The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

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Melding superb research and the extraordinary expedition photography of Frank Hurley, The Endurance by Caroline Alexander is a stunning work of history, adventure, and art which chronicles "one of the greatest epics of survival in the annals of exploration." Setting sail as World War I broke out in Europe, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by renowned polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, hoped to become the first to cross the Antarctic continent. But their ship, Endurance, was trapped in the drifting pack ice, eventually to splinter, leaving the expedition stranded on floes--a situation that seemed "not merely desperate but impossible."

Most skillfully Alexander constructs the expedition's character through its personalities--the cast of veteran explorers, scientists, and crew--with aid from many previously unavailable journals and documents. We learn, for instance, that carpenter and shipwright Henry McNish, or "Chippy," was "neither sweet-tempered nor tolerant," and that Mrs. Chippy, his cat, was "full of character." Such firsthand descriptions, paired with 170 of Frank Hurley's intimate photographs, which are comprehensively assembled here for the first time, penetrate the hulls of the Endurance and these tough men. The account successfully reveals the seldom-seen domestic world of expedition life--the singsongs, feasts, lectures, camaraderie--so that when the hardships set in, we know these people beyond the stereotypical guise of mere explorers and long for their safety.

Alexander reveals Shackleton as an inspiring optimist, "a leader who put his men first." Throughout the grueling ordeal, Shackleton and his men show what endurance and greatness are all about. The Endurance is a most intimate portrait of an expedition and of survival. Readers will possess a newfound respect for these daring souls, know better their unthinkable toil and half-forgotten realm of glory. --Byron Ricks

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Narrators Michael Tezla and Martin Ruben join forces to read Caroline Alexander's extraordinary account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's improbable Antarctic adventure. Tezla narrates the text while Ruben reads diary entries from the ship's crewmembers, employing a variety of native accents. The approach effectively divides the book into listener-friendly chunks, but at times, keeping track of all 27 crewmen requires the fortitude of the explorers themselves. Tezla describes the ice and snow with a haunting beauty but manages maintain the tension throughout, while Ruben injects character and humor into his various vocal interpretations. (Running time: 6 hours, 4 cassettes) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Book Description

In August 1914, days before the outbreak of the First World War, the renowned explorer Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven set sail for the South Atlantic in pursuit of the last unclaimed prize in the history of exploration: the first crossing on foot of the Antarctic continent. Weaving a treacherous path through the freezing Weddell Sea, they had come within eighty-five miles of their destination when their ship, Endurance, was trapped fast in the ice pack. Soon the ship was crushed like matchwood, leaving the crew stranded on the floes. Their ordeal would last for twenty months, and they would make two near-fatal attempts to escape by open boat before their final rescue.

Drawing upon previously unavailable sources, Caroline Alexander gives us a riveting account of Shackleton's expedition--one of history's greatest epics of survival. And she presents the astonishing work of Frank Hurley, the Australian photographer whose visual record of the adventure has never before been published comprehensively. Together, text and image re-create the terrible beauty of Antarctica, the awful destruction of the ship, and the crew's heroic daily struggle to stay alive, a miracle achieved largely through Shackleton's inspiring leadership.

The survival of Hurley's remarkable images is scarcely less miraculous: The original glass plate negatives, from which most of the book's illustrations are superbly reproduced, were stored in hermetically sealed cannisters that survived months on the ice floes, a week in an open boat on the polar seas, and several more months buried in the snows of a rocky outcrop called Elephant Island. Finally Hurley was forced to abandon his professional equipment; he captured some of the most unforgettable images of the struggle with a pocket camera and three rolls of Kodak film.

Published in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History's landmark exhibition on Shackleton's journey, The Endurance thrillingly recounts one of the last great adventures in the Heroic Age of exploration--perhaps the greatest of them all.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-08-30

This book is simply outstanding. A must read for all whould-be-adventurers!
The photos are right up there with Ansel Adams, but with REAL drama.

beautiful pictures.......2007-08-26

There are more complete books out there detailing what Shackleton and his men went through on their Antarctic exploration, and after viewing the haunting, beautiful and often other-worldly photographs presented in this book, I think you will want to further explore this story.

