The Last Place on Earth (Modern Library Exploration)

Amazon.com

On December 14, 1911, the classical age of polar exploration ended when Norway's Roald Amundsen conquered the South Pole. His competitor for the prize, Britain's Robert Scott, arrived one month later--but died on the return with four of his men only 11 miles from their next cache of supplies. But it was Scott, ironically, who became the legend, Britain's heroic failure, "a monument to sheer ambition and bull-headed persistence. His achievement was to perpetuate the romantic myth of the explorer as martyr, and ... to glorify suffering and self-sacrifice as ends in themselves." The world promptly forgot about Amundsen.

Biographer Ronald Huntford's attempt to restore Amundsen to glory, first published in 1979 under the title Scott and Amundsen, has been thawed as part of the Modern Library Exploration series, captained by Jon Krakauer (of Into Thin Air fame). The Last Place on Earth is a complex and fascinating account of the race for this last great terrestrial goal, and it's pointedly geared toward demythologizing Scott. Though this was the age of the amateur explorer, Amundsen was a professional: he left little to chance, apprenticed with Eskimos, and obsessed over every detail. While Scott clung fast to the British rule of "No skis, no dogs," Amundsen understood that both were vital to survival, and they clearly won him the Pole.

Amundsen in Huntford's view is the "last great Viking" and Scott his bungling opposite: "stupid ... recklessly incompetent," and irresponsible in the extreme--failings that cost him and his teammates their lives. Yet for all of Scott's real or exaggerated faults, he understood far better than Amundsen the power of a well-crafted sentence. Scott's diaries were recovered and widely published, and if the world insisted on lionizing Scott, it was partly because he told a better story. Huntford's bias aside, it's clear that both Scott and Amundsen were valiant and deeply flawed. "Scott ... had set out to be an heroic example. Amundsen merely wanted to be first at the pole. Both had their prayers answered." --Svenja Soldovieri

Customer Reviews:

A Ripping Good Yarn.......2007-02-20

I saw a program on PBS about Amundsen and the Northwest Passage and decided I wanted to know more so I bought this book. Much has already been said and thus doesn't need repeating. If you hold to the hero status of Scott then you are apt to be severely disappointed. He does NOT fair well in the cold light of history. Amundsen comes across as someone who was at the peak of his game and was just better at this sort of thing.

One of the best books I've read in a LONG time. Well worth the time spent.

Read the notes at the end of the book!.......2007-02-18

There are simply too many errors in this book to state here. I can only suggest that the reader look at the notes at the end of the book. Huntford derives almost all of his negative comments from two or three people on Scott's expeditions. Why are so few of the comments collected from hundreds of men who loved and supported Scott. I'd hate to have my life judged before the world by the few people I've pissed off out of the many I've known. And just a note in passing---the Markham diary or jornal he keeps referring to? It's not a diary or journal; it is a collection of notes made by a very old Markham years after he encountered Scott on the street (prior to appointing Scott as leader on the first expedition).

Scott certainly made some serious judgement errors and prevaricated occassionally, but Huntford lies on almost every page of his book by omission and deception.

I have no complaints about his description of Amundsen; Amundsen was the better of the two explorers. In fact, Amundson was arguably the greatest of all polar explorers in the heroc age. Some of the best polar explorers appear almost amateurish by comparison.

The Last Place On Earth.......2007-01-12

For those who like to read history, this is very well researched.

Well researched, penetrating, a tad biased.......2006-12-07

I've finished reading both this and Fiennes "Race to the Pole". Huntford clearly spent an enormous amount of time digging through many expedition diaries and personal letter archives. He simply doesn't just quote them, but knits them together in a fine tapestry of interrelated decisions and events. This provides keen insights into the importance of planning, preparation, and attention to detail during operations.

Huntford carefully walks the reader through how Amundsen clearly understood the difficulties ahead of him, while Scott was content to draw hasty conclusions based on faulty testing, prejudice, and unwarranted opinions of the uninformed. Huntford also details the subtle and not-so-subtle difference in the leadership styles of both men, one who built a consensus, and the other who promulgated orders without allowing discussion or feedback.

