Endeavour, Peter Moore
Endeavour, Peter Moore
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Endeavour
The Ship That Changed the World

Author: Peter Moore

Narrator: Ric Jerrom

Unabridged: 19 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/14/2019

Synopsis

Endeavour is the story of a ship, an idea, and a way of looking at the world. It is grounded in the Enlightenment, an age of endeavors, with Britain consumed by the impulse for grand projects undertaken at speed. Endeavour was also the name given to a collier—a commonplace coal-carrying vessel—made of oak, bought by the Royal Navy in 1768. No one could have guessed it would go on to become the most significant ship in the chronicle of British exploration. As Charles Darwin wrote, Endeavour added an entire hemisphere to the civilized world when it carried Captain James Cook on his first major voyage, newly charting the existence of New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia.Endeavour also had a role in American history. During the battles for control of New York in 1776, she witnessed the bloody birth of the republic. As well as carrying botanists, a Polynesian priest, and the remains of the first kangaroo to arrive in Britain, she transported Hessian soldiers to American shores as well as Newcastle coal. NASA ultimately named a space shuttle in her honor. But to others she was a toxic symbol of empire, responsible for dispossession and disruption.The first history of its kind, Peter Moore’s Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is the epic telling of the ship’s many lives. Using meticulous research, Moore tells the story of one of history’s most defining sailing ships, and in turn shines new light on the ambition and consequences of the Enlightenment.

About Peter Moore

Peter Moore teaches creative writing at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Damn His Blood and The Weather Experiment: The Pioneers Who Sought to See the Future, which was a Sunday Times (London) bestseller and one of the New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2015, and was adapted for a BBC Radio 4 documentary series. He lives in London with his family.

About Ric Jerrom

Ric Jerrom is an actor, writer, and—occasionally—director. He has also narrated audiobooks in genres from classics to romantic fiction to mystery and suspense, winning three AudioFile Earphones Awards and placing as a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award. He has written plays, film scripts, short stories, poetry, and journalism. He has performed in many radio plays, sundry theaters, and internationally for the Natural Theatre Company of Bath.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Julian on February 24, 2019

A great piece of historical detection, research - and a fascinating read.  At times I forgot I was reading about a ship, but the writer skillfully trims the sails to bring us back on course, having colored in the background developments.  A superb way of portraying such changing times in history - jam......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on July 27, 2019

Far too unfocused...tried too hard......more

Goodreads review by Aidan on June 15, 2021

A brilliantly written book which although its focus is on the Endeavour also stops off along the way to explore the major events of the time which gives a wider knowledge of the time period. Starting off from the oak trees that were used to make the Endeavour this book takes you through the life of......more

Goodreads review by Katedurie50 on June 11, 2020

Well written, well-researched and lively, much more the portrait of an age than a ship. It covers everything from Whitby to Wilkes, and the Endeavour was much more than just Cook's ship in his voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand but was also part of the British response to the American Revolution. So i......more

Quotes

“Endeavour is a dazzling combination of science and adventure, lyrically evocative descriptions of lush tropical landscapes and salt-stung seascapes, and a portrait of an age of ‘magnificent geniality’…Endeavour is an absolute joy from start to finish, and surely my history book of the year.” Sunday Times (London)

“Moore’s richly detailed book is an engrossing love letter to a word, an attitude and a ship: it is an endeavour that honours Endeavour, without denying the death and destruction that followed in her wake.” Guardian (UK)

"Endeavour is an extraordinary book about an unlikely ship that defined an age…The book reminded me of one of those opulent eighteenth-century feasts enjoyed by King George—endless exotic dishes all delivered with exquisite style. Like the age it recounts, it is a book of energy, creativity and self-confidence.” Times (London)

“A dense but enlightening history of a highly significant eighteenth-century vessel.…The narrative transforms into a page-turning, breathtaking adventure story for the ages…History at its most exciting and revealing.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A deeply satisfying book…Paying homage to the remarkable lives of a single vessel, Peter Moore also gives the Endeavour a new lease of life long after its sinking.” Literary Review (London)

“Acute insight into the ship that carried some of the most successful explorers across the world. A fine book that’s definitely worth exploring.” Michael Palin, English comedian, actor, television presenter, and author of Erebus

Awards

  • Mary Soames Award
  • Sunday Times (London) Bestseller
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