Average customer rating:
- A Story of unending heroism, fortitude and leadership
- Excellent
- beautiful pictures
- Excellent!
- The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
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The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
Caroline Alexander
Manufacturer: Knopf
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
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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:
A Story of unending heroism, fortitude and leadership.......2007-10-18
My only wish for this world today is that Shackleton could lead us the way he lead the men of the Endurance. Yes, he made mistakes, we all do. But he triumphed over those errors and brought all souls home. He was able to keep his men together emotionally while they were apart physically until they were reunited again. This is a story that I have read numerous times and one that I will return to again and again. Well written and well illustrated with actual photographs from the ship's photographer.
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...
Amazon.com
In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off aboard the Endurance bound for the South Atlantic. The goal of his expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland, but more than a year later, and still half a continent away from the intended base, the Endurance was trapped in ice and eventually was crushed. For five months Shackleton and his crew survived on drifting ice packs in one of the most savage regions of the world before they were finally able to set sail again in one of the ship's lifeboats. Alfred Lansing's Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is a white-knuckle account of this astounding odyssey.
Through the diaries of team members and interviews with survivors, Lansing reconstructs the months of terror and hardship the Endurance crew suffered. In October of 1915, there "were no helicopters, no Weasels, no Sno-Cats, no suitable planes. Thus their plight was naked and terrifying in its simplicity. If they were to get out--they had to get themselves out." How Shackleton did indeed get them out without the loss of a single life is at the heart of Lansing's magnificent true-life adventure tale.
Book Description
The astonishing saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time magazine put it, "defined heroism." Alfred Lansing's scrupulously researched and brilliantly narrated book -- with over 200,000 copies sold -- has long been acknowledged as the definitive account of the Endurance's fateful trip. To write their authoritative story, Lansing consulted with ten of the surviving members and gained access to diaries and personal accounts by eight others. The resulting book has all the immediacy of a first-hand account, expanded with maps and illustrations especially for this edition.
Customer Reviews:
Leaders aren't what they used to be.......2007-10-13
People bandy about the word "classic" without considering its significance, but this all-time bestseller will remain in print many more years. It's a true classic, ranking among the top adventure books. Nowhere will you find a more gripping account than Endurance, the survival story of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men, in 1915. This cliff-hanger of a book stays with you. Could it be that today's leaders pale beside the likes of Shackleton?
It is the story about what makes the British so different.......2007-10-12
Shackleton is always calm. He is resourceful and undaunted. He is not always right, many times he is just absolutely wrong. But his courage is simply breathtaking.
You must know many British famous sentences as those: "I am going out and will be for some time" or "Dr Livingstone, I presume".
Shackleton probably did not utter so famous remark. But still his above-the-all-odds behaviour makes him one of the greatest British heroes. And the mankind's. Read the story you will never forget. Read and think, how you could possibly behave in those utmost terrifying circumstances.
(I am Polish so my English is poor. Please forgive me).
Mind boggeling.......2007-05-29
This is an amazing story of leadership, and man's ability to persevere under extraordinary circumstances. It is really unbelievable. I was staggered by the odds these men overcame and their determination to press on. The book is well written and easy to read.
Amazing story.........2007-05-19
This is a great book that will make you feel as though any hardship you have ever encountered is really not so bad when you think about what these men endured. Imagine being cold, wet, hungry, tired for basically 2 years while in the back of your mind you know that the chances of ever seeing the civilized world is remote at best. These men handled it well. Very good historical account written based on interviews, historical accounts, and actual diaries of the men on the journey.
Finest adventure book ever written.......2007-04-21
I am working my way through the top 100 Adventure Books of all time. This one is, so far, the best. It is the concatenation of several adventure books, since almost every type of mishap and obstacle is encountered. Shackleton must go down as a true hero, as well as his crew. The version of the book with the glossies in the middle was captivating... I spent a good bit of time staring at the remarkable pictures. The story of how those film plates survived this oddysey is, in itself, remarkable.
A good adventure would be ruined by poor writing. Lansing is superb and does credit to this story.
This story could never be made into the movie because it would be considered too "far-fetched" to be believable. Note that there is a documentary DVD that (in a nutshell) describes some of the story, as well as lets you see an interesting reunion of the Endurance crew's children. Try to get this video right after you read the book.
Amazon.com
Before Everest, there was Annapurna. Maurice Herzog led an expedition of French climbers to the summit of this 26,000-foot Himalayan peak in 1950. At the time of the assault, it was the highest mountain ever climbed, a remarkable feat in itself made all the more remarkable by the fact that it had never previously been charted. Herzog and his team not only had to climb the darn thing, they had to find the route. As riveting as the tale of the ascent remains nearly half a century later, the story of the descent through virtually unsurvivable--think avalanche and frostbite, for starters--conditions is unforgettable. Herzog's masterful account, finally back in print, is a monument of courage and spirit, an epic adventure excitingly told.
