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Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship
A riveting true adventure story….
An award-winning, bestselling author…
A page-turner that’s impossible to put down.
Almost everyone knows the photo of John F. Kennedy, Jr., as a young boy, peering out from under his father’s desk in the Oval Office. But few realize that the desk itself plays a part in one of the world’s most extraordinary mysteries—a dramatic tale that has never before been told in its full scope. Acclaimed historian Martin Sandler—a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, winner of seven Emmy® Awards, and author of more than 50 books—finally brings the entire story to light. This amazing high-seas adventure encompasses the search for the Northwest Passage in the early 1800s; a renowned explorer and his crew of 128 men who vanish during an 1845 expedition; 39 incredible, heroic attempted rescue missions; a ghost ship that drifts for more than 1,200 miles; a queen’s gratitude; and that famous desk. Fascinating rare photographs, paintings, engravings, and maps illustrate the book throughout.
It all began when, in one of the biggest news stories of the 19th century, Sir John Franklin and his ships the Erebus and the Terror disappeared while attempting to locate the fabled Northwest Passage. At the request of Franklin’s wife, Lady Jane, the first mission set out from England in hopes of finding him; many others followed in its wake, none successful.
Among these was the Resolute, the finest vessel in Queen Victoria’s Navy. But in 1854 it became locked in Arctic ice and was abandoned by its captain. A year later, a Connecticut whaler discovered it 1,200 miles away—drifting and deserted, a 600-ton ghost ship. He and his small crew boarded the Resolute, and steered it through a ferocious hurricane back to New London, Connecticut. The United States government then reoutfitted the ship and returned it to the thankful Queen. In 1879, when the Resolute was finally retired, she had the best timbers made into a desk for then-President Rutherford B. Hayes. It is still used by U.S. presidents today...one of the most celebrated pieces of furniture in the White House.
An award-winning, bestselling author…
A page-turner that’s impossible to put down.
Almost everyone knows the photo of John F. Kennedy, Jr., as a young boy, peering out from under his father’s desk in the Oval Office. But few realize that the desk itself plays a part in one of the world’s most extraordinary mysteries—a dramatic tale that has never before been told in its full scope. Acclaimed historian Martin Sandler—a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, winner of seven Emmy® Awards, and author of more than 50 books—finally brings the entire story to light. This amazing high-seas adventure encompasses the search for the Northwest Passage in the early 1800s; a renowned explorer and his crew of 128 men who vanish during an 1845 expedition; 39 incredible, heroic attempted rescue missions; a ghost ship that drifts for more than 1,200 miles; a queen’s gratitude; and that famous desk. Fascinating rare photographs, paintings, engravings, and maps illustrate the book throughout.
It all began when, in one of the biggest news stories of the 19th century, Sir John Franklin and his ships the Erebus and the Terror disappeared while attempting to locate the fabled Northwest Passage. At the request of Franklin’s wife, Lady Jane, the first mission set out from England in hopes of finding him; many others followed in its wake, none successful.
Among these was the Resolute, the finest vessel in Queen Victoria’s Navy. But in 1854 it became locked in Arctic ice and was abandoned by its captain. A year later, a Connecticut whaler discovered it 1,200 miles away—drifting and deserted, a 600-ton ghost ship. He and his small crew boarded the Resolute, and steered it through a ferocious hurricane back to New London, Connecticut. The United States government then reoutfitted the ship and returned it to the thankful Queen. In 1879, when the Resolute was finally retired, she had the best timbers made into a desk for then-President Rutherford B. Hayes. It is still used by U.S. presidents today...one of the most celebrated pieces of furniture in the White House.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2006
71 people are currently reading
1236 people want to read
About the author
Martin W. Sandler
88 books56 followersMartin W. Sandler has written more than seventy books for children and adults and has written and produced seven television series. He has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has won multiple Emmy Awards. He lives in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 12, 2014
Sir John Franklin and his 128 men on two ships, Erebus and Terror, disappeared into the frozen waters between Greenland and Canada looking for the fabled "Northwest Passage" open water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. He and his men disappeared in 1845 and the rescue missions would consume ships, money and men for decades. Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship gives a good overview of the history of exploration in the Arctic. Many were certain there was an open sea at the top of the world, just a matter of finding it. The book covers many of the expeditions and the men who joined to explore the north. Lady Franklin is also featured and she was a real force driving many rescue attempts. The ship Resolute is trapped in the ice on one of the biggest rescue missions and is later found drifting almost 2,000 miles away. The story of that ship and how it was returned to the UK was interesting. That was probably the start of the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. This book introduces you to the Esquimaux and the whaling community. It wasn't a quotable book but it was decent. Just a lot of crazy Brits trying to find the Northwest passage and fame. Many died, many ships lost, many quirky characters.
