Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling and Production (2nd Edition)

Customer Reviews:

Great high level book.......2007-08-28

This book is a good source of information about the oil industry if you are working in a different field, and curious to learn about the oil industry.

THE Book for Oilfield Newcomers.......2007-03-13

In attempting to get quickly up to speed on the oil business for the purpose of participating in a few wells as a (very) small investor, I bought about ten books of various sorts. This is one of them, and has turned out to be the one I refer to the most.

First, let me say that there are two different types of books on drilling for oil/gas. Broadly, they are books that concentrate mainly on the financial and legal structure of oil deals and books that concentrate on where it is and how to get it out of the ground. This book is of the second sort.

The "nontechnical" part of the title is only partly true. Some of the descriptions are sufficiently technical to impart a working understanding of the operations in the field. I, for instance, have been going to our rig (now drilling) and asking questions ("What's that blue thing?"), then coming home and reading about what I was told ("The jar is a section of pipe that either mechanically....").

Same with the drilling reports I receive.... I can look up that part of the drilling operation (ie, "sliding") and get a much better understanding of what's happening. A book comes in handy, after all, the tool pushers out on the rigs seem to be men of few words.

There is also a pretty good basic course in petroleum geology in the first thirteen chapters. And, the science (art?) of geophysics gets a good once-over, too, though I confess I've not paid much attention to it yet.

There are chapters on reservoirs, completion, offshore, production, workover, and more, all of which is written at the same level, and much of which I've not read in depth, only scanned. I'll read it as we get there out in the field.

This is a sufficiently information-dense book that actually sitting and reading it from cover to cover won't realistically happen for most folks, no matter how involved. It's more of a textbook and reference resource.

There are lots of diagrams and drawings and pictures (probably three hundred) and they help a lot. The lengthy glossary is OK, though I've not found a petroleum business glossary that seems to be truly comprehensive. (That was written before I found, and ordered, the comprehensive "Dictionary of Petroleum Exploration, Drilling & Production" by who else but Norman J. Hyne, Ph.D.,.... and nope, I have no axe to grind here; and yes, I have noticed that Norman seems to favor long titles). The folks in the oil business rely very heavily on their own language that is a combination of truly technical terminology, oilman slang and everything in between. A glossary is handy. Also be forewarned that the business uses lots of abbreviations, and they seem to change somewhat from company to company, so that a glossary won't ever have all of the abbreviations in use in the field.

There are some other books that do a pretty good job on a more basic level, including "Money In The Ground" by John Orban, III (which also includes deal structure), but, if you are looking for a book that is deep enough to give you a good understanding of the many various aspects of drilling for oil, this is the book.

Excellent primer for anyone interested in the oi patch.......2007-01-05

I am considering investing in onshore domestic oil and gas exploration, and sought a book to begin learning about the technical side of the industry. This is the book. Hyne does an excellent job reducing what is clearly a highly complex and tecnhical field down to near-layman's terms. Be forewarned; just like reading descriptions of meats, vegetables and seasonings won't make you a chef, this book won't make it any easier to make a go-no go decision regarding any particular prospect. It will, however, teach you some basic building blocks to help you understand where the risks come from, and really help you understand what a promotor or operator tells you. It is almost mandatory reading if you wish to drill down deeper into other, more technical texts. I have, and would have been lost if it had not been for Norman Hyne's book.

Oil for Dummies - Even I got it!.......2006-12-14

I work for a MAJOR oil company, but in Government Relations, not on the technical side of the house. Our company has courses such as "Refining for non refiners" and "Drilling for non drillers" meant to give an overview of the operations to people that need to be able to talk intelligently about the industry. This book gives among the finest overviews of the industry that I have seen and makes it easier to do my job. When I first joined I didn't know the difference between upstream and downstream, and the overviews offered in Mr. Hyne's book make me more able to speak intelligently to colleagues, management, customers and partners about our stake in this industry. A must read for anyone who works on the fringes of of oil production. After reading this book, I am somewhat amazed that gasoline does not cost three times its' current price considering all the work it takes to find it, drill for it, extract the stuff from rocks, and get it through a pipeline to a ship to a refinery and then to our gas tanks. This from a guy that gets dirty looks as I drive my Hybrid car into the parking lot of an oil company every morning.

Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology,Exploration ,Drilling and Production (2nd Edition) by Norman J. Hyne.......2006-11-05

An outstanding , very lucid, overview of the petroleum sciences ranging from petroleum generation, migration ,and entrapment , exploration technology ,land leasing , drilling and development , to reservoir estimation and enhancement technology . This book is highly recomended for those who have little or no understanding of the field ,for students and ,perhaps ,for some non geologist ie. geophysicists .

Geological Risk and Uncertainty in Oil Exploration: Uncertainty, Risk and Strategy

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Geological Risk and Uncertainty in Oil Exploration: Uncertainty, Risk and Strategy
Ian Lerche
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fundamentals of Oil and Gas Accounting (4th Edition)

ASIN: 0124441742

Book Description

Oil exploration is a high-risk game. With worldwide drilling success of only 10% and a typical price tag of $15 million per well, it is no surprise the oil industry seeks better methods of managing financial risk. Geological Risk and Uncertainty in Oil Exploration answers this need by identifying the various uncertainties associated with basin analysis and incorporating this information into probabilistic models of basin evolution in relation to oil accumulation.
Oil and gas explorationists, strategic resource economists, and petroleum professionals who deal with scientific uncertainty and risk issues will benefit from the books systematic treatment of how to quantify the uncertainty associated with a variety ofgeological, geophysical, and geochemical problems. The origin of uncertainties associated with flexural plate motion models, dynamical models of sediment evolution, thermal models of sediment maturation, hydrocarbon kinetic models, fault models, and models of basinal sediment fill and turbidite flows are detailed in the first section. The subsequent incorporation of model uncertainties into probabilistic models of basin evolution and behavior constitutes the second half of the book. Throughout, the author interweaves a discussion of scientific probability, risk, and strategy within the context of improving our ability to assess strategic hydrocarbon resources.

Key Features
* Integrates quantitative knowledge of basin analysis with scientific uncertainty and economic risk to create an informed, integrated hydrocarbon exploration strategy
* Instructs the reader in handling a variety of geological, geophysical, and geochemical problems by applying quantitative methods to determine uncertainty
* Is student-friendly--each chapter opens with a general introduction to the subject and concludes with a review and discussion of the major concepts
* Includes numerous appendices containing ancillary data, equations, and examples

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

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Excellent
beautiful pictures
Excellent!
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Incredible read for any fan of an Adventure Story

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Caroline Alexander
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375404031
Release Date: 1998-11-03

Amazon.com

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.

Average customer rating:

Fresh Perspectives on a Fragile Planet
An excellent choice for anyone of any age
Only Being in Orbit Could Give You a Better View!!!!
A new perspective
best book on earth

The Home Planet
Kevin W. Kelley
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201550954

Customer Reviews:

Fresh Perspectives on a Fragile Planet.......2006-01-28

Let's not forget we're living on a little planet, what some like to call spaceship earth. If earth is a spaceship, this is the owner's manual: THE HOME PLANET. Political boundaries are dissolved by a moon's-eye view of Earth to create bold visions of the planet through 150 color photographs culled from the American and then-Soviet archives. Commentary is provided solely by eloquent quotes from astronauts of 18 nations which are shown both in original language (be it Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Mongolian, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Dutch, or Russian) and English translation. The message is simple--we are all citizens of the same global nation.

An excellent choice for anyone of any age.......2002-03-07

This superb coffee table book by Kevin W. Kelley is especially apt in this day and age, when so much in life feels precarious and precious. A simple and simply eloquent collection of photographs and quotations, it is so much more than the sum of its parts.