My only complaints are 1) Huntford descended into the use of terms such as "weak, incompetent, and stupid" for Scott, which was unnecessary and detracted slightly from the rest of his scholarship, and 2) he avoided the use of much of the material that would have reflected positively on Scott, as found in Fiennes book, which is why I only gave this 4 stars.

The last book on earth...twisted facts, and damn lies .......2006-08-10

The central theme of this book, (i.e that Captain Scott was a blundering idiot) has been exposed as nonsense by a series of recent and well balanced books written by expolorers such as Ranulph Fiennes and Antarctic researchers such as Susan Solomon, rather than amateur critics. Read "The Worst journey in the World" if you want a proper account of the Terra Nova expedition. But if you really must buy "The Last Place on Earth" then also read Antarctic explorer Ranulph Fiennes "Captain Scott" which exposes it as a lie.

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

Average customer rating:

Journals: Scott's Last Expedition (Oxford World's Classics)
Robert Falcon Scott
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Polar Regions | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

Expeditions & Discoveries | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Adventurers & Explorers | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Travel | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

The Worst Journey in the World (Penguin Classics)
The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the Fram, 1910-1912
Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage and Tragedy
The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910-1913 (Explorers Club Classic)
Race to the Pole: Tragedy, Heroism, and Scott's Antarctic Quest

ASIN: 0199297525

Book Description

'For God's sake look after our people' Captain Scott's harrowing account of his expedition to the South Pole in 1910-12 was first published in 1913. In his journals Scott records his party's optimistic departure from New Zealand, the hazardous voyage of theTerra Nova to Antarctica, and the trek with ponies and dogs across the ice to the Pole. On the way the explorers conduct scientific experiments, collect specimens, and get to know each other's characters. Their discovery that Amundsen has beaten them to their goal, and the endurance with which they face an 850-mile march to safety, have become the stuff of legend. This new edition publishes for the first time a complete list of the changes made to Scott's original text before publication. In his Introduction Max Jones illuminates the Journals' writing and publication, Scott's changing reputation, and the continued attraction of heroes in our cynical age.

A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole

Average customer rating:

a second rate book
Good account of the South Pole expedition
Scott as Tragic Hero
Great book on the polar adventure
A First Rate Justification

A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole
Diana Preston
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Polar Regions | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

20th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Expeditions & Discoveries | World | History | Subjects | Books

The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition
Journals: Scott's Last Expedition (Oxford World's Classics)
The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910-1913 (Explorers Club Classic)
Race to the Pole: Tragedy, Heroism, and Scott's Antarctic Quest
Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen: Ambition and Tragedy in the Antarctic

ASIN: 0618002014

Amazon.com

British explorer Robert F. Scott spent three years exploring the Antarctic, returning to England a hero in 1904. His ambition was to be the first man to reach the South Pole, and he overcame innumerable obstacles to assemble another expedition, which left in 1910. Scott and three of his men did reach the pole, only to discover that Norwegian Roald Amundsen had been there only five weeks earlier. Slightly more than two months later, Scott and his companions died in their tents, their bodies--and Scott's diaries--found eight months later by a search party. This account of Scott, having followed the explorer from childhood through his naval training and marriage, gives us at the end not only a national symbol but a fully developed tragic hero. Diana Preston commendably ventures beyond the longstanding myth, including material that shows how Scott's decisions and faulty judgements ultimately sealed his fate.

Book Description

On November 12, 1912, a rescue team trekking across Antarctica's Great Ice Barrier finally found what they sought -- the snow-covered tent of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Inside, they made a grim discovery: Scott's frozen body lay between those of two fellow explorers. They had died just eleven miles from the depot of supplies that might have saved them. The remaining two members of the party were nowhere in sight, but Scott's eloquent diary revealed their nightmarishly similar fate. It is a story that continues to haunt the popular imagination, and which has never been told more grippingly or with greater compassion than in this book.

Customer Reviews:

a second rate book.......2006-01-01

The entire thesis of the book is that Scott's fate was a darn good attempt, despite the result. Unfortunately, Ms. Preston's arguments fall flat. By the end, the reader has but no choice but to deem the mission a failure on a grand scale through Scott's incompetence more than anything else.