This book is fine in what it offers, giving a good summary of those events, without getting into some of the mind numbing list of stores etc. in the more detailed books, but the photographs are what makes this a special book - one to leave out on the coffee table and pick up on a hot summer day and leaf through and feel the temperature drop eighty degrees.

Excellent!.......2007-06-27

Thank you for a wonderful book in outstanding condition and great price I will keep in mind this dealer!

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.......2007-06-26

The book is well writen and easy to read....enjoyable to read!!!! Great pictures and overall a nice solid book...

Incredible read for any fan of an Adventure Story.......2006-11-24

Wow is all I can say - this book is amazing and so are the photos. I had the chanc to see a museum tour that was dedicated to this story. I started this book early in the evening and was unable to put it down until the early morning when I read the last page.

This is an incredible story of human courage, leadership, and adventure. This is truly a must read.

Southern Ocean Ecology: The BIOMASS Perspective

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Southern Ocean Ecology: The BIOMASS Perspective

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521443326

Book Description

An international research project known as Biological Investigations of Marine Antarctic Systems and Stocks or BIOMASS was a unique, 15-year, international research program established to investigate the ecology of the Southern Ocean. This volume summarizes the results of this monumental research effort and provides a succinct, state-of-the-art account of the ecology of the Southern Ocean, covering the physical marine environment, marine stocks (phytoplankton, zooplankton, krill, fish, and birds), marine systems, and future research endeavors.

Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish

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International Fisheries
thanks
Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish
Great sea story mixed with culinary history and legal proceedure
pursuing the fishers

Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish
G. Bruce Knecht
Manufacturer: Rodale Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594861102
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

Hooked is a story about the poaching of the Patagonian toothfish (known to Americans as Chilean Sea Bass) and is built around the pursuit of the illegal fishing vessel Viarsa by an Australian patrol boat, Southern Supporter, in one of the longest pursuits in maritime history. Author G. Bruce Knecht chronicles how an obscure fish merchant in California discovered and renamed the fish, kicking off a worldwide craze for a fish no one had ever heard ofand everyone had to have. And with demand exploding, pirates were only too happy to satisfy our taste for Chilean Sea Bass. Knechtwhose previous book The Proving Ground was hailed by Walter Cronkite as a sailing masterpiece . . . a tale more thrilling than fictioncaptivates readers by deftly shifting among the storys nail-biting elements: the perilous chase at sea through frenzied winds, punishing waves, and an obstacle course of icebergs; the high-stakes environmental battle and courtroom drama; and the competitive battle among the worlds restaurants to serve the perfect, flaky, white-fleshed fish. From the worlds most treacherous waters to its most fabulous kitchens, Hooked is at once a thrilling tale and a revelatory popular history that will appeal to a diverse group of readers. Think The Hungry Ocean meets Kitchen Confidential.

Customer Reviews:

International Fisheries.......2007-07-07

A great book that chronicles the myriad issues that face international fisheries. Want to know what you're really eating and how it got to your plate? Knecht will tell you

thanks.......2007-07-07

It is always a delight to read a thoughtfully written expose of some evil activity that is destroying some part of our enviroment. The more people read books like this, the better chance there is of preventing such disasters in the future. Nicely done and easy to read.

Hooked: Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish.......2007-07-05

Book was quite a read. A few days reading and you are done. Keeps you enthralled every minute and at the same time provides facts that you may not know about the fishing industry.

Great sea story mixed with culinary history and legal proceedure.......2007-06-27

Really fun book, everyone I have passed it on to also gave it rave reviews. Excitement, suspense and a little culinary history. A good read

pursuing the fishers.......2007-05-25

A verty detailed account of pursuit and the frustrations that the law encompasses while trying to track international pirates. I assumed it would be, track, catch and arrest but their are so many politics involved with the apprehension of the illegal fisherman, whom once you hear their story and don't find yourself so mad at them either as they are trying to make a living. With the dolphin killing, my emotions were triggered but with the Chilean Sea bass , one really has to grasp the environmental concerns for the reasons these pirates must be controlled. Good book.

