Hampton Sides is a Santa Fe-based historian and bestselling author who has written many books that are favorites of Mountain & Prairie listeners, including Blood and Thunder, On Desperate Ground, and Ghost Soldiers. His newest book is The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is available now and sitting high on the New York Times bestseller list. If you’re a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then I’m sure you’re glad to see that Hampton has joined me for yet another podcast conversation.
Much of Captain Cook’s epic third voyage takes place far from the mountains and prairies of the American West, in tropical paradises including Tahiti and Hawaii. But what you may not realize, is that a big portion of his final voyage was spent exploring and mapping the west coast of North America, from the rocky shores of present-day Oregon and Washington, all the way up to Alaska. While I was somewhat familiar with Cook and his explorations, I didn’t fully understand or appreciate the mind-blowing scale of his journeys or his impact on world history.
As is the case with all of Hampton’s books, he melds together deep and extensive research with thrilling storytelling to make the process of understanding history as entertaining as it is educational. While Cook is obviously a central figure in The Wide Wide Sea, the book also profiles numerous fascinating Polynesian and Indigenous historical figures, including the Tahitian man named Mai, whom Hampton and I discussed at length in our September 2021 episode. If you haven’t already listened to that episode, I’d encourage you to do so when you’re done with this one.
Hampton and I met up here in Colorado Springs, one of many stops on his book tour for The Wide Wide Sea. As usual, we had a fun and at times very funny conversation about history, his research and writing process, and all things Captain Cook. We started out discussing why Hampton is drawn to write about controversial historical figures, and we talked at length about how he combined historical accounts from Europeans with those from the Indigenous communities that Cook visited. We talked about the mystery of Cook’s dramatic personality change, how Cook’s arrival disrupted the equilibrium of Polynesian cultures, Cook’s leadership style both before and after his personality change, how Hampton organized such massive amounts of research, and how and why he works so hard to get his books into the world. He also gives a sneak peek into his next book, which will based here in Colorado and explores one of the West’s most notorious massacres.
A huge thank you to Hampton for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with me again, and thank you for listening. Enjoy!
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All photos courtesy of Hampton Sides
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RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 7:00 – Why write about Captain Cook
- 10:45 – Captain Cook, pre-1776
- 16:45 – Cook’s ship
- 21:15 – Exploring Cook’s mental health
- 25:30 – Exploring humans’ predisposition towards greed
- 29:30 – The importance of doing boots-on-the-ground research for history
- 32:00 – How Cook kept scurvy at bay
- 34:30 – Hampton’s biggest unexpected discovery while writing The Wide Wide Sea
- 38:00 – Whether or not Hampton experienced apprehensions about telling the story of a complicated person like Cook
- 42:00 – Discussing the circumstances that led to Cook’s death
- 45:45 – Discussing some of Cook’s personality traits and cultural differences between Cook and the Māori
- 49:30 – How Hampton organizes his quotes for writing
- 53:45 – How Hampton actually sells his books
- 58:00 – Hampton’s plans for the future
Information Referenced:
- The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides
- Hampton’s episode discussing Mai
- Hampton’s second M&P episode
- Hampton and Ed live at the Aspen Institute
- Captain James Cook
- Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides
- Joseph Banks
- Sciatica
- Kerguelen Islands
- Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides
- Ernest Shackelton
- The Wager by David Grann
- John Milton Chivington
- The Sand Creek Massacre
- Silas Soule
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future
- John Vaillant – A Riveting Exploration of Fire
- Dr. Sara Dant Returns – “Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West”
- Peter Stark – Tales of Adventure, Exploration, & Epic Battles
- Pete McBride, Part 2: In Search of Silence
- Kristine Tompkins – Nothing to Lose
- Doug Peacock – 50 Years of Fighting for the Grizzlies
- Dr. Katharine Hayhoe – Effecting Change Through Authentic Conversation
Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes
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