February 6, 2015
This is the book that first introduced me to the whole saga that was the 19th century search for the Northwest Passage, and sparked in me the interest to learn more about it. Now, five or six books on the topic later, I have come back to this treasured first. To re-experience its lively storytelling, its cast of brought-to-life characters, and its gripping adventures.
It has an epically long title but Resolute focuses solely on the most dramatic century of the five-century quest for a water route from Europe to Asia via the Arctic. And that most dramatic century was the 19th, from which the most famous names in Arctic exploration hail: Edward Parry, John Ross, James Clark Ross, Robert McClure, John Rae, Charles F. Hall, and of course, John Franklin. In fact, Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage and the subsequent search-and-rescue missions are really the heart of this slim-but-action-packed tome.
When Franklin, and his crew of 128 men aboard the two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror had gone three years without sending a single word of their whereabouts, both Great Britain and the US launched massive search expeditions to find them. Most of these voyages were beset by their own problems, but easily the most dramatic was the 1852 – 1854 expedition commanded by British naval captain Edward Belcher. An expedition that included scores of men and five ships, the HMS Resolute among them. Belcher quickly proved not to be an Arctic man – he hated everything about the frozen wasteland – and after almost two years trapped in that landscape, he called it quits. Belcher ordered his officers to abandon their ships, and all 260+ men on the expedition boarded one vessel to head for home. Four ships had been left to their fates in the Arctic, but it is the Resolute that makes a reappearance… over a year later, when a whaling crew finds her drifting aimlessly in the waters of Davis Strait near the southeast coast of Baffin Island.
Aghast at their discovery – the Resolute had drifted an astonishing 1400 miles from where she had been abandoned on the south coast of Melville Island to where she was found – the whaling crew decided to tow the derelict ship back to their home port. In a grand undertaking of international goodwill, the US Congress voted to restore the ship and return it to England. Years later, when the ship was sent to the scrap yards, Queen Victoria had timbers from the Resolute carved into a beautiful wood desk, and she gifted it to President Rutherford B. Hayes. That desk has remained the president’s own in the Oval Office ever since (with a few exceptions).
This amazing piece of non-fiction is chock full of all the ship-i-ness I love. Not only do we get caught up in the stories of those Arctic explorers who braved unknown waters, lands, and dangers, but we hear about the ships that carried them. Chief among them is the Resolute, but we also read about others, like the HMS Terror, one of the ships on Franklin’s 1845 expedition, which had her own incredible tale – starting with her days as a bomb ship in the War of 1812, where her bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired the United States national anthem, to her near sinking in the Arctic while under the command of explorer George Back in 1836, to her journeys through the Antarctic in the early 1840s, and her disappearance on the Franklin voyage.
Resolute is a slim read, and an easy one, which makes me all the more grateful I read this one first before tackling some of the more comprehensive volumes on this topic. It’s a great introduction to say the least, and provides that contextual detail that others lack. I recommend it for anyone even slightly interested in voyages of discovery and exploration… and old ships of course!