South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurance

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British Stoicism
No one could tell this experience better than Sir Ernest Shackleton himself!
With a stiff upper lip - an adventure from another era
Trust your money and your life but not your wife with Ernest
A True Leader

South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurance
Sir Ernest Shackleton
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1558217835

Book Description

This first-person account of the Endurance crew's famed odyssey across the frozen Antarctic is one of the most amazing adventure stories ever.

In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men set out to make the first sea-to-sea crossing of the most inhospitable continent on earth. One year later, halfway to their objective and their ship destroyed by ice, the expedition began an unbelievable journey back to the fringe of civilization. South is their story of battles against incredible obstacles for nearly two years, surviving on ice floes, sailing hundreds of miles on tumultuous seas, battling the unimaginable cold of the Antarctic winter, enduring debilitating hunger, injury, and misfortune, and finally overcoming improbable odds to reach help.

As Shackleton himself wrote at the time of the book's original publication in 1920, this is "a book of high adventure, strenuous days and lonely nights, unique experiences, and, above all, records of unflinching determination, supreme loyalty, and generous self-sacrifice on the part of my men." It is a story that resonates to this day as the classic tale of survival, resolve, and leadership.

Alfred Lansing's Endurance made the journey famous; Shackleton's book brings it dramatically to life.

Customer Reviews:

British Stoicism .......2007-10-07

SOUTH: THE LAST ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

Here is a list of equipment that Sir Ernest Shackleton did NOT have for his memorable Endurance expedition: GPS location finders; radio ; RADAR, SONAR; computerized navigation; professional medical care; thermal clothes; MRE'S (Meals Ready To Eat), double steel hull; air and logistical support, public relations agents; marketing proposals; lawyers.
Shacketon's crew navigated with a sextant; traversed the icecap with dog sleds instead of ski-doos, and ate canned herring, tinned meat, pemmican, biscuits and occasional seals.

What he did have was an old ship, a strong crew, an incredible work ethic, classic British stoicism and unerring sense of the right thing to do.

His book reads like a Robert Louis Stevenson or H.G. Welles story, but it is the unvarnished truth. His matter -of -fact account is brilliantly illustrated by Frank Hurley's dramatic black & white photos of The Endurance encapsulated in ice, its masts and spars dripping frozen water like the maritime apparition in Melville's "Benito Cereno."
I seriously doubt whether a modern expedition equipped with all the bells and whistles and sponsored with corporate money could duplicate what Shackleton's Endurance accomplished under the most adverse circumstances imaginable.
Because the Endurance expedition occurred in 1914-15 at the start of World World War I
Shackleton's accomplishment was largely overshadowed, and the Antarctic was all but forgotten until the `fifties and `sixties when its scientific and strategic value was rediscovered.
Now, as the Antarctic ice cap melts from global warming, one wonders at Shackleton's accomplishment.

No one could tell this experience better than Sir Ernest Shackleton himself!.......2007-05-20

After more than a year of seeing pretty much nothing but ice and snow, and living in, at times, sub-zero temperatures, Sir Ernest Shackleton writes about his camp's current conditions; "Drifts four feet deep covered everything, and we had to be continually digging up our scanty stock of meat to prevent its being lost altogether... On this day, and for the next two or three also, it was impossible to do anything but get right inside one's frozen sleeping bag to try and get warm. Too cold to read or sew, we had to keep our hands well inside, and pass the time in conversation with each other." He's so matter-of-fact... no fluff here. He just tells it like it is. I love that about this book. The conditions worsen by leaps and bounds as the story continues, but I'll leave that for you to explore on your own. Anyway, the first few chapters are very informative regarding how the expedition was planned, where they were headed, how they got there, etc... for me, it started a little slow, but I understand why the writer wanted to include this information. So, then you get into the "meaty" survival stuff... and is it ever so fascinating. And for me, it's especially fascinating because it doesn't seem to be sugar-coated, as so many writers are proned to do when telling their story. In fiction, I don't mind so much the way a writer gives you every detail, written ever so eloquently, but when it comes to true stories... especially survival stories, I personally just want to hear the straight talk. A GREAT SURVIVAL STORY AND PERFECTLY WRITTEN for this reader.