The astronauts who have either landed on the moon or have orbited the earth have so much to tell us and it's easy to see from the photographs why they feel words fail them. Luckily for us, words DON'T fail them. This select, small group of men and woman try mightily to tell us what their experiences were, and overwhelmingly they succeed in conveying the mystery and beauty they saw from their unique perches in space. A few of the better bits include:

"[From space] you have an almost dispassionate platform--remote, Olympian--and yet [seeing the earth from up there is] so moving that you can hardly believe how emotionally attached you are to those rough patterns shifting steadily below."
- THOMAS STAFFORD, USA

"O. Henry, the American writer, wrote in one of his stories that if you want to encourage the craft of murder, all you have to do is lock up two men for two months in an eighteen-by-twenty-four-foot room. Entering 'Salyut,' which was to be both our home and our office for six months, we told each other: We are brothers. I am you and you are me."
- VALERIE RYUMIN, USSR

"Before I flew, I was already aware of how small and vulnerable our planet is; but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations."
- SIGMUND JAHN, GERMANY

In no book that I can think of does the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" better fit. The photographs herein are astonishing in showing the exquisite planet we occupy. A view of England's North Sea coast looks like a slab of lapiz lazuli, its surface flecked with sparkle and hue. Canada's Lake Winnipeg from space has the appearance of something primal, almost fetal. The Indian Ocean off Madagascar looks like a sheet of slate over which some divine presence has tossed a handful of diamonds. So few of us can ever hope to share the experience of these men and women that this book is all the more precious, and beautiful.

Only Being in Orbit Could Give You a Better View!!!!.......2001-03-28

This coffee table book presents some of the best photographs taken of the Earth and the Moon by both astronauts and cosmonauts. Due to the large size of the book, these photographs are even more stunning. In addition to the photographs, several quotes by those who have flown in space accompany each photograph.

One of things that I really liked about the book is that other than the small quotes, there is very little accompany text. The only real text is at the end of the book, where NASA's chief photographic planner describes "Why Space Photography?" I found thispart kind of chilling where he states, "it is a far more air-polluted Earth today than it was in the past ... twenty years ago"

A new perspective.......1999-03-09

A wonderfully moving and beautifully compiled collection of images. Mountain ranges and river deltas dissolve into abstract designs of astounding beauty. The accompanying commentaries show a world united in space in a way that is sadly absent on Earth. The book would make anybody want to become an astronaut.

This is the perfect present for any occasion. It has touched the hearts of everyone I know who has ever seen it. Highly recommended.

best book on earth.......1999-02-21

Political boundaries are dissolved by a moon's-eye view of Earth to create bold visions of the planet through 150 color photographs culled from the American and then-Soviet archives. The pictures are allowed to speak for themselves, with only tiny captions describing locales and weather conditions. Commentary is provided solely by eloquent quotes from astronauts of 18 nations which are shown both in original language (be it Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Mongolian, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Dutch, or Russian) and English translation. The message is simple--we are all citizens of the same global nation.

Book Description

Covering all aspects of global exploration, from Antarctica to the North Pole, The Oxford Companion to World Exploration examines the lives and expeditions of heroic and influential explorers. This coverage includes biographies, including Lewis and Clark, Ferdinand Magellan, Cheng Ho, Hernan Cortes, Ibn Battuta, Vitus Bering, and Christopher Columbus; national expeditions, including Portuguese, British, French, Chinese, Dutch, and Spanish; and navigational and marine sciences, such as navigational techniques, ancient and medieval navigation, ocean currents and winds, longitude, cartography, and aerial surveys. The Companion's temporal scope ranges from the ancient cultures of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Byzantium, China, Polynesia, and Rome, through to modern space exploration. The articles have been written by leading scholars from across the globe, utilizing the most current scholarship in the field of exploration studies. The Companion contains 800 entries, supplemented by 150 black-and-white and 50 full-color photographs and maps. Annotated primary source materials, such as travel logs and personal letters, supplement select biographies. Each entry is signed by a leading scholar in the field, contains a bibliography for further reading, and is cross-referenced to other useful points of interest within the Companion. Published in association with the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Companion will reproduce more than 100 images from its world-renowned collection.