Book Description
In 1950, no mountain higher than 8,000 meters had ever been climbed. Maurice Herzog and other members of the French Alpine Club had resolved to try. Their goal was a 26,493-foot Himalayan peak called Annapurna. But unlike other climbs, which draw on the experience of prior reconnaissance, the routes up Annapurna had never been analyzed before. Herzog and his team had to locate the mountain using sketchy, crude maps, pick out a single, untried route, and go for the summit. Annapurna is the unforgettable account of this dramatic and heroic climb, and of its harrowing aftermath. Although Herzog and his comrade Louis Lachenal reached the mountain's summit, their descent was a nightmare of frostbite, snow blindness, and near death. With grit and courage manifest on every page, Herzog's narrative is one of the great mountain-adventure stories of all time.
Customer Reviews:
Climbed But Not Conquered.......2006-12-06
Herzog provides a detailed perspective of the famed Annapurna climb that has inspired numerous high altitude and arm chair climbers.
Suffering frostbite and unimaginable suffering, Herzog has made a statement, worth reading in his epic account. No other sport has it's center pieces so open in sharing their innermost feelings.
The b/w photos were relatively scare and of only fair quality.
Great story, flawed method........2006-01-26
Reading the other reviews of this book, I'm reminded of a quote from one of my favorite, although little known Sean Connery movies, where he plays an Arab pirate. At one point Connery says to his second in command: "It is good." "What is good?", replies the other man. "It is good to know where we are going," answers Connery. Alas, Herzog and his men didn't know where they were going, and spent a month wandering around looking. It would have been good to send out an initial recon group to find the mountain before they started out. Or, to paraphrase an english adventurer, "to lose a pack animal is unfortunate; to lose an entire mountain seems downright careless."
An Amazing Story of Incredible Human Endurance.......2005-12-07
Wow! This is one of those real life adventure stories that has you wondering how much more the people can endure before they collapse and die. These guys climbed one of the world's most difficult mountains with old climbing technology. What they lacked in modern equipment, they made up for with strength and fitness. The more I read about mountaineering, the more I agree that it is 75% mental and 25% physical. Being in the best physical condition possible definitely gives you a better opportunity for success on high ground. If you liked this book, I encourage you to read my book "Rocky Mountain Adventure Collection". Best wishes on your adventures in life!
Mountaineering Classic.......2005-04-08
A marvellous book. Remarkably written, griping, and inspiring. A must for all mountaineers.
Good Adventure Reading.......2005-01-31
First and foremost, the topic of the book is of historical significance in the world of climbing, so it's a "must read" if you are into that sort of thing. If you aren't, it's still a great adventure read. Well worth the time. I'm glad I read it and would recommend it to people who enjoy outdoor adventures.
The text itself is written well, flows nicely, and is generally an easy read. I also found it to have a good balance between the characters emotions, the activity of the climb, and local color and flavor.
Something I found interesting was the attitude of Herzog. Granted, this was written in the 50's, but it was intersting to see his attitudes towards the local people. He certainly had a "I'm better than you" attitude towards the local Porters and Sherpas. He also displayed a lot of attitude towards other members of his expedition. At one moment he would be very condescending and critical, then a few pages later he would be singing their praises.
I wish the book had a bigger glossary than it does. I frequently found myself going to the glossary to look up the meaning of a word that was used, and didn't find it. Here, I'm talking about "climbing lingo" and words and phrases that Herzog uses that are relative to the language of the locals in Tibet and India.
I also didn't care for the placement of the photographs. They often didn't follow the text. A picture could preceed or follow the pertinent text by 100 pages, which made for a lot of "page flipping". It would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the photographs before reading the text, so that you know when to go back and find a specific photo.
Outside of this book, I've learned that there is a lot of controversy over what "really" happened and Herzog's attitude and motivations. If you read this book, keep in mind that this isn't necessarily what actually happened, but more of an account of what Herzog wanted you to know. Take most of it with a grain of salt, and do some additional research to get the full picture.
Also, understand that this climb was a "first" at that height, and was using technologies and understanding of altitude at that time. A reader with current climbing knowledge will often read a passage and think to himself "No Kidding, Dummy!", but we know that hindsight is 20/20. Their accomplishment is all the more exciting knowing that things we know and understand today, were unknown to them... and don't forget, they didn't have the high tech equipment that todays climbers have.
Average customer rating:
- Much more than a "coffee table" book!
- AWESOME
- Excellent book!
- An excellent book on Antarctica!
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Antarctica and the Arctic: The Complete Encyclopedia
David McGonigal , and
Lynn Woodworth
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Antarctica: The Blue Continent
ASIN: 1552975452 |
Book Description
Antarctica has not always been a place of ice and snow. Once part of the supercontinent of Gondwanaland, it is believed to have enjoyed a warmer climate in which plants and land animals thrived. However, nowadays less than one percent of the surface is ice free, and at bedrock level the ice can be up to a million or more years old. In comparison, the Arctic consists entirely of pack-ice which breaks into ice floes in summer and floats on the Arctic Ocean.
While the ice gives rise to spectacular scenery, both on land and sea, these regions also have an astonishing variety of wildlife. The two Poles have few common species (apart from some birds and whales) but many unique endemic ones - polar bears, walruses and puffins in the north, penguins and elephant seals in the south.