With a stiff upper lip - an adventure from another era.......2007-03-26

When the Antarctic explorer ship Endurance became trapped by ice in the opening days of World War I, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his companions found themselves stranded for the winter. Months later, when the ice floe that had been their "home" became unstable as spring breakup began, the party - with their ship long since broken apart - took to their three open boats, and made their way to Elephant Island. There they set up a precarious camp, where most of the group waited while Sir Ernest and a few carefully chosen companions struck out for South Georgia. That South Atlantic island, 800 miles away, was known to have year-round British inhabitants.

Those are the bare facts of one of the great true adventures, a story told here by Sir Ernest himself. His dry writing style may take some slogging, at first, for contemporary (especially American) readers; but his wit is equally dry, and his descriptions vivid. I was especially interested to note the differences between the Shackleton party's attitudes and those of today. Not only is this a magnificent survival tale (NOT ONE of Shackleton's men died!); it's also a snapshot of how those quintessential English explorers of another era thought about the world they were discovering. For better or for worse, how times and attitudes have changed!

Trust your money and your life but not your wife with Ernest.......2004-12-31

What an expedition! There is a lot to be learned about leadership and survival by the adventurers on this journey. If you like men against the elements, who survive by their wits and never ever give up, this is the tale for you. A great winter read.

A True Leader.......2001-02-02

Shackleton was an amazing man full of true grit and true leadership. Among the many things that stand out in his story of survival is the importance of keeping a journal. Even after many supplies and equipment were left on the ice, the men were instructed to continue to carry their journals. And what if they had not? Where would be the true story that outshines most fictional adventure stories in the minds and imaginations of many, including myself?

If you want to read more about Antarctica, I suggest T.H. Baughman's "Before the Heroes Came."

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Captains Courageous

Scoot of the Antartic, A life of courage

An Admiring View of a Complex Man

A brilliant book

Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage and Tragedy
David Crane
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Journals: Scott's Last Expedition (Oxford World's Classics)

The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party

The Boys of Everest: Chris Bonington and the Tragedy of Climbing's Greatest Generation

Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration

The Last Explorer: Hubert Wilkins, Hero of the Great Age of Polar Exploration

ASIN: 0375415270
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Book Description

A richly illuminating biography of Robert Falcon Scott, and the first to transcend the myths that have taken root in the story of his life.

Since Scott’s death in 1912, he has been the subject of innumerable books—some declaring him a hero, others dismissing him as an irresponsible fool. But in all the pages that have been written about him, the man behind the legend has been forgotten or distorted beyond all recognition. Now, with full access to all family papers and to the voluminous diaries and records of key participants in the Antarctic expeditions, and with the inclusion in the book of excerpts from Scott’s own letters and diaries, David Crane gives us a portrait of the explorer that is more nuanced and balanced than any we have had before. In reassessing Scott’s life, Crane is able to provide a fresh perspective on both the Discovery expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova expedition of 1910–13, making clear that although Scott’s dramatic journeys are the most compelling parts of his story, they are only part of a larger narrative that includes remarkable scientific achievement and the challenges of a tumultuous private life.

Scott’s own voice echoes through the pages. His descriptions of the monumental landscape of Antarctica and its fatal and icy beauty are breathtaking. And his honest, heartfelt letters and diaries give the reader an unforgettable account of the challenges he faced both in his personal life and as a superlative leader of men in possibly the world’s harshest environment.

The result is an absolutely convincing portrait of a complicated hero.

Customer Reviews:

Captains Courageous.......2007-07-16

David Crane shows how the death of the explorer Captain Scott galvanized the UK on the edge of World War I, but he qualifies British response to the tragedy by pointing up that, despite the weight of popular opinion, the pre-war Edwardian years were not exactly the Golden Age of empire the way they are nowadays painted. Crane's life of Scott is in every way a re-revisionist biography, kicking against what he feels has been the unfair denigration of Scott's life and deeds over the past thirty years.

Sometimes this approach works, sometimes it doesn't. Through meticulous handling of evidence, he tells the story without a hint of strain, and yet sometimes whole paragraphs stop the action to argue that history has shafted Scott once again. A prototypical Englishman in the days when "God was an Englishman," Scott has suffered from unthinking backlhas, or so says Crane, and indeed he says it about four hundred times so that, frankly, I began to sympathize with Scott's attackers a bit, for no one's that perfect.

Indeed Crane admits as much, citing his rivalry with Shackleton and then finally with Amundsen as proof, but in each case, the other man is deeply at fault and Scott was just trying to muddle through on Naval smarts and years of experience leading men. It was a time for heroics, and something in the air (together with a thriving media culture) made heroes out of the most unlikely souls. England expected every man to do his duty, and alas so did Norway and Amundsen came home with the gold, so to speak, whereas the Englishmen after the same glittering prize were all dead by the time Amundsen returned home. "The Englishmen, the goal accompished," bleated the press, "lay quiet in the snows. Through the months since . . . while wives and friends set forth for meetings and counted time, they lay oblivious. All was over for them long ago."

Beyond the heroics of the era, Crane attributes the legend of Captain Scott to his indispitable skill as a prose writer. There is something macabre about the veneration given to his last journal, found by the relief party, but it's a bizarre twist totally understandable in the context, the words that live on after the hand that wrote them has grown cold and still. Without that last journal, its reinscription of subaltern heroics, its narrative of deprivation and memory and love, how else would Scott be remembered? In this regard Crane has an interesting passage about the way in which Westminster Abbey had its own little competition going on with St. Paul's Cathedral about which site had the most pomp and had the most heroes of empire commemmorated there.

Scoot of the Antartic, A life of courage.......2007-03-21

The book is dreadful. It continually refers to other expeditions that the average reader will not know about. The writing is random and its impossible to follow the thread. There are also many deliberate and irrelevant literary references just inserted to be clever. A great subject that I w\as looking forward to, treated very badly by a pseudo intellectual. Try as I might I could not finish it.

An Admiring View of a Complex Man.......2007-02-20

I particularily like the subtitle to this book, 'a life of courage and tragedy.'

Scott was undoubtedly courageous. He could not have been otherwise. On the other hand, his courage and drive to get to the South Pole was not exactly balanced by experience or perhaps by common sense. There's an old saying that if you wanted to get somewhere like the South Pole, Scott would have been a good leader to follow, but if you wanted to get back, then other expedition leaders like Shackleton would be your first choice. Shackleton's quotation: 'Better a live donkey than a dead lion.' Consistent with this, Scott got to the South Pole, Shackleton didn't. Scott didn't get back.

In this book, the author is clearly a deep admirer of Scott. And indeed he did great things. Coming from a humble beginning he appeared driven to accomplish things, and he did. He was a complicated man, and Mr. Crane's access to the family papers and Scott's letters give a view that is perhaps more balanced than what we have seen before.

If nothing else, Mr. Crane is an excellent writer and the story becomes one of those can't put down books.

A brilliant book.......2007-01-22

The history of Arctic exploration is not a subject I've ever had a particular interest in. I picked this book up more or less by chance, was intrigued enough to buy it ... and haven't been able to put it down. The story itself is absolutely gripping from beginning to end, but it's the intelligence and skill of the writing that makes this such a memorable and remarkable book. Wonderful. Six stars.

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Antarctic Fishes
Mitsuo Fukuchi , and Harvey J. Marchant
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801886104

Book Description

The break-up of the supercontinent of Gondwana and the formation of the Southern Ocean resulted in the creation of some of the strangest species imaginable -- the Antarctic fish fauna. The waters surrounding the southern continent are home to an enormous number of fish species rarely seen by anyone outside the worlds of Antarctic research and commercial fisheries. This book describes the physical characteristics, habits, and distribution of fifty-four species of these fascinating fish. Each description is accompanied by a delicate full-page illustration executed in the unique gyotaku method as employed by master artist Boshu Nagase. The result is an impressive tribute to these little-known fishes.

Antarctic Fishes is an important contribution to our knowledge of a unique environment and extraordinary species equipped with their own "antifreeze." A book for anyone seeking to truly understand the diversity of fishes in the world, Antarctic Fishes will also find a welcome home among fans of Asian and nature art, as well as the growing number of gyotaku collectors.