Ms. Preston's failed arguments have been summed up by other reviewers well, so I won't rehash all of them, but I will add this. One of the aruguments she tries to use that Scott was a product of his time and that his actions, such as the pseudo-scientific mission, were reasonable given the times. However, she then also tries to justify certain actions, such as man-hauling , by stating that this is now fashionable with modern adventurers. Well, you can't rightly defend him both in and out of historical context. It's cherry picking and it's scholarly dishonest.

Ok, given my criticisms above why then did I give it even two stars. Well, it was fairly well written in the story-telling sense, if not logic. I also think it provided a good look into the British colonial mindset, which Ms. Preston still clings to in a lovely wigged-Parliamentarian manner. So while the thesis of the book is laughable, the book does provide some good, if unintended, entertainment. In other words, I finished it.

Good account of the South Pole expedition.......2005-02-15

Diana Preston was written a concise, good book about Robert Falcon Scott who led a 1910-1913 expedition that reached the South Pole. Scott and his four companions died on the return from the Pole, but left journals that told of their ardous journey right up to the end. Scott lost the race to the Pole to Norwegian explorer Raoud Amundson who beat him by a month but in death Scott became a great English hero nevertheless.

Preston's book is not as good as two others about the expedition. Apsley Cherry-Garrard was with Scott for the expedition, but did not accompany Scott to the Pole. His account, "The Worst Journey in the World" is a classic of travel adventure. Roland Huntford's, "The Last Place on Earth" is a blistering attack on Scott's competence and character along with a favorable account of Amundson.

Was Scott incompetent? Well, Amundson made the 1400 mile plus trek to the Pole and back from his base camp in 99 days, averaging about 15 miles per day. Scott averaged less than 10 miles a day, the short Antarctic summer ended, the weather got worse, and he and his companions died. Amundson made good use of skis and dogs; Scott relied on man-hauling his supplies. The British apparently loved Scott in death because of his amateurism, rather than in spite of it. A timely and tragic death can be enhancing to one's reputation.

Preston is generous with Scott and tells a touching story of Scott's relationship with his ambitious and independent wife.

Smallchief

Scott as Tragic Hero.......2003-01-22

Books on North Polar exploration seem to take a pro-Peary or pro-Cook slant. Even the National Geographic Society pushes Peary's claim, because it also helped fund his expedition. So when a book like Bryce's COOK AND PEARY comes out, saying what many of us believed all along, that both men were unscrupulous liars and neither deserve polar priority, it's a breath of fresh air on the subject. Nevertheless, Bryce also tempers this conclusion by saying both men were skilled in extreme conditions and remarkable real achievements below their belts before they started lying on a big scale and claiming for themselves what they had not achieved. Bryce tries in a valiant book to put an end to the nonsense that if Cook failed, Peary won, and vice-versa.

Books on South Polar exploration must be different. Amundsen reached the pole. It's indisputable. Scott died bringing back the proof that he didn't get priority. Because he reached the pole and -- to the anti-Scotteans, more importantly -- he got back. However, Scott's expedition was not a failure. It was, first and foremost, a scientific expedition; Scott wanted polar priority and probably deserved it (Amundsen wanted the north, denied him by the charlatans Cook and Peary, so he jumped Scott's claim).

Scott's reputation, unlike Amundsen's, has undergone a roller coaster ride for almost a century. First he was made a hero. Then the iconoclasts set in. Roland Huntford's book on Scott and Amundsen was the Big Nail for the anti-Scott forces. To them, Huntford's book is gospel, and to question it is to question reality.

But Huntford, a fine biographer of polar explorers (Nansen, Shackleton), was distintly and unapologetically anti-Scott. And while Scott made errors (the biggest being his modern-minded "diversity" in taking seaman Evans along), his expedition was meticulously planned and employed the latest scientific and techonological advances. Solomon's COLDEST MARCH lays some Scott criticism aside (and since Solomon is a scientist who has actually worked in Antarctica her credentials should carry more weight with the anti-Scotteans than it does). Scott and Amundsen were products of their class and their era, but both also had been on polar adventures before and both men knew what they were up against. Scott is often, these days, portrayed by his detractors (euphemism) as mercurial and indecisive and, in some cases (as in the dramatization of Huntford's book) cruel.