The content will cover the following topics, among others:
Geography and geology
Climate and weather
Ice, icebergs, glaciers and land formations
History and exploration
Wildlife and flora - how unique life has evolved in a very harsh environment
Polar science - the scientists who live and work in Antarctica, the research bases
Icebreaker shipping and tourism
Politics and treaties and the interested parties, including the 1988 Minerals Convention
The people of the Arctic
Conservation and the future (specific Polar issues, such as melting of the ice caps and ozone depletion).
Both regions have long been associated with tales of great heroism in their exploration, and here too there are common links. Roald Amundsen was first to the South Pole and died in a rescue in the north (at that time his ship, the Fram, had been furthest south and furthest north). Frederic Cook, who lodged a false claim to being first to the North Pole, was the first to winter over in Antarctica, as part of a Belgian expedition. Nowadays, tourists can visit in cruise ships and see the almost impossible task the explorers set themselves.
Both areas are of concern ecologically. For several years there has been a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica; one is now opening over the Arctic Circle. Ecologists watch both Antarctica and the Arctic for any signs of change that may have implications for the planet as a whole. They join scientists from all over the world conducting research in these unique conditions.
With interesting and authoritative text written by a team of international experts, accompanied by over a thousand superb photographs, this book will fascinate all with an interest in the Poles and their wildlife.
Customer Reviews:
Much more than a "coffee table" book!.......2005-01-01
This is a beautifully produced and wonderfully comprehensive book. If you want a book which concentrates on wildlife then look elsewhere (eg Antarctic Wildlife by H Shirihai) - better still get both as complementary to each other!
The layout and structure is well conceived, the maps are clear, the photos are always good and often magnificent, the writing is aimed at intelligent readers, the index is good and above all the coverage is all-embracing within its subject. There is a nice section on Antarctic related Web links but, a minor criticism, no Bibliography. As the title indicates it is 90+% about the Antarctic with the Arctic as an "add-on". I was at first a bit negative about the inclusion of the Arctic but have come to the view that it is useful as a comparator - but you wouldn't buy this book for its Arctic content.
AWESOME.......2003-11-30
I been looking for a whille for a great Antarctica book.
this is by far the best.
wall to wall photos topics on everything explorations,wildlife,marine life, you name it.
spectacular coffee table book dont miss.
it even covers the artic "north pole" also
Excellent book!.......2002-02-14
I am an Earth Science teacher and I have done research in Antarctica. The book has many wonderful photos and highly informative text about the geologic, oceanographic, atmospheric and biologic features of the polar regions. I recommend this book for anyone interested in these areas, especially teachers.
An excellent book on Antarctica!.......2002-01-28
I recently took a cruise to Antarctica and this book was in the ship's library. This is an excellent book on Antarctica and the pictures are fabulous! This makes a great coffe-table book!
Amazon.com
If this story of espionage and survival were a novel, readers might dismiss the Shackleton-like exploits of its hero as too fantastic to be taken seriously. But respected historian David Howarth confirmed the details of Jan Baalsrud's riveting tale. It begins in the spring of 1943, with Norway occupied by the Nazis and the Allies desperate to open the northern sea lanes to Russia. Baalsrud and three compatriots plan to smuggle themselves into their homeland by boat, spend the summer recruiting and training resistance fighters, and launch a surprise attack on a German air base. But he's betrayed shortly after landfall, and a quick fight leaves Baalsrud alone and trapped on a freezing island above the Arctic Circle. He's poorly clothed (one foot is entirely bare), has a head start of only a few hundred yards on his Nazi pursuers, and leaves a trail of blood as he crosses the snow. How he avoids capture and ultimately escapes--revealing that much spoils nothing in this white-knuckle narrative--is astonishing stuff. Baalsrud's feats make the travails in Jon Krakauer's Mt. Everest classic Into Thin Air look like child's play. In an introduction, Stephen Ambrose calls We Die Alone a rare reading experience: "a book that I absolutely cannot put down until I've finished it and one that I can never forget." This amazing book will disappoint no one. --John J. Miller
Book Description
One of the most exciting escape narratives to emerge from the challenges and miseries of World War II chronicles Jan Baalsrud’s escape from Nazi-occupied arctic Norway.
Customer Reviews:
You will not want to put this one down!.......2007-10-06
A harrowing tale of survival and the unconquerable will of an extraordinary soldier, We Die Alone assumes its rightful place among the greatest WWII survival stories ever told. Jan Baalsrud's exploits are testament to the capacity of the human spirit to survive while facing nearly impossible odds. Baalsrud repeatedly defies death as he braves the harsh Norwegian winter while eluding capture and certain torture and execution at the hands of the Nazis occupying Norway in 1943.
But this is not just a tale of one man's exceptional courage and endurance but of the loyalty of many proud Norwegians who resist the Nazi occupation and who ultimately assist Baalsrud in his efforts to escape and evade across the brutal, frozen Norwegian tundra. While adjectives such as 'incredible', 'unbelievable', and 'amazing' are readily applied to Baalsrud's stubborn refusal to die, it is without question the devotion of these compassionate Norwegian villagers that perhaps deserves our deepest admiration. Whether to simply defy the Nazi occupiers or whether out of compassion for a remarkable countryman, these people repeatedly extend themselves, in some cases, even beyond the limits of human endurance to save Baalsrud's life.