It has an epically long title but Resolute focuses solely on the most dramatic century of the five-century quest for a water route from Europe to Asia via the Arctic. And that most dramatic century was the 19th, from which the most famous names in Arctic exploration hail: Edward Parry, John Ross, James Clark Ross, Robert McClure, John Rae, Charles F. Hall, and of course, John Franklin. In fact, Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage and the subsequent search-and-rescue missions are really the heart of this slim-but-action-packed tome.
When Franklin, and his crew of 128 men aboard the two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror had gone three years without sending a single word of their whereabouts, both Great Britain and the US launched massive search expeditions to find them. Most of these voyages were beset by their own problems, but easily the most dramatic was the 1852 – 1854 expedition commanded by British naval captain Edward Belcher. An expedition that included scores of men and five ships, the HMS Resolute among them. Belcher quickly proved not to be an Arctic man – he hated everything about the frozen wasteland – and after almost two years trapped in that landscape, he called it quits. Belcher ordered his officers to abandon their ships, and all 260+ men on the expedition boarded one vessel to head for home. Four ships had been left to their fates in the Arctic, but it is the Resolute that makes a reappearance… over a year later, when a whaling crew finds her drifting aimlessly in the waters of Davis Strait near the southeast coast of Baffin Island.
Aghast at their discovery – the Resolute had drifted an astonishing 1400 miles from where she had been abandoned on the south coast of Melville Island to where she was found – the whaling crew decided to tow the derelict ship back to their home port. In a grand undertaking of international goodwill, the US Congress voted to restore the ship and return it to England. Years later, when the ship was sent to the scrap yards, Queen Victoria had timbers from the Resolute carved into a beautiful wood desk, and she gifted it to President Rutherford B. Hayes. That desk has remained the president’s own in the Oval Office ever since (with a few exceptions).
This amazing piece of non-fiction is chock full of all the ship-i-ness I love. Not only do we get caught up in the stories of those Arctic explorers who braved unknown waters, lands, and dangers, but we hear about the ships that carried them. Chief among them is the Resolute, but we also read about others, like the HMS Terror, one of the ships on Franklin’s 1845 expedition, which had her own incredible tale – starting with her days as a bomb ship in the War of 1812, where her bombardment of Fort McHenry inspired the United States national anthem, to her near sinking in the Arctic while under the command of explorer George Back in 1836, to her journeys through the Antarctic in the early 1840s, and her disappearance on the Franklin voyage.
Resolute is a slim read, and an easy one, which makes me all the more grateful I read this one first before tackling some of the more comprehensive volumes on this topic. It’s a great introduction to say the least, and provides that contextual detail that others lack. I recommend it for anyone even slightly interested in voyages of discovery and exploration… and old ships of course!
September 3, 2017
Fascinating story of Arctic exploration. I'm amazed at the hardships people are willing to endure to open new boundaries.
February 15, 2025
The foreword by Russell A. Potter really got me hyped for this book and the first chapters were promising, but as the story unraveled, so did the ethos of Martin W. Sandler. Sandler, generally, does a fine job in condensing such an expansive history into a easily comprehensible and compelling story. It does come at a cost however, one that by the end of this book left me without an ounce of credibility for Sandler and compelled me to write a review to forewarn others. History is complicated and not clear cut or simple in any sense, and while truth is often stranger than fiction, it does not always make a "story" in the same ways that fiction allows. Any effective historian knows this and must worship at its altar, no matter how much it sucks. Then go ahead and multiply that tenfold when considering not only the unique case of the Franklin Expedition, but 19th century arctic exploration as a whole. That field is what this book attempts cover in less than 250 pages, but its purpose is just a general overview of it, centered around the story of HMS Resolute.
