My interests are the history of cartography, early New Zealand and Pacific discoveries, the development of navigation, ancient Polynesian voyaging, Maori artefacts and New Zealand maps, paintings, drawings and prints produced previous to the 21st century. In broad terms my main interest is the history of New Zealand and the Pacific region previous to 1840 - the year New Zealand was founded.
The purpose of my site is to provide details of my research.
© Brian Hooker 2006 - first published on the web in September 2000, amended May 2002 and revised August 2006. Corrections and additions will follow.
Left - New Zealand - Antonio Zatta (after James Cook), Venice, 1779. - For remarks on Zatta's maps refer to Chapter 2 in "Early New Zealand Printed Maps," - go to Section A in Contents via the link above.
"Come, here's the map" - Henry IV, Act iii, sc 1.
A fifth generation New Zealander,* Brian Hooker has made a special study of cartography in relation to the discovery, early European exploration, and settlement of the Pacific region including New Zealand. His earlier researches have been published in New Zealand Geographer, The New Zealand Journal of History, The Turnbull Library Record, Archifacts, Auckland-Waikato Historical Journal, The Journal of Navigation (UK), The Geographical Journal (UK), The Mariner’s Mirror (UK), The Map Collector (UK), Mercator’s World (USA), Terrae Incognitae (USA), Mappemonde (France).
*John Hooker (1805-77) and Jane Hooker (1802-88) and their five children left Cornwall for New Zealand in 1841 on the barque Timandra (432 tons).
Reviews of published work by Brian
Hooker
Review for: Early New Zealand Printed Maps: "Those of us with a passion
for the historic cartography of the bottom half of the world have
been waiting for a definitive catalogue of early printed maps of New
Zealand. None is more qualified to attempt such a project than Brian
Hooker, whose contribution to the placement of the early New Zealand
map on the table has been without peer." - Robert Clancy in
Mercator's World, Sept./Oct. 2001.
Review for: Early New Zealand Printed Maps and Dictionary of New Zealand Map-Makers: "Brian Hooker's books are most welcome
because they represent the first attempt at a coverage devoted
solely to New Zealand, and they succeed admirably." - John Robson in Imago Mundi, 2004.
Nb1. No additional program is required to view my pages; I have divided large files into sections for easier downloading.
Nb2. I have included numerous illustrations, some from unknown sources - if I have failed to communicate with owners of unique and original works please email me at: delzur (at) xtra.co.nz However please note that this is not a commercial web site.
Nb3. Click on the image to enlarge any thumbnail.
Nb4. Comments are welcome - click on the sketch of the Victoria, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe, immediately below.
This web site was designed and built by Brian Hooker using Microsoft FrontPage. The font used is Verdana. IrfanView and Microsoft Photo Editor were used for preliminary work with the images. The web host is HamsterHost.
Acknowledgement: Special thanks are due to my wife Christina who has supported me in so many ways over the years in different enterprises and also while I have been researching. writing, publishing, building and revising this web site. In fact over fifty years.
(Dated this second day of September 2006.
Dedication
This web site is dedicated to the memory of my parents
James Stanley Hooker (1890-1965)
and
Betty Hooker (1896-1969).
*
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