'Audacious' best describes the mission undertaken by the British-trained commandos as they enter Norwegian waters near Tromso at the book's outset. When betrayed by one of the supposed partisans assigned to help secure their landing, the commando team is quickly rounded up and those still alive executed. The lone survivor, Baalsrud, remains at large and makes his way by alternately swimming, hiking, and skiing across the treacherous rock, snow and ice of the Norwegian arctic wilderness.
Although Baalsrud, through a combination of good fortune, pluck, and feats of practically superhuman endurance, evades capture as he seeks refuge in neutral Sweden, he very nearly succumbs to exposure. Again, it is not without the aid of his brave countrymen that he manages to elude the Nazis while eventually making his way to a tiny village, Furuflaten, roughly 25 miles from the Swedish border. It is near there that Baalsrud faces down death yet again for 27 days in an icy, snow-covered 'grave' on a plateau in the mountains of northern Norway. If not for the aid of the inhabitants of Furuflaten he would have certainly died while quite literally entombed in ice and snow.
This is not the first time we witness Baalsrud's uncanny ability to fend off doubt and mental resignation in his struggle to stay alive - nor the last. As the days tick by and as his resolve begins to weaken, he reaches deep and summons additional reserves of both mental and physical strength. He sort of chips away at his despair by treating himself to bits of food and an occasional swallow of brandy. Most astonishing perhaps, he endures and even seems to gain energy by continually reminding himself of the loyalty and even love of those of his countrymen who have dedicated themselves to saving his life. It becomes apparent that he is willing himself to live partly in order to not let his protectors down.
In We Die Alone we are witness to feats of endurance which are beyond our ability to comprehend. When we see Baalsrud perform a type of crude surgery with a pocketknife on his gangrenous feet and lower legs we finally grasp the depth of this man's desire to live. And when he is eventually transported by Lapps on the final leg of his journey to Sweden strapped to a reindeer-driven sled we cannot help but cheer his final triumph over death.
Baalsrud's story is perhaps all the more remarkable because of the risk Norwegians faced at the hands of the Nazis during the occupation. If found aiding and abetting a fugitive a Norwegian could be summarily executed. Nevertheless, ordinary Norwegians took extraordinary risks to save Jan Baalsrud.
We Die Alone is testament to Norwegians' pride in their country and to the inner strength and fortitude of this unique race of people. Indeed, these qualities ensured that the German occupiers would find a worthy adversary in the Norwegian resistance movement. When we read about the actions of the Norwegian resistance in saving Baalsrud's life we are not surprised to learn that the Nazi occupation eventually required some 400,000 troops.
You will not want to put this one down!
Decent read but not an epic one.......2007-09-07
I enjoyed the story but it did take me longer to finish than I would have wanted. The local citizens who helped him were the real heros. He just sort of went along for the ride. The locals left him up in the mountains a few times by himself without the ability to move. They basically left him to die and by shear chance he didn't. After a while they felt so bad for him they came to the conclusion that he had suffered enough and at that point risked their lives to get him over the mountain range, out of enemy territory, and into the hands of the allies. He lived to tell the tale but I'm not overly impressed with his actions.
we die alone.......2007-07-19
Husband is history buff - hasn't read it yet - but I am sure he will get a lot out of it and be able to discuss it with his friend who is also a history buff on ww11
Well Written niche of WW2.......2007-02-12
Story about a Norwegian named Jan who goes back to Norway in 1943 to protest the German occupation as an agent of sabatoge and organize resistance. Things go awry and he is forced to rely on the people there for help in getting thru to neutral Sweeden as the sole survivor of his group. It is very well written and a great story. Every bit of what Jan went thru, and it was unbelievable, seemed to be there. The writer some how transformed himself into Jan, it was so real. It may be tedious to some, but to others who are truly interested in what happened and what Jan and his helpers when thru; it was hard to put this book down. People who enjoy psychology and moderate to heavy deep thinkers would enjoy this especially. There is some action as well, but much of it dwells on how Jan gets thru day to day on the edge of death, sick and crippled and waiting for his saviors, and what his saviors go thru as well. Little piece of WW2 for those hungry for something different about that war, like me. Next Up, 'Seven Days in January'.