It is a look at a massive piece of history and it is easily accessible to those who are completely unfamiliar with the subject. However, if you have any genuine interest or regard for the history, I am hesitant to recommend this. Even to those who just want a good yarn, be warned that what you are getting is very much Sandler’s version, and the actual story is far more expansive and convoluted. In following the threads of the "story", at his best, Sandler often trudges right past these more complicated rabbit holes, some that I would consider vital to the story, and at his worst, makes some egregious generalizations, conclusions, misrepresentations, and even outright unverifiable claims.
Even the most verifiable “facts” of history are not so secure and any good historian would recognize and tell you that, and for a history so in entrenched in mystery, it is sad to say that I have seen less generalized/oversimplified assessments made on Wikipedia articles. Sandler assesses the characters of his first hand sources and even secondary sources just fine, but any assessments made by Sandler himself are where his faults lie and which version of events he takes as true, if Sandler was even aware that there were conflicting versions of events that needed to be checked.
For example, certain events described by Sandler were completely different to others I have read:
Pg.176: Sandler presents that Tookoolitoo introduced herself as "Hannah" to Hall. No source or explanation. Pg. 32 of David C. Woodman's Unraveling the Franklin Expedition [included in the bibliography!] states that Hall "renamed" Tookoolitoo and her husband to "Hannah" and "Joe", and sources it to the published version of Hall’s account. Whether which one is more accurate or not, at least Woodman sources his version of events, whereas Sandler constantly makes a lot of assertions with unclear sources or even further explanations. His interpretation of sources is also dubious. He definitely relies on many primary sources and integrates them well throughout, but not for everything and they are absent from a lot of his oversimplified claims and some things I’ve never even heard, or if I have, Sandler's version is often different and presented as so clear cut and definitive, it leaves no room for anything else. Sandler uses the sources to serve the story and never seeks to justify why he believes those sources or finds them to be credible. This is just one such instance I decided to check.
Even those entirely unfamiliar with the history will notice mistakes and inconsistencies within the text. Some of these are certainly not intentional, but there are too many of them for comfort, especially with dates. 1835 on pg. 61 certainly means 1833. 1845 instead of 1855 on pg. 148. Both those instances can only be inferred, but on pg. 248 its rather obvious: "Beginning in 1896, he led five separate expeditions [...] he died 1892."
On pg. 32: For the May 1819 surveying expedition it describes how Barrow chose John Franklin to lead it, despite his lack of skill or experience and also presses the point that: "Moreover, at the age of twenty-three ...". Back on pg. 13: "John Franklin had been born in 1786", making him thirty-two in 1819. Franklin was also a veteran of Trafalgar, which occurred in 1805. All of which Sandler mentions, of course, prior to claiming that Franklin was only 23 in 1819. The beginning of this book includes an over three page long Dramatis Personae of all the most important players in the story. I imagine that if I took the time to, I could identify many other similar mistakes in regards to all of their dates and ages.
Other things I caught from already being familiar with a lot of aspects of the FE: On pg. 138 Captain Crozier and Dr. Peddie are referred to as officers of Erebus instead of Terror. On pg. 82 Rae is referred to as "Alooka", never seen it spelt like that before, but sure. Moreover, Sandler completely omits any mention of the other key players in the story that also got called "Aglooka", which of course is too confusing and convoluted to be included (and maybe it is just me that finds that important). Lieutenant H.T.D. Le Vesconte is shortened to just Thomas Le Vesconte on pg. 189 (why the second first name and not the first first name?)
I failed to catch any in regards to the rescue expeditions that were sent after, which is what I picked this book up for, so it does irk me that I cannot entirely trust the new parts of the history I have learned. Constant simple mistakes like this also make me call into the question the accuracy of just about everything else.
