Having already established himself as an important book editor in eighteenth-century London, John Hawkesworth received his most important commission in 1771. Through his close friend Charles Burney, Hawkesworth received the patronage of the Earl of Sandwich to edit and publish the accounts of the Pacific voyages of John Byron, Philip Carteret, Samuel Wallis and James Cook. Upon its publication in 1773, the three volumes became a best-seller. However, Hawkesworth was severely criticised. Firstly, the captains whose journals he edited attacked Hawkesworth for tampering with their accounts. His descriptions of the customs of Pacific Islanders were also attacked on moral grounds and the church opposed his introduction for its secular nature. The criticisms were harsh and possibly contributed to his death in November 1773.