Average customer rating:

Good book for applied seismologists.
Best Book on Classic Seismic Technology

Exploration Seismology
R. E. Sheriff , and L. P. Geldart
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521468264

Book Description

This is the completely updated revision of the highly regarded book Exploration Seismology. Available now in one volume, this textbook provides a complete and systematic discussion of exploration seismology. The first part of the book looks at the history of exploration seismology and the theory - developed from the first principles of physics. All aspects of seismic acquisition are then described. The second part of the book goes on to discuss data-processing and interpretation. Applications of seismic exploration to groundwater, environmental and reservoir geophysics are also included. The book is designed to give a comprehensive up-to-date picture of the applications of seismology. Exploration Seismology’s comprehensiveness makes it suitable as a text for undergraduate courses for geologists, geophysicists and engineers, as well as a guide and reference work for practising professionals.

Customer Reviews:

Good book for applied seismologists........2007-02-19

A very good book for those who are interested in basic knowledge in applied seismology. Also lots of useful things about the seismic waves and data processing and interpretation in general. Really worth having!

Best Book on Classic Seismic Technology.......2002-06-28

This is the book I first consult when working on a new technique. The book is a classic in that it is not just an anthology of reprints. Instead, it is a true survey of the state of the art of the science/art. Use it as a first reference, and you will not go wrong.

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Introduction to Mineral Exploration
Anthony Evans
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1405113170

Book Description

This new, updated edition of Introduction to Mineral Exploration provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of mineral exploration.Successful mineral exploration requires excellence in geology as well as integration with a range of other scientific, engineering, and financial techniques. This book covers not only the nature of mineral exploration but also considers other factors essential to successful exploration, from target evaluation to feasibility studies for extraction and production. Six detailed case studies, selected for the range of different problems and considerations they present to the mineral explorationist, are also included.This second edition is updated to include new chapters on handling mineral exploration data and a new case study on the exploration for diamonds.Introduction to Mineral Exploration is essential reading for upper level undergraduates studying ore geology, mineral exploration, mining geology, coal exploration, and industrial minerals, as well as professional geologists.

Feminist Geographies: Explorations in Diversity and Difference

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Teaching Feminist Geographies

Feminist Geographies: Explorations in Diversity and Difference
Women and Geography Study Group of the Royal Geographical Society , and Institute of British Geographers
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Textbook Binding

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ASIN: 0582246369

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Teaching Feminist Geographies.......1999-11-23

This book is intended to be a teaching text "which does justice to the breadth, diversity, intellectual vibrancy, debate and difference currently to be found in feminist geography." To encourage readers to do more than passively absorb information, the authors insert questions and activities at the end of most sections, asking the reader to stop and reflect and question, in short, to do something for a bit. In addition there are boxes, similar to sidebars, position to identify key concepts and highlight particular information. Finally, autobiographical testimonies are smattered throughout the book, in line with the feminist goal of situating the author in relation to her work. The book is committed to the premise that a focus on gender relations "greatly improves geographical analyses. It also attempts to make clear that feminist geography is so diverse it would be incorrect for any one book to claim to fully encompass the field. Gender itself is defined variously, depending on the context within which it is situated, its definers, and mitigating factors such as race and class. What the book intends to offer is the notion that because feminist geographies are so diverse, we must all of us keep thinking and adding our contributions, without which geography simply ceases to be, literally speaking, geography. At first glance, Feminist Geographies seems an attempt to add to and draw attention to gender and geography, an effort it performs both subtly and brilliantly. However, both by virtue of the way the book is structured and its incessant command that we should think just a little harder/broader/more creatively than we thought before, its net result is as transformative as it is additive. For instance, although the book takes up the same argument against the public/private dichotomy as other feminist geography texts, it also suggests greater movement yet: "Given the embeddedness of dichotomies like that between home and work...it is perhaps not surprising that feminist geographers have paid them so much attention. This attention has certainly been one of feminist geography's main contributions to feminism more generally. However, we would like to...suggest that perhaps feminist geography needs to push its diverse interests in the complexity of gendered geographies even further. Thus perhaps feminist geographies need to consider starting with non-dichotomous frameworks of analysis. What is needed then...is a non-dichotomous way of thinking about space and place." Clearly, such a move would transform the fields of both geography and urban studies. As the title indicates, the authors are committed to inclusion of difference and diversity--to this end they continually ask the reader to explore her own perceptions and conceptions about various discussed subjects, and remind us of the contested nature of and diversities within feminism, particularly feminist geography. The book itself includes a wide range of feminism, feminists, and brief reviews of feminist texts both in and out of geography. Chapter three includes a brief section on postcolonial feminist theory, "a large body of work which explores the interrelationships between identity, knowledge and power," especially as situated within the historical and geographical context of the colonialization of the Third World from the 16th century onwards. Although much to short for my tastes, it was a relief to read an urban studies text that contextualized itself within a geography that includes rather than peripheralizes/otherizes the Third World. The inclusion of diverse theories is important both because they offer an important and alternate perspective on existing geographies, but also because much of the newer poststructuralist theorizing going on within feminism is built on the back of this work to include a postcolonialist perspective. (I was sorry, however, that one of the earliest of these theorists, Gloria Anzaldua, was not given credit for her pioneering work on borderlands, work that in great part led us to this point.)

Tools for the Geographer: 176 Reproducible Explorations

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Tools for the Geographer: 176 Reproducible Explorations
Richard S. Jones
Manufacturer: Zephyr Press (AZ)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569760284

Book Description

Reproducible explorations-over 170 of them-give students the resources to learn about the world, from Afghanistan to Zanzibar. Each activity includes a teacher guide, making it simple to teach geography and global awareness. Themes include historical periods and events and world explorations. A fun approach to incorporating geography into social studies, math, and language arts.

Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition

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Intriguing but not completely satisfying
Repetitive
More than Slightly Speculative
FANTASTIC
A good read, slightly speculative

Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition
Scott Cookman
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471377902

Amazon.com

By the mid-19th century, after decades of polar exploration, the fabled Northwest Passage seemed within reach. In 1845 the British Admiralty assembled the largest expedition yet, refitting two ships with steam engines and placing the seasoned if somewhat lackluster Sir John Franklin in command of the 128-man expedition. After sailing into Baffin Bay, they were never heard from again.

Drawing on early accounts from relief expeditions as well as recent archeological evidence, Scott Cookman reconstructs a chronicle of the expedition in Ice Blink. Cookman, a journalist with articles in Field & Stream and other magazines, excels when firmly grounded in the harrowing reality of 19th-century Arctic exploration. When he speculates about what happened to the Franklin expedition, however, he is on less solid ground and his writing suffers.

Particularly overwrought is the promised "frightening new explanation" for the expedition's demise. Cookman suggests that it was caused by the "grotesque handiwork" of an "evil" man, Stephan Goldner, who had supplied its canned foods. This is hardly new. As early as 1852, investigators determined that the expedition's canned goods were probably inferior and canceled provisioning contracts with Goldner. How a hundred men survived for nearly three years despite lead poisoning and botulism remains a mystery. In the end, as Cookman himself acknowledges, the expedition was ultimately doomed by its reliance on untested technology such as the steam engine, armor plating, and canned provisions. These criticisms aside, Ice Blink is an interesting narrative of this enduring symbol of polar exploration and disaster. --Pete Holloran

Book Description

Two of the most advanced ships of the time.
129 handpicked men.
A commander who had survived three previous Arctic trips.
Lost without a trace.
What happened?

For a century and a half, the question of what happened to the Franklin Expedition-the worst disaster in the history of polar exploration-has remained a puzzle. Now, based on original research in British Admiralty records, author Scott Cookman re-creates the full story of the ill-fated expedition and reveals a frightening new explanation for one of the most enduring mysteries in the annals of exploration.

Praise for Scott Cookman'sIceblink

"Ice Blink is a gripping tale of adventure overlaid with tragedy. Readers will come away from it with a fresh understanding-and a deep compassion-for the men of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated polar expedition."-Nathan Miller, author of War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing but not completely satisfying.......2007-05-25

In 1845, Captain John Franklin and the crews of the Erebus and Terror sallied forth from England in search, once more, of the elusive Northwest Passage. Despite the best technology the time had to offer, not one soul returned from the voyage. In this book, Scott Cookman retells the known story of the voyage and adds some discussion regarding the potential causes of the voyage's failure. Most notably, Mr. Cookman spends several chapters discussing how food canning was done at the time and how it could have, oddly-enough, been the deciding factor in the mission's failure.

Mr. Cookman does a fine enough job extracting the story of the voyage from the relative sparsity of the historical record. Similarly the digression into the nauseating world of mid 19th century food supplying and preservation is enlightening and compelling. Where Mr. Cookman falters , though, is in his somewhat less than convincing attempts to find a single villan of the story. Indeed, much of the discussion of the voyage's food supplier, Stephen Goldner, while quite possibly correct, seems based almost entirely on conjecture or the writer's imagination. Mr. Cookman should be applauded for retelling this interesting story and for adding additional important context. However, unsupported conjecture shouldn't masquerade as history, even pop history.

Repetitive.......2005-02-02

The author often describes events with novelistic details that he actually has no knowledge about. Most frustrating of all is the protracted discussion of canning in the 19th century. He goes on much too long about such things as cleanliness of the employees in canning facilities, details he cannot possibly know, but only assumes. Though perhaps correct, the obviousness of the matter makes the reading tedious. And on and on it goes. Once the chapter is over, he mentions the points again in the next chapter. But he is not through with it. You'll read it again and again.

Other reviewers here have mentioned that the canning episode is well documented in the book. Some facts are but not all. I also fail to see why this is the main cause of the failure of the exhibition.

Couldn't the failure be that there really isn't a realistic North West Passage in the first place?

The book could have used a few more maps. How can one possibly understand the circumstances without a map showing what Franklin knew of the Arctic. A map showing the escape route and the location of some of the artifacts found could have been very helpful. I am a bit confused about what freezes over in the Arctic, blocking routes, and what does not. How about a map showing that?

The author mentions that the passage was actually found during the escape, that is between Canada's main land and King William's Island. This is the route that Admunsen took, conquering the passage for the first time. I wonder if Franklin took this course, if he really would have made it.

More than Slightly Speculative.......2004-01-25

One reviewer has called the book "slightly speculative." That is too charitable. Cookman generally does not contradict known facts about the Franklin expedition, but he invents much more detail than he has evidence to support. The book is unsuitable for academic purposes, but it provides a compelling, though at times poorly written, story. I do not wish to be too harsh on the book. To its credit, many of Cookman's speculations are reasonable and provide information that serious historians withhold in their books on the expedition. It is best to read one of the many other books on the topic in order to know what parts of Ice Blink to trust, and which to take with a grain of salt.

FANTASTIC.......2003-12-20

I was flipping the channels on early Sunday morning when for some reason I stopped on Book TV on C-Span 2 and caught Scott Cookman talking about the search for the Northwest Passege. It was the Apollo mission of its time. I have read a number books over Sir John Franklin Polar Expedition and this one by far is the best. Polar Exploration the 1800's was pretty dicey, even today it is. If you have any interest Polar Expedions and true mystery this is your book and it all rally happend.

A good read, slightly speculative.......2003-11-27

The Fate of the Franklin expedition will most likely always be a mystery. This wonderful, speculative account is one of the best. The author does a step by step look at all the factors and issues leading to the disaster that cost the lives on 129 British Navy personnel in search of the Northwest passage. Franklin had left England in 1845 with two of the best equipped ships ever put to sea for arctic exploration, he had experienced officers and a compliment of 129 men. They were never seen again. Subsequently 50 expeditions searched and found only scraps of clues as to their disappearance.

This book claims the culprit was most likely Botulism in the canned meat. This speculation runs contradictory to that lead poisoning thesis put forward in `Frozen in Time' and the fact that admiralty investigations proved the meat tins were not thoroughly sealed(thus Botulism couldn't have formed). Nevertheless this is one of the best books on the fate of the expedition. The author describes the final `death march' south along King William Island and the subsequent cannibalism that took place. Excellent diagrams bring the ships to life and maps show the final route of Franklins last survivors. A must read for those interested in arctic survival and the riddle of Sir John Franklin.

Seth J Frantzman November 2003

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