The most egregious and what really turned me against Sandler is when he not only contradicts himself, but gets some very simple things wrong: pgs. 203-204: "The Eothen sailed out of New York on June 19, 1878 [description of crew]. Also aboard were Joe and Hannah”. Tookoolitoo died on December 31. 1876. She never accompanied Schwatka, only her husband did, but I did not need to already know that because on pg. 177 the caption beneath the photo of Joe says that, after her death, Joe served as Shwatka’s interpreter during his 1878 search. Adding to the confusion, on pg. 211 comes from a quote directly from Gilder’s journal: "“the next day Frank, [Hannah], and I went …”". If Sandler is the one who inserted Hannah there, and not another secondary source that then led to Sandler's blunder (which implies that Sandler is not reliable for discerning sources or basic fact checking), I can only assume that an Inuit name was there originally that Sandler mistook or assumed to be Tookoolitoo. A strange confusion to be had as already established, Sandler already knows when Tookoolitoo/Hannah died AND SHE CATEGORICALLY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE. Perhaps the captions of the images were written by someone else, perhaps even after the final line edits, so the contradiction could not even be noticed until reading the final book. That case doesn't look good for Sandler either, because instead of just contradicting himself and inserting someone into events that happened after they died, someone else got it right and he didn't! (The caption for the image on pg. 72 lists all men in the image, except for Collins for some reason. So those aren’t the most reliable either!)
Edit: Thanks to the Internet Archive, I found the source! Gilder, William H. Schwatka's search; sledging in the Arctic in quest of the Franklin records. New York, C. Scribners sons, 1881. pg.134: “The next day Frank, Toolooah, and I went with Lieutenant Schwatka to take another look in the vicinity of the cairn, and to see if, with a spy-glass, we could discover any other cairn looking from that hill, but without success.” Toolooah was a dog driver and hunter, one of the Inuit men who accompanied Schwatka and Gilder. Do not even know how Sandler managed that.
Finally, in Chapter 17, pg. 215, it establishes that the Resolute desk was gifted in 1880, then makes mention that two other desks had been made and “one was gratefully presented to Lady Jane Franklin”. Which caught my attention as I recalled that Lady Jane had passed in sometime in 1870s, after confirming that it was 1875 and lacking literally any further explanation from Sandler, I had to turn for the Internet for answers. The Wikipedia article for the Resolute desk had this: “Captain Michael Taylor, a docent at the New Bedford Whaling Museum who focuses his studies on the Grinnell desk, stated in a lecture that "it is believed a fourth may also have been made".[23] Martin W. Sandler notes in his book, Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship that Lady Jane Franklin, the widow of Sir John Franklin, may have also received a desk.[14]” May have? Well, firstly, she had been dead for five years, and the very existence of the desk is already unconfirmed. HMS Resolute was not even retired until 1879, there is no way a desk was made from its scraps and “presented” to Lady Jane Franklin, if anything, maybe one now elusive desk was made for Sophia Cracroft, her niece, to honor Lady Jane. Three desks were made, Queen Victoria kept one, and only other verifiable desk was given to the widow of Henry Grinnell, perhaps in that same motivation one was also given to Lady Jane’s favorite niece and constant companion. But that is entirely my own speculation that could give Sandler more credit, otherwise it looks like he just pulled it out of his ass or completely misinterpreted an unknown (to me) source. And even if there was an elusive fourth desk, once again, Sandler inserts someone into events that occurred after their death and also does not account for Queen Victoria's desk, now located at Kensington Palace, in his assertion that only two other desks had been made.
I then had to power through the rest of Chapter 17, which is the speculated course of the FE and what went wrong.“It can be assumed” well I don’t believe what you assume anymore, but thanks for spelling that out! At least there he relies and clearly spells out the work done by Woodman and Beattie, so any inaccuracies presented are not entirely Sandler's fault.
