Maps from Cook's first voyage were first published in 1773, and the east coast of New South Wales was first shown on Dunn's world map published in November 1772.

John Abraham Bayly, fl. 1755-1794

(fl. Is used by historians as an abbreviation for the Latin word ‘floruit’ meaning living at a certain time or ‘flourished’, to indicate when a person was influential; it is normally used only when dates of birth or death are unknown)

Fifty copies were printed on French paper, and fifty on thinner paper. Until relatively recently, the sole known copy was the Library of British Museum's, printed on lighter paper.

The scale of the map is approx. 1:90 000 000

Also known as ‘Banks' chart of the great Pacific Ocean’ or the ‘Banks map’

Acquired in 2008 from the Captain James Cook Collection of Robert and Mary Anne Parks.

The 1974 discovery of Sir Joseph Banks’ hitherto unknown eighteenth century engraved copper plate of ‘The Great Pacific Ocean’ in the Botany Library of the British Museum (Natural History) is the foundation of a publication titled The Banks/Cook Portfolio edited by Pamela Gilbert which was first published in 1990.