The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok: Glaciology, Biology and Planetology (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)

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The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok: Glaciology, Biology and Planetology (Springer Praxis Books / Geophysical Sciences)
Igor A. Zotikov
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540426493

Book Description

The first book on the subject, this monograph examines the phenomenon of a huge sealed, freshwater lake, isolated from the rest of the world by kilometers' thick ice. The existence of melting ice at the bottom of the huge Vostok Lake has served as a model and inspired the team planning the Galileo space craft to gather data on the ice sheet of the Jupiterian moon Europa. The book provides interpretation of, and calculations for, stimulating factors for possible melting and a huge lake's existence at the bottom of the Martian ice sheets.

The Home of the Blizzard : A True Story of Antarctic Survival

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A comprehensive look at Mawson's little-known expedition
The classic tale of a great Antarctic epic.

The Home of the Blizzard : A True Story of Antarctic Survival
Douglas Mawson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312211252

Amazon.com

Rejecting a position on Scott's ill-fated South Pole team, Australian explorer Douglas Mawson sets off with his own plans in December 1911 to explore the unknown Antarctic coast south of Australia. The Home of the Blizzard is Mawson's thrilling account of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which set its base camp in a region of terrific yearlong windstorms and blizzards. Originally published as a two-volume work in 1915, then abridged and reprinted in 1930, this edition replicates the bestselling 1930 volume, which has long been out of print.

Unlike most Antarctic expeditions of his day, Mawson's trek had no pole-hunting ambitions, focusing instead on scientific inquiry and mapping, which the international media largely ignored. And indeed, when Mawson left the Antarctic continent, his expedition had amassed more maps of Antarctica than any other to date. But Mawson's journey was no more void of adventure than those exploits of his contemporaries. Mawson's vivid description of the storms, hardships, endurance, tragedy, and survival make this adventure story well worth resurrecting. When his two companions perish, Mawson ventures on an unthinkable solo sledge journey back to his coastal base, a feat nothing short of pure courage.

With a forward by renowned polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and four folios of black-and-white photographs from the expedition, Blizzard is a polar classic that adventure enthusiasts are sure to embrace. --Byron Ricks

Book Description

The Home of the Blizzard is a tale of discovery and adventure in the Antarctic-of pioneering deeds, great courage, heart-stopping rescues, and heroic perseverance. This is Douglas Mawson's first-hand account of his years spent in sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds. At the heart of the story is Mawson's epic sledge journey from 1912-1913, during which his companions B. E. S. Ninnis and Xavier Mertz both perished. Told in a laconic but gripping narrative, this is a story that all armchair explorers will cherish. This classic book is also a detailed account of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition's daily subsistence on the icy continent in the early years of the century.

Originally published to great acclaim in 1915, this book has been out of print for many years. The Home of the Blizzard is illustrated with more than ninety original photographs depicting the wildlife, the harsh living conditions, and the spirit of the explorers. With a specially commissioned foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, hailed as the "world's greatest living explorer," this is a book for anyone interested in adventure and the strength of the human spirit.

Customer Reviews:

A comprehensive look at Mawson's little-known expedition.......2000-05-31

After his contributions to Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1907-1909 Nimrod expedition, Australian scientist Dr. Douglas Mawson decided to put together his own expedition, one that placed more emphasis on science than any up to that time and many afterwards. Although his own experiences were by far the most gripping of the expedition, Mawson is careful to tell the entire story, with excerpts from other member's diaries and reports. His style is a little dry, compared to Shackleton's books, but the tale of the expedition is a compelling and interesting one. The book is very well illustrated with photographs, maps, and diagrams, and the cover is really handsome. Read this, but also read Lennard Bickel's "Mawson's Will" for more emphasis on Mawson's own terrifying adventure.

The classic tale of a great Antarctic epic........1998-11-20

The epic of endurance laconically described by Mawson ranks with those of Scott and Shackleton as one of the greatest feats of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, yet is far less well known. Read this book and marvel at the man. Great pictures, missing from some earlier editions of the book, are included. Avoid the self-serving foreword by Ranulph Fiennes who cannot even get the name of Mawson's companion on the first expedition to the South Magnetic Pole right.

South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-17

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Excellent book with pictures
Literally Chilling!

South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-17
Ernest Henry Shackleton
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1570761310

Book Description

This annotated edition of Shackleton's legendary, ill-fated Antarctic expedition features highly revealing side notes to the explorer's vivid narrative as well as dramatic archival photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book with pictures.......2007-01-12

I'm rather obsessed with Antarctic exploration at the moment, and reading material is harder to come by than I had first anticipated. This book has many good pictures and lots of diary entries, etc, from Shakleton and others. Well worth it.

Literally Chilling!.......2001-03-15

My good friend Antonia Martin just gave me this book for my birthday. Antonia, you are an absolute Treasure!

I have become fascinated with the Shackleton story, not only for the awesome testament to dogged determination to succeed in the face of seemingly daunting odds that it is, but because apparently my Grandfather knew him quite well and worked on the planning of the journey back in London. Somewhere we have a signed original of the book from 1919 amongst Mother's belongings, back in England.

This is a bone chilling visual and literary step by aching step trudge through the most inhospitable place on Earth. As the Endurance, their ship, died so their own endurance was born. And what an endurance that was!

As my eyes wander the pages in the warm comfort of bed my mind is wind-whipped by the Antarctic blasts Shackleton and his team ultimately survived! It is quite simply one of the most amazing stories it has ever been my pleasure to absorb. I am in awe of the achievement described and pictured in this book.

Book Description

The first of its kind, this spectacularly illustrated book is the only complete guide to the wildlife and natural history of the vast and beautiful Antarctic region.

Covering the Antarctic continent, the southern ocean, and the subantarctic islands, this guide illustrates all of the region's breeding birds and marine mammals with stunning color photographs. In addition to the color plates, it features distribution maps and up-to-date species accounts expertly detailing abundance, seasonal status, and conservation prospects. The volume also covers numerous nonbreeding species, migrants, and vagrants.

Regional chapters describe all of the subantarctic islands, in addition to most regularly visited sites in Antarctica, and are accompanied by maps of each area and photographs of each locale. These chapters present detailed information on geography, climate, geology, general ecology, and flora. They also address conservation efforts--past, present, and planned. The book concludes with practical information about visiting the area, including details on the best-available landing sites and notes on seasonal weather conditions.

This is an indispensable companion for a trip far south, as well as an informative volume for anyone interested in the Antarctic region's remarkable, occasionally strange, and frequently beautiful animals.

Features 35 color plates and over 600 color photographs
Illustrates and maps the distribution of all of the region's breeding birds and marine mammals
Includes information on many non-breeders, migrants, and vagrants
Features expert text reflecting recent advances in taxonomy
Covers all of the subantarctic islands as well as Antarctica's regularly visited sites
Offers travel tips, including weather considerations and landing sites

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular.......2007-04-07

I brought this book to the Antarctic peninsula with me, only to find a copy already aboard ship. It was still worth carrying.

Yes, good photos, but much better for the information. Details on identifying all sorts of animals, including the territories they can be found in at various times of the year, changes in appearance during the year and even a rather comical phonetic approximation of the sounds they might make.

I bought a lot of books in my year prep for this trip. This was one of the best. Must owning for anyone going south of 50 degrees.

Very Well Designed and Informative.......2006-07-01

Lot of great pictures and very informative articles. This book will definitely be with my camara and computer during my trip to Antarctica.

Fine book beautifully produced!.......2005-01-01

Anyone who has read my other reviews will know that I don't give stars easily but I can find no reason even to deduct a single star from this book. Whether you have been, are going or just want to dream of going this is the book for you. As its title indicates, its prime purpose is to describe the wildlife, and it gives top billing to the birds - all in a level of detail which should satisfy the most demanding birder, but which the average interested amateur naturalist should also find interesting. The authors have sensibly provided a fine set of plates rather than relying on photos as the main identification aid. There are however many good photos as well - this use of both "media" is, as far as my experience goes, unusual in bird books which tend to opt for one or the other when in fact each has its advantages and disadvantages. The section on marine mammals is of a similar quality. Another section comprehensively describes each of the regions (including Sub-Antarctic islands all the way up to Tristan) with information which makes the book useful as a "travel guide" for planning and accompanying a trip (though it is really too fine a book to get damaged in use!). In addition there are good (if relatively short) sections on geology, climate, history, botany etc etc - in fact on just about any relevant subject you could think of. Indeed if you could only have 1 book on the Antarctic this is a very good candidate - and at a very good price!

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