In fact, Scott's polar expedition was a tragedy, in the classic sense as well as the modern. Many events beyond his control led to his death, but decisions he made did go woefully wrong. In any event, it seems, in light of more recent evidence than Huntford's, the whole party would have made it back in most years, but conditions were different on that part of the Antarctic than had been scientifically observed previously. Scott made some bad decisions that led to the tragedy, but it also seems he had a run of bad luck, while Amundsen (and this is not a detraction of him to say so) had a run of good luck. It's ironic that Amundsen left a letter for Scott to take back (and he did) in case Amundsen died, but it proves Amundsen knew that, even with his methods, which seem the "right" ones because he lived, he ran the risk of death in those extreme conditions.

In A FIRST RATE TRAGEDY Preston presents her case clearly and with fairness, and without the judgmentalism that mars Huntford's well-researched and iconoclastic study.

To lighten up some on Scott, folks, does not demean Amundsen's achievements. It's not the silly either/or with the partisans for Cook or Peary. Both Amundsen and Scott could have died (probably should have died) and both might well have made it back alive. There seems to be, in the anti-Scotteans, the fear that if someone treats Scott with a modicum of non-judgmentalism and doesn't bludgeon Scott as a downright fool, it somehow makes denigrates Amundsen. Nonsense. Both men were brave, courageous and intrepid leaders. Their men deserve every bit of praise as being the brave men they were. Scott's expedition was more interested in the scientific end and Amundsen's willy-nilly chase for hte pole was an opportunistis to get the fame to do researches in the north, but the achievements of both neither man, unlike Cook and Peary, need to be given proper appreciation without the need to bludgeon the other.

Preston's A FIRST RATE TRAGEDY is a study of Scott whose time has come.

Great book on the polar adventure.......2002-04-11

This is a great tale of the fateful journey of Mr. Scott to the South Pole and the disaster that became him on the return journey.

Instead of rehashing the story of the book in this review, which other reviewers have already done, it's more interesting to focus on the book itself. I notice that many of those who rate this book poorly seem to do so because the author was too sympathetic to Scott, too hard on Schackelton or Amundsen, or point to other works as superior accounts of this historic tale.

I give this work 5 stars for a couple of reasons. First, she develops the inner psyche of each participant, digging into their personalities, explaining what made them tick and how that caused them to make the decisions that they made. Second, it's obvious a well-researched book. The author continually points out inconsistencies between the participants published (and sanitized) works vs. what they said privately in their journals. Third, the story is balanced. I supposed this is a point that other reviewers disagree on, for what one person calls "balanced" another person calls "biased". She points out what they did right and what they did wrong, not dwelling on either point. People who downgrade this book seem to do so because the author didn't berate Scott more for his mistakes and blunders, of which he made many of. However, I'm interested in history, and not finger pointing. Fourth, it's a great story.

The reading of this book is easy and interesting, and I recommend it.

A First Rate Justification.......2001-11-22

Please read other works of Antarctic exploration before you read this book of fiction promoted as a work of historical research. Read books like Huntford's "The Last Place on Earth", Amundsen's "South Pole", Cherry-Garrard's "The Worst Journey in the World", and from Scott's own diaries "The Diaries of Captain Robert Scott" for reliable information on which to make up your own mind about Scott's expedition. Read these books with a nuanced view, using your critical thinking to come up with your own conclusions. I doubt you will agree with Preston's thesis when you have done so.

In my readings, I have identified 31 separate areas in which Scott's methods were inadequate for safe polar travel as compared to his contemporaries (Amundsen, Peary, Cook, Borchgrevink, Nansen, Shackleton, etc.). Could all 31 areas really have been a matter of bad luck, Ms. Preston? I think not.

If this is the only book you are reading on Antarctic exploration, don't even bother. While she writes a good story, it is just that - a story.

Race to the Pole: Tragedy, Heroism, and Scott's Antarctic Quest
Average customer rating:

Mildly informative, but ultimately far too biased

Awe Inspiring Story

A completely biased anti-Huntford book

Fienne's opinion on the

Man-hauler Critiques Man-hauler

Race to the Pole: Tragedy, Heroism, and Scott's Antarctic Quest
Ranulph Fiennes
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition : The Voyage of the Nimrod

The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition

True North: Peary, Cook, And The Race To The Pole

The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910-1913 (Explorers Club Classic)

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

ASIN: B000KHXBK4

Book Description

Now in paperback, the real story of Captain Robert Scott's legendary Antarctic quest, told by the man whom the Guinness Book of World Records has proclaimed "the world's greatest living explorer"

In 1911, Captain Robert Scott and his competitor Roald Amundsen conquered the unconquerable: Antarctica. This perilous race to the South Pole claimed the life of Scott and became the stuff of legend, as well as scrutiny. This compelling, meticulously researched history of Captain Scott and his fatal journey, by renowned modern-day explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, holder of 10 expeditionary records, is the definitive account of this hotly debated quest.

Fiennes offers an account of Scott's motivations and aspirations for the Pole, and his historic clash with Amundsen over goals and approaches. He also reveals the unpredictably disastrous weather patterns that led to the extreme cold that ultimately doomed Scott's return trip. Infused with the intensity of fiction and exhibiting an exhaustive eye for detail found in the greatest historical biographies, Race to the Pole is a prodigious achievement and certain to become a classic in the literature of exploration.

Customer Reviews:

Mildly informative, but ultimately far too biased.......2006-12-07

Having read "Last Place on Earth", this book, and the journals of Scott, Wilson, Bowers, Evans, and Cherry-Garrard, I can safely say that this book carefully cultivates on the most positive aspects of Scott, while hiding almost all of the negative; the little that was mentioned was casually dismissed as no fault of his own.

Fiennes, a seemingly obsessive fan of Scott himself, has gone to great lengths to recreate Scott's manhauling techniques (albeit with modern clothing, gear, and expedition food) in his own transarctic expedition, if only to show that it can be done today. He completely wallpapers over the mistakes in Scott's assessment of dogs, skis, clothing, nutrition, and caloric intake, as well as Scott's poor judgement in setting cairns, preventing fuel loss, staying in tents during moderately bad weather, navigating, and stopping for scientific samples when his time and supplies were running short. This clearly shows this work to be more propaganda than a neutral look at the evidence.

However, Fiennes brings out important background information on Scott not found in print today that proves helpful in better understanding Scott. For that, I bump up my rating to 2 stars.

Awe Inspiring Story.......2006-08-14

This is a great book. Scott and his men are true heroes. Their fortitude in the face of severe privation, relentless bone chilling cold and unimaginable pain and suffering is nothing short of awesome. Like the soldiers mentioned in the book who found inspiration in Scott's story, I too can now tap into an inner strength I didn't know I had. Thank you Sir Fiennes!

A completely biased anti-Huntford book.......2006-07-13

I read this book several months ago wondering how an author who had experienced arctic and antarctic conditions himself could ignore all problematic aspects of Scott's ill fated last expedition.
This is not just about setting the record "straight" concerning "The last place on earth". It is plainly an ambush on Mr. Huntfords personal integrity.

However what bothered me most were the gratuitous snipes about Mr. Huntford's ancestry. The fact that his birth name was Horowitz and he later changed it to Huntford qualifies the books he has written is implausible. Could it be an attempt to produce anti-semitic sentiments?

Having read about Scott and Amundsen since 1973 I have always thought that Scott made major mistakes and was not just defeated by bad luck.
Even though Solomon showed that the weather conditions were probably worse than on average it does not explain away the problems of planning and executing an expedition that was doomed from the beginning because of a faulty or completely missing plan(e.g. transport, horseshoes, navigation, etc., etc.). Analyzing what seeemingly worked on other expeditions (e.g. parroting Shackleton by only using white pony's) using Shackleton's timetable as a clock to race against and belitteling his achievements instead of analyzing problems and learning from mistakes as even Preston pointed out in her sometimes apologetical book "A first rate tragedy". However in contrast to Fiennes she tries to analyze problems in the end.

Perhaps Fiennes was personally hurt by Huntford's book because
he to is an enthusiastic man-hauler as were three of the British man going to the pole.

In contrast while there is a pro-Amundsen bias in "The last palce on earth" I think the facts speak for themselves and the analysis of Huntford. (Of course as anyone can tell I am biased pro-Huntford)

Fienne's opinion on the .......2005-06-03

This is an opinionated retelling of the experience of Captain Robert Scott's attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole. Although Mr. Fiennes has great experience as a Polar explorer in his own right, his claim to be the only author in a position to comment on Scott's decisions, does little to prove he is giving us an objective history of the expedition. Fiennes takes every opportunity to make Scott appear to be a selfless and overly self critical hero, interested primarily in scientific discovery, who was loved by all who are worthy, and has the sole claim to the greatest physical achievement in history. He makes Roald Amundsen out as a selfish, unpleasant, and dangerous man with no friends. Although it is an interesting point of view, it will not satisfy readers who are looking for objective history.

Man-hauler Critiques Man-hauler.......2005-01-28

This is a frustrating book, where a modern artic manhauling ace is "objectively" debunking the critics of Scott, one of the pioneers of artic man-hauling who died with 2 of his comrades only 11 miles from safety after a 1200 mile round-trip trek to the south pole in 1911-1912. The book is very defensive of Scott, and seems squarely aimed at the revisionist analysis of Roland Huntford, about whom he leaves little doubt what he thinks. While Fiennes goes out of his way to attack Huntford's more sensational claims about the personal lives of the actors, and the allegedly duplicitous methods of gaining access to historical material, he unwittingly time and again reinforces Huntford's main assertion: that Scott was from the start in a race for his life against the elements, starvation, and scurvy and knew it, yet made many decisions that hurt his chances. Fiennes' frequent interludes about his own artic man-hauling experiences, while admirable on their own, are distracting in the flow of the narrative and are unhelpful within the context of which Scott made his decisions. After reading Fiennes' book I certainly have a better feeling for the "pro-Scott" side of the debate, and the antipathy directed at Huntford (a modern substitute for Amundsen?), but I don't have any fuller insight into the tragedy of the events. In some respects Fiennes' book is an updated treatment of the Edwardian issue heroic Scott biography, with his own travelogue interspersed. The book is very readable, but ulimately unsatisfying.

Average customer rating:

Scott's Last Journey
Robert Falcon Scott
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Polar Regions | Australia & Oceania | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Expeditions & Discoveries | World | History | Subjects | Books

Polar Regions | Winter Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

Antarctica | Polar Regions | Travel | Subjects | Books

Adventurers & Explorers | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 006019670X
Release Date: 2000-05-16

Book Description

The dramatic disappearance of the explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his companions in their race to reach the South Pole was seen by their contemporaries as creating heroes in a new mould. A few years later, during World War I, Scott's rival Shackleton also nearly met his death in the Antarctic, becoming in the process another hero. Both men were set on a pedestal, uncritically, because they tried and failed.

As the years have gone by, Scott's reputation has been weighed in the balance with Shackleton's - and found wanting. Even the precious journals that Scott wrote on the journey are no longer in print, while photographs of the expedition have gathered dust in scientific institutes. In this new edition of the journals, Peter King re-examines Scott's exploits, setting his own account against modern studies of the Polar Race and thus enabling readers to make their own judgements for the first time.

Book Description

Sunday, June 4.--A calm and beautiful day. The account of this, a typical Sunday, would run as follows: Breakfast. A half-hour or so selecting hymns and preparing for Service whilst the hut is being cleared up. The Service: a hymn; Morning prayer to the Psalms; another hymn; prayers from Communion Service and Litany; a final hymn and our special prayer. Wilson strikes the note on which the hymn is to start and I try to hit it after with doubtful success! After church the men go out with their ponies.

A World Explorer: Robert Falcon Scott (World Explorer Books)

Average customer rating:

A World Explorer: Robert Falcon Scott (World Explorer Books)
Joan Bristow
Manufacturer: Arcade Bks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Exploration & Discovery | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0811664686

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books