A Norwegian Saboteurs's Story.......2007-01-12
This book starts off with a real Hollywood type beginning, a crew of Norwegians saboteurs attempting to implant themselves back into Nazi occupied Norway after receiving training in England. As the team is landing, the Germans capture or kill the whole team, except one escapee, Jan Baalsrud. Jan performs heroics to escape the initial ambush, scaling icy cliffs, while wounded and barefoot, swimming bays to elude German search parties. Jan's goal is to survive and escape to Sweden
A non-fiction book can not twist stories the way Hollywood can. In this case the action is at the beginning. The remainder of the story is really the story of a frostbitten crippled man being stored in remote huts and ice caves, enduring the cold, while Norwegian patriots are scheming to provide him with food, transportation and safe passage to Sweden. The story of this hero's endurance becomes a little tedious. I did not find it a story of the ultimate endurance, but it is well worth reading. The lifestyle and landscape of small isolated fishing villages in Northern Norway during World War II is very interesting. The fact that Jan Baalrud was often stored with a sledge and some meager provisions in an ice cave for a week or two while his destiny was being planned by Nature's storms, German search parties and local villagers.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
From the acclaimed chronicler of open spaces, Gretel Ehrlich, comes a stunning and lyrical evocation of a practically unknown place and people. Beginning in 1993, Ehrlich traveled to Greenland, the northernmost country in the world, in every season--the four months of perpetual dark (in which the average temperature is 25 degrees below zero), the four months of constant daylight, and the twilight seasons in between--traveling up the west coast, often by dogsled, and befriending the resilient and generous Inuits along the way. Greenland, unlike its name, is 95 percent ice--a landscape of deep rock-walled fjords, glaciers, narwhal whales swimming among icebergs the size of football fields, walruses busting through oceans of shifting ice. In the far north, the polar Inuit--the "real heroes"--still dress in bear and seal skins, and hunt walrus, polar bears, and whales with harpoons. The only constant is weather and the perilous movements of ice, the only transport is dogsled, and the closest village may be a month and a half-long dogsled journey away. The people share an austere and harsh life, lightened with humor and the fantastic stories of Sila, the god of weather, Nerrivik, the goddess of waters, of humans transforming themselves into animals, and interspecies marriages. Interwoven with Ehrlich's journey is the even more remarkable story of Knud Rasmussen, the founder of Eskimology, an Inuit-Danish explorer and ethnographer who took some of the most hazardous and brilliant expeditions ever, including a three and a half-year, 20,000-mile adventure by dogsled across the polar north to Alaska. Like Rasmussen, Ehrlich learns that the landscape of Greenland is "less a description of desolation than an ode to the beauty of impermanence." Alternately mind-expanding, gripping, and dreamlike, This Cold Heaven is a revelation. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
For the last decade, Gretel Ehrlich has been obsessed by an island, a terrain, a culture, and the men and women who long for and love the complex frailties and treacherous beauty of a world defined by ice.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, 840,000 square miles in extent, is covered by the largest continental ice sheet in the world.
Only the rocky fringe of its coast is habitable. There, the Inuit, the Arctic’s first explorers, have survived and thrived in the harshest of climates. For the Inuit, an ice-age, ice-adapted people who first traveled from Siberia across the polar North six thousand years ago, weather is consciousness. In a world composed of ice and darkness, water and light, where skins of dog, seal, bear, even hare and eider duck, are sewn into clothes, tents, and sleeping bags as protection, where transport is by dogsled and kayak, the only rein for the uncontrollable force of weather is an unbending self-discipline. The blend of physical endurance and psychological perseverance required for daily existence first drew Ehrlich to this terrain.
Her guide, her inspiration, her companion in spirit was the great Danish-Inuit explorer and ethnographer Knud Rasmussen. Between 1902 and his death in 1933 he launched seven expeditions: to record the unknown history and customs of the nomadic Eskimos; to chronicle the skills, beliefs,and crafts that made life in this climate possible and a matter of grace. For Rasmussen, “all true wisdom is only to be found far from the dwellings of man, in great solitudes.” As she followed his trail, Ehrlich was to find the things that can open the mind to what is hidden from others.
This Cold Heaven is at once a distillation of her many journeys, a path into a world divided into darkness and light and, finally, an attempt to capture the clarity that blinds us with surprise.
Customer Reviews:
Heaven On Earth?.......2006-07-25
In "This Cold Heaven", Gretel Ehrlich extolls the life of the subsistence hunters of Greenland. Her writing is really very nice and brought this remote place to life for me. Jared Diamond's "Collapse" gave us the picture of the european Greenlanders and now Ehrlich gives us the picture from the 'other side of the hill.'
The beauty of the environment and the struggle for sanity in the long dark made very interesting reading, having spent 20 winters in Minnesota where it is dark a mere 16 hours a day.
I'm not sure she takes her observations to their logical conclusion, however. The life she admires is that of the subsistence hunter. What makes it admirable for her is the totality of it, the self-sufficiency, the purity. But that life evolved out of necessity, which has been overtaken by modern life. Most Greenlanders live off the supply ships; only a handful hunt for a living. These few are restrictive in their practices, using rifles but eschewing outboard motors and snow mobiles, for example.
In other words they are playing an elaborate game of 'survival.' They could make it easier for themselves but they don't because it makes it more of a challenge. The fact is, there is no obvious reason for people to go around in dogsleds hunting walrus. They could be educating themselves for the future instead of clinging to an outmoded past.
I think she understands this. I say that because of the incident of the polar bear, where she urged that it not be killed. She accompanied the hunters by dogsled to polar bear country for the specific purpose of getting a bear. Then when it came time to pull the trigger she wanted the men to let it go.
In that moment she understood that synthetics are just as good as bear skin for keeping warm. Food can be gotten from the shelves thanks to the supply ships. Transportation to any place in the world is available. There is no longer any need to shoot polar bears in order to survive, and she knew it.
There is honor and purity in modernity, too. We meet Fred, who has been forecasting the weather at Thule for 27 years. I'm a forecaster, too. I can relate to Fred, and I understand why he has stayed there all this time. While his duties benefit the well-being of everyone on that base, he has undertaken a wider quest, that of comprehending nature and humanity in his specific setting. It is similar to that of the hunter, in that it is also an internal quest which reveals oneself.
Only Fred really knows why is there. Only Jens and Mikele really know why they go out on the ice to hunt. Fred could retire to Punta Gorda. Jens could go to Copenhagen and relax. Gretel slides past this whole matter. But then, her eyes were bothering her.
WONDERFUL BOOK.......2006-06-09
I really enjoyed this book, Gretel takes you with her in her travels and experiences to one of the most starkley beautiful places in the world.
great book to read in the heat of summer.
wonderful tales, wonderful author.
I could feel the ice, well reading this book.
great insightful book.....
one you will want to have on your shelves for ever.
Good, but a missed oppurtunity.......2005-04-13
I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. She obviously deeply respects the people who she spent time with in Greenland. However, as she barely hints at, there are problems under the surface with alcoholism dysfunctional families and sexual abuse. By glossing over the darker side of things and portraying the Innuit as "noble savages" she provides us with a one dimensional portrait of thier way of life.
Greenland & Ethnographic Study of Eskimo Culture.......2005-03-06
This ethnographic study and travel guide about Greenland reminds me of Paul Theroux' "Happy Isles Of Oceania" which I read about 10 years ago; also her compressed prose reminds me of Annie Proulx author of "Close Range" with whom she shared the adopted state of Wyoming, also of James Michener, author of "Alaska". I have also read this author's "Heart Mountain" which I enjoyed a lot,and more recently "The Future Of Ice". .
Ehrlich's frequent plane trips between Copenhagen and Greenland and her stopovers at the state-of-the-art American military base at Thule, Greenland give the book a link to the outside world, but beyond the airports she transports the reader to a culture many thousands of years old and also with a multitude of current social problems based on the clash between the Danish, who arrived in the 18th C., and indigeneous cultures.
She interviews numerous Danes with Eskimo blood or vice versa, or other expatriates, including information on an American artist Rockwell Kent, who decided to give up on modern society in favor of some more ancient or traditional values. Hence they become New Age subsistence hunters in Greenland. The book also includes several interesting chapters on the explorations of the Arctic by the Dane Rasmussen in the 1920's, who did his own ethnographic studies, as well as by other less renowned explorers. Rasmussen travelled all the way across the Canadian Arctic from Greenland to Alaska. You will be impressed with the breadth of knowledge Ehrlich has about her subject as well as her anecdotal knowledge of modern astronomy; really this is her own ethnographic study, and you will be surprised at the countless small details of living in such an unusually cold, white climate with polar seasons that include many months of total darkness or total light, and the great importance of dogs and dogsleds in their culture. One of the obvious consequences of living in -30-40 degree temperatures is the layers of clothing a human must wear, not to mention the Eskimos' unusual food choices,the threats of starvation and the resultant cannibalism, and age-old hunting practices. Really an eye-opener for those who live in the middle latitudes.
This Cold Heaven.......2004-06-18
This book was a treasure that fell, I don't remember whether one morning or night, from Book TV. Being of Norwegian ancestry, and having ancient voyagers in my direct line, I became fascinated with the author's story. Hoping to find some tales of native legends and myths of the kind that Sigrid Undset's historical novels had first drawn to my attention, I bought the book.
I was not disappointed. Ehrlich weaves her words by alternating the fabric of her seven seasons with allied chapters of other Northern wanderers and explorers. This organization, I feel, makes the book somewhat hard to read in two or three sittings. Yet every page is worth the effort.
Having flown over both Greenland and Iceland, I can verify that Greenland is white and Iceland is green. But snow and ice is not just white, and a sled is not just a sled. Erhlich's language is richly nuanced and lyrical. She has the gift of writing prose like a poet. Having lived her stories, she knows her subject, and you easily feel yourself in her shoes as she relates her experiences.
Little gems keep falling from her pages, like the story about the artist, Rockwell Kent, who had lived in Greenland. This immediately explains the stark beauty of his block prints. Treat yourself to this book and read it on some dark and stormy night -- or to cool off on a hot summer afternoon. Either way, you will be refreshed by the experience.
Book Description
The sun never sets, the air is twenty degrees below zero, and the ice is moving at four hundred yards an hour. Welcome to the North Pole. In 2003, environmental reporter Andrew Revkin joined a scientific expedition to one of the world's last uncharted frontiers, where he was the first New York Times reporter ever to file stories and photographs from the top of the world. In his quest to understand the pole, Andrew leads readers through the mysterious history of arctic exploration; he follows oceanographers as they drill a hole through nine feet of ice to dive into waters below; peers into the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming; and ultimately shows how the fate of the pole will affect us all.
Customer Reviews:
terranova.......2007-05-26
timely topic, but book isn't exactly dense. more of a children's primer on Arctic issues.
*'Walking on Water' takes on NEW MEANING . . . *.......2007-01-03
After moving 400 yards an hour on an ice floe at the top of the world for three days, Science Writer Andrew Revkin looks down from a helicopter. He watches the icy expanses recede far below while he weighs questions and answers about global warming, and the challenge of presenting these to young readers who are often lured in other directions by iPods & computer games.
Tomorrow's scientists need to be 'shook up' and know there are still discoveries to be made; they can be the ones inventing new techniques needed to retrieve & examine rock core samples from deep below the ice. (See pictures on page 66). They can be detectives competing with the changing ice for answers to frustrating puzzles about the rising seas, for example.
The editor has used engravings and diagrams along with the latest photographs to give an impressive smattering of the history of arctic exploration. The double-spread of a lone seal on pages 100-101 should have been placed to better advantage, to help make Revkin's point about the loneliness of the Arctic where the silence is often interrupted by questions about the future of mankind. This is a excellent, stimulating book for all ages to read and discuss together.
The polar regions have always drawn explorers and it is our luck that the New York Times sent Andrew Revkin to the North to look for ways of stirring the public. We must each take an active interest and help stimulate youthful curiosity by showing the techniques used today. It is not enough to feel the exhilaration of travel without becoming responsible global citizens. In a recent interview by Gwen Iffel on PBS, Revkin cited the "slow drift" of events that do not receive adequate coverage by the media, as for example the recent announcement that the first whale species in China is now extinct. Consider also the projection that by 2040 the Arctic Ocean could be blue for the first time in a thousand years.
Already the levels of contaminates in the bodies of Inuit persons living in the North is beyond acceptable. The Pole is indeed moving . . . can we be instrumental in putting the puzzle pieces back together and work toward unity for the good of the Earth and our children's future?
We must not lose generations of the ingenuity of bright young minds to Wars and the Pestilence of mediocre minds.
Comments on The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World.......2006-09-18
While intended for a young audience this serves as a very basic introduction to Arctic exploration and scientific study. Scientific and political issues mentioned could have been a good springboard for young adults to understand that scientific methods can serve as a process to follow when trying to answer difficult questions. Additionally, it is unfortunate that Mr. Revkin did not include even a passing mention of Dr. John Rae (Fatal Passage). This is a good book to provoke discussion and does little to answer the "big" questions. Mr. Revkin also might consider using a paradigm from Paracelsus that all substances are toxic - its the dose that differentiates the poison.
Average customer rating:
- Great Book!
- Great book for introducing the Iditarod to children
- Balto: not just for kids
- A teacher in PA
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Balto and the Great Race (Stepping Stone)
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
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Similar Items:
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The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Step-Into-Reading)
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Togo
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Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod
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Balto
ASIN: 0679891986
Release Date: 1999-12-21 |
Book Description
Balto has a quiet life as a sled dog—until tragedy strikes. Dozens of children in Nome become sick with diphtheria. Without antitoxin serum, they will perish—and the closest supply is 650 miles away! The only way to get the serum to Nome is by sled, but can the dogs deliver it in time? Heading bravely into a brutal blizzard, Balto leads the race for life.
A Kansas City Children’s Book Award for Grades 1–3
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2005-05-01
Just so you'd know, this book is not denouncing Togo. It is merely telling Balto's side of the story. And it is a courageous one taht deserves to be well-known. There.
One day, a serious diptheria epidemic breaks out in Nome. Sled dogs are selected to deliver serum to the town before time runs out. Will they succeed?
This compelling book tells the story of Balto's brave and graet contribution to this race (he never tried to claim all the credit!), and I would recommend it even to Leonhard Seppala, so he would stop despising Balto, but sadly, he is now dead.
Great book for introducing the Iditarod to children.......2005-04-01
If you love the Iditarod and you want your children (or children you're fond of) to be introduced to this great race, the story of Balto and the Great Race by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel is a good place to start, beginning with the cover illustration by Nora Köerber. This book is a Stepping Stones chapter book with black and white illustrations throughout.
At the beginning of the book is a map of Alaska showing the Iditarod railroad and dogsled trail, along with some illustrations depicting the basic story of this great race against time to get much-needed diphtheria serum to Nome in 1925.
Balto is a Siberian husky born to run, and to lead. He guided his musher, Gunnar Kaasen, into Nome on the final leg of the journey, when only this magnificent dog could sense the way through a terrible, deadly blizzard with no trail to follow and wind at such strength it tossed Kaasen and dogsled into the air, almost losing their precious cargo. A short time before this near disaster, Balto saved the team from going through the ice to certain death. His instincts were in the realm of the supernatural and his devotion to the task at hand human in awareness.
It states on the back cover that this book is for children in grades 1-3. As the Cleveland Museum of Natural History states on the same back cover, "Balto's story is one of courage, cooperation and inspiration, and personal sacrifice for the greater good."
Carolyn Rowe Hill
Balto: not just for kids.......2002-01-27
We purchased this book after seeing the real Balto (courtesy of the art of taxidermy) at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Our quest in Northeast Ohio, where Balto enjoyed his senior years, was prompted by my seven year-old daughter's love-affair with the animated film about this dog, who navigated a lost sled team carrying life-saving medicine through Alaska in 1925. I hereby confess publicly that, after myself reading the book, which is aimed at the 9 year-old set, I cried, much as I had done 35 years before after reading "Lassie Come Home." This account, however, is much more compelling than "Lassie" or "Old Yeller," because it entirely factual (possibly excepting the subjective thoughts imputed to the protagonist).
The author did her homework researching this story about a sled dog who was just one of the pack facing poor odds against daunting weather and unrequiting expanses of blinding snow and ice. When the alpha dog loses the trail, and another refuses to lead, the team turns to Balto to bring them and their cargo safely to rest in Nome.
Perhaps Balto deserves an authentic, grown-up biography, but this one will serve in the meantime. It appears to be the definitive account.
A teacher in PA.......2000-05-03
This is an excellent book if you are interested in the Iditarod race in Alaska.The book helps young children understand the importance of perserverence and is a great introduction to history for the very young (6-8).A true story that inspires people to understand the bond between animals and people.
Book Description
Johnson's savagely funny [book] is a grunt's-eye view of fear and loathing, arrogance and insanity in a dysfunctional, dystopian closed community. It's like M*A*S*H on ice, a bleak, black comedy."-The Times of London
Customer Reviews:
Legends of Ice and Bureaucracy.......2007-03-03
Anyone approaching this book as a sociological critique of human mores in an extreme environment is looking for a different book. Oh, there's plenty of sociology, plenty of critique, and plenty examples of human mores in an extreme environment; but these are the simple byproduct of an intelligent man's opening his eyes and recording what he sees as an Antarctic contract/wage worker.
On the bounds of journalism, not quite Gonzo, not quite straight reportage, the author manages to weave enough Antarctic lore, daily observation, and well-researched history into the narrative, so that the reader is ever mindful of the locale. This alone is a feat of work, for at times one would swear from the corporate shenanigans at the Bottom of the World that this was written as a script for the movie version of "The Office," and rejected for being too real.
The end result--as is the case with most accounts of human bureaucracy in a sublimely inappropriate venue--is hilarity. Think of it as a Monty Python sketch on a continental scale, funded by the American government, subcontracted to an arms manufacturer, and played by a diverse cast of world citizens who can never escape the moral of the story: that things just aren't fair.
Original and a fun read.......2005-11-10
For every scientist stationed in Antarctica, there are five support crew including dish washers and trash men. Luckily for us the author, Nicholas Johnson, was among them.
Johnson's story is an insider's view of life on the bottom of the planet for those of us who will probably never make it to the South Pole (which may be a good thing, after reading about the frosty welcome tourists get from the "polies"). The author combines hilarious anecdotes about day-to-day life with the history of the continent's exploration. The photo of the Easter Island snowman alone is worth the price of the book.
Having been there..........2005-09-13
Having spent 12 years working "on ice" and at every US Station and Ice Breaker, I can say this: Johnson has only scratched the surface on the lunacy, idiocy and buerocratic hell the US Antarctic program has become.
Since Raytheon has taken over as contractor, it's been one laugh after another. HR isn't about helping employees, it's about sticking to the corporate policy with a velvet hammer.
It'll be a fine day when the last Rathioyd leaves Antarcitca, but like the old song by The Who, it'll be "...meet the new boss, just the same as the old boss..."
Having met and known a few Antarctic treaty signatories, I'm sure they're doing a slow spin in their graves.
You will enjoy this book. I promise........2005-09-09
Big Dead Place is a great combination of Antarctic history and Antarctic humor. It's fascinating to see that a place that could be described as an icy hell has somehow become a beaurocratic one as well. While the tone of the book is lighthearted, with an emphasis on humor, it's clear that Johnson cares deeply about Antarctica. This book gave me a great insight into Antarctica, one that I doubt I could have gotten elsewhere; it did so whilst being funny! If you get this book, you will be entertained and you will learn something about what is probably the strangest place on the planet. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Big Dead Place.......2005-09-02
Somewhat interesting, and at times amusing. Although at times there is potential for depth in critically evaluating living at the bottom of the world, the author rarely goes there. He is stuck on the absolute surface of things, rattling along, I suspect, on pot or some other substance. He seems to have no perspective from which he can organize his observations into any kind of meaningful structure.
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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- The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
- The New Kayak Shop: More Elegant Wooden Kayaks Anyone Can Build
- The New Oxford History of Music: Volume I: Ancient and Oriental Music (New Oxford History of Music, Vol.1)
- The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Schaum's Outline of Heat Transfer
- Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Sof
- The Karoo: Ecological Patterns and Processes
- The Semicircle Law, Free Random Variables, and Entropy
- Andy Warhol Portraits
- Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide
- Border Terrier
- The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists
- The Temple: Meeting Place of Heaven and Earth
- Kenya trees & shrubs,