Sandler is not a bad writer or storyteller, and to some this may be considered a remarkable feat of condensing a massive narrative, but the errors in even simple facts makes me question if that feat was for the best or not, and because of them by the end I had to pretty much disregard much of what was new information to me because I could no longer trust Sandler as a reliable source. As seen, even his quotes from original sources had the possibility of being misrepresented. Apparently, a new edition of this will be releasing in the near future and hopefully, at the very least, some of the easily edited mistakes are taken care of. Or even: better sourcing. I have no desire to read that to check for any redemptive efforts, but as that edition seeks to update to include the more recent rediscoveries of Terror and Erebus… it may be prudent to fact check, especially as the state of the publishing industry and editors seem increasingly inept or stretched too thin to notice or care about verifying that sort of thing.
It is a look at a massive piece of history and it is easily accessible to those who are completely unfamiliar with the subject. However, if you have any genuine interest or regard for the history, I am hesitant to recommend this. Even to those who just want a good yarn, be warned that what you are getting is very much Sandler’s version, and the actual story is far more expansive and convoluted. In following the threads of the "story", at his best, Sandler often trudges right past these more complicated rabbit holes, some that I would consider vital to the story, and at his worst, makes some egregious generalizations, conclusions, misrepresentations, and even outright unverifiable claims.
Even the most verifiable “facts” of history are not so secure and any good historian would recognize and tell you that, and for a history so in entrenched in mystery, it is sad to say that I have seen less generalized/oversimplified assessments made on Wikipedia articles. Sandler assesses the characters of his first hand sources and even secondary sources just fine, but any assessments made by Sandler himself are where his faults lie and which version of events he takes as true, if Sandler was even aware that there were conflicting versions of events that needed to be checked.
For example, certain events described by Sandler were completely different to others I have read:
Pg.176: Sandler presents that Tookoolitoo introduced herself as "Hannah" to Hall. No source or explanation. Pg. 32 of David C. Woodman's Unraveling the Franklin Expedition [included in the bibliography!] states that Hall "renamed" Tookoolitoo and her husband to "Hannah" and "Joe", and sources it to the published version of Hall’s account. Whether which one is more accurate or not, at least Woodman sources his version of events, whereas Sandler constantly makes a lot of assertions with unclear sources or even further explanations. His interpretation of sources is also dubious. He definitely relies on many primary sources and integrates them well throughout, but not for everything and they are absent from a lot of his oversimplified claims and some things I’ve never even heard, or if I have, Sandler's version is often different and presented as so clear cut and definitive, it leaves no room for anything else. Sandler uses the sources to serve the story and never seeks to justify why he believes those sources or finds them to be credible. This is just one such instance I decided to check.
Even those entirely unfamiliar with the history will notice mistakes and inconsistencies within the text. Some of these are certainly not intentional, but there are too many of them for comfort, especially with dates. 1835 on pg. 61 certainly means 1833. 1845 instead of 1855 on pg. 148. Both those instances can only be inferred, but on pg. 248 its rather obvious: "Beginning in 1896, he led five separate expeditions [...] he died 1892."
On pg. 32: For the May 1819 surveying expedition it describes how Barrow chose John Franklin to lead it, despite his lack of skill or experience and also presses the point that: "Moreover, at the age of twenty-three ...". Back on pg. 13: "John Franklin had been born in 1786", making him thirty-two in 1819. Franklin was also a veteran of Trafalgar, which occurred in 1805. All of which Sandler mentions, of course, prior to claiming that Franklin was only 23 in 1819. The beginning of this book includes an over three page long Dramatis Personae of all the most important players in the story. I imagine that if I took the time to, I could identify many other similar mistakes in regards to all of their dates and ages.
Other things I caught from already being familiar with a lot of aspects of the FE: On pg. 138 Captain Crozier and Dr. Peddie are referred to as officers of Erebus instead of Terror. On pg. 82 Rae is referred to as "Alooka", never seen it spelt like that before, but sure. Moreover, Sandler completely omits any mention of the other key players in the story that also got called "Aglooka", which of course is too confusing and convoluted to be included (and maybe it is just me that finds that important). Lieutenant H.T.D. Le Vesconte is shortened to just Thomas Le Vesconte on pg. 189 (why the second first name and not the first first name?)
