in the text. This seems an omission that renders the edition somewhat less valuable that it could have been.

There is no such problem with regard to the third text, that of Midshipman Joseph Henry Kay on board HMS Chanticleer under the command of Commander Henry Foster in the years 1828–1831. The editors, Ann Savours and Anita McConnell, include a chart of the whole voyage as the first illustration. The focal point of this expedition, at least for readers of Polar Record, was the stay of the vessel at Port Foster in Deception Island for the purpose of making pendulum observations helping to a calculation of the figure of the Earth. In this case it is necessary to recall that Kay was 14 when he wrote the journal. He had clearly been well educated; it is no normal lad of that age who can quote King Lear (page 315) with such aplomb, and indeed the whole diary might be the work of a much more mature pen. Of all the texts in this volume, this is the one that is the most delightful to read. Kay's journal was personal and did not have the official overtones of the two previous ones. The whole experience seems to have been character forming, but enjoyable, although anyone who has ever been to Pendulum Cove will easily be able to read between the lines with regard to the vicissitudes of their stay there. Indeed this reviewer has never read a better one-paragraph description of Deception than that set out on page 317.

The final text merits shorter notice in this journal, although one imagines that few who pick up the book will fail to read it. Jacob Wainwright's journal is the only first-hand record of the great journey towards the east African coast accomplished by the leading followers of Dr Livingstone after his death, during which they transported his body on the first stage of its journey to Britain. Edited by Roy Bridges, it is at once an informative account of conditions in the areas through which the party made its way and a monument to human decency.

In brief, this is a superb selection of documents to incorporate in one volume. Each text is full of interest and being relatively short can be read in one sitting. It is a wholly worthy addition to the Hakluyt Society list.