I failed to catch any in regards to the rescue expeditions that were sent after, which is what I picked this book up for, so it does irk me that I cannot entirely trust the new parts of the history I have learned. Constant simple mistakes like this also make me call into the question the accuracy of just about everything else.
The most egregious and what really turned me against Sandler is when he not only contradicts himself, but gets some very simple things wrong: pgs. 203-204: "The Eothen sailed out of New York on June 19, 1878 [description of crew]. Also aboard were Joe and Hannah”. Tookoolitoo died on December 31. 1876. She never accompanied Schwatka, only her husband did, but I did not need to already know that because on pg. 177 the caption beneath the photo of Joe says that, after her death, Joe served as Shwatka’s interpreter during his 1878 search. Adding to the confusion, on pg. 211 comes from a quote directly from Gilder’s journal: "“the next day Frank, [Hannah], and I went …”". If Sandler is the one who inserted Hannah there, and not another secondary source that then led to Sandler's blunder (which implies that Sandler is not reliable for discerning sources or basic fact checking), I can only assume that an Inuit name was there originally that Sandler mistook or assumed to be Tookoolitoo. A strange confusion to be had as already established, Sandler already knows when Tookoolitoo/Hannah died AND SHE CATEGORICALLY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE. Perhaps the captions of the images were written by someone else, perhaps even after the final line edits, so the contradiction could not even be noticed until reading the final book. That case doesn't look good for Sandler either, because instead of just contradicting himself and inserting someone into events that happened after they died, someone else got it right and he didn't! (The caption for the image on pg. 72 lists all men in the image, except for Collins for some reason. So those aren’t the most reliable either!)
Edit: Thanks to the Internet Archive, I found the source! Gilder, William H. Schwatka's search; sledging in the Arctic in quest of the Franklin records. New York, C. Scribners sons, 1881. pg.134: “The next day Frank, Toolooah, and I went with Lieutenant Schwatka to take another look in the vicinity of the cairn, and to see if, with a spy-glass, we could discover any other cairn looking from that hill, but without success.” Toolooah was a dog driver and hunter, one of the Inuit men who accompanied Schwatka and Gilder. Do not even know how Sandler managed that.
Finally, in Chapter 17, pg. 215, it establishes that the Resolute desk was gifted in 1880, then makes mention that two other desks had been made and “one was gratefully presented to Lady Jane Franklin”. Which caught my attention as I recalled that Lady Jane had passed in sometime in 1870s, after confirming that it was 1875 and lacking literally any further explanation from Sandler, I had to turn for the Internet for answers. The Wikipedia article for the Resolute desk had this: “Captain Michael Taylor, a docent at the New Bedford Whaling Museum who focuses his studies on the Grinnell desk, stated in a lecture that "it is believed a fourth may also have been made".[23] Martin W. Sandler notes in his book, Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship that Lady Jane Franklin, the widow of Sir John Franklin, may have also received a desk.[14]” May have? Well, firstly, she had been dead for five years, and the very existence of the desk is already unconfirmed. HMS Resolute was not even retired until 1879, there is no way a desk was made from its scraps and “presented” to Lady Jane Franklin, if anything, maybe one now elusive desk was made for Sophia Cracroft, her niece, to honor Lady Jane. Three desks were made, Queen Victoria kept one, and only other verifiable desk was given to the widow of Henry Grinnell, perhaps in that same motivation one was also given to Lady Jane’s favorite niece and constant companion. But that is entirely my own speculation that could give Sandler more credit, otherwise it looks like he just pulled it out of his ass or completely misinterpreted an unknown (to me) source. And even if there was an elusive fourth desk, once again, Sandler inserts someone into events that occurred after their death and also does not account for Queen Victoria's desk, now located at Kensington Palace, in his assertion that only two other desks had been made.
I then had to power through the rest of Chapter 17, which is the speculated course of the FE and what went wrong.“It can be assumed” well I don’t believe what you assume anymore, but thanks for spelling that out! At least there he relies and clearly spells out the work done by Woodman and Beattie, so any inaccuracies presented are not entirely Sandler's fault.
Sandler is not a bad writer or storyteller, and to some this may be considered a remarkable feat of condensing a massive narrative, but the errors in even simple facts makes me question if that feat was for the best or not, and because of them by the end I had to pretty much disregard much of what was new information to me because I could no longer trust Sandler as a reliable source. As seen, even his quotes from original sources had the possibility of being misrepresented. Apparently, a new edition of this will be releasing in the near future and hopefully, at the very least, some of the easily edited mistakes are taken care of. Or even: better sourcing. I have no desire to read that to check for any redemptive efforts, but as that edition seeks to update to include the more recent rediscoveries of Terror and Erebus… it may be prudent to fact check, especially as the state of the publishing industry and editors seem increasingly inept or stretched too thin to notice or care about verifying that sort of thing.
May 3, 2019
This is a very clearly written tale of the search for the Northwest Passage as well as a tale of the searches for the searchers, most famously Sir John Franklin. It is amazing to read about all the money, planning, effort and sacrifices went into one of these Arctic adventures. The book follows a clear timeline after a prologue about the discovery of HMS Resolute, the Queen's "ghost ship". The author gives a list of the primary *characters* at the beginning and uses many primary sources for his material and quotations. As well, he writes an epilogue and appendix of informative information that is helpful with an overall picture of the times. I am fascinated by tales of Arctic,adventure and this does not disappoint.
July 18, 2018
Decent book about the hunt through the Arctic for the Northwest Passage. It covers a lot of ground and because of that, we don't get much depth to the stories.
March 16, 2016
I've read multiple books about Sir John Franklin and the Franklin Expedition, so the events described in the first portion of the book were not new to me. However, I didn't know much about the subsequent search parties sent out to find Franklin and his crew. This book filled in some of those gaps. It told of the expeditions and men (British and American, officers and whalers) who commanded ships such as the Polaris, Resolute, Intrepid, Enterprise, Investigator, Pioneer, George Henry, etc. Because of this book, I'm eager to read more detailed accounts of the Polaris tragedy, and Hall's fatal trip to reach the North Pole.
The book was well written and researched. It contains interesting maps and illustrations. I recommend this book!
The book was well written and researched. It contains interesting maps and illustrations. I recommend this book!
August 31, 2009
It's a great topic and the book was well written but provided horrible maps. You have a book that traces 10 (roughly) different searches for the NW Passage and reference Bays, Islands, Inlets, Coves and provide very weak maps. I enjoyed the book once I gave up trying to place the expeditions relative to each other. However, with all of the effort put into the locations discovered and visited several working maps would have seemed like a reasonable request. Fascinating topic and material never the less.
January 27, 2014
An absolutely fascinating story of Great Britain's obsessive search for a Northwest Passage through Arctic waters in the early-to-mid 1800's. Martin Sandler relates history with a story-teller's skill. Some non-fiction is a slow read, but not "Resolute." I couldn't put it down--the images of the explorers' hardships stayed with me long after I finished the book. If you enjoy history, you'll love "Resolute."
May 13, 2023
4.75 A bit slow at the start, would appreciate more maps of explorations, and short reminders of who's who from time to time as there are many players in the search for Franklin. Also more photos would have been appreciated, as it helps make a connection; not just a name on the page.
February 28, 2018
A true tale of daring do in the arctic in search for the Northwest Passage. It’s also a testament to man’s folly.
September 17, 2023
An easy-to-read, well-written account of several British-led expeditions to the Arctic with missions to look for the Northwest Passage, to search for missing exploration teams, and to collect scientific data. Along the way, we learn the fate and recovery of the ship HMS Resolute and its role in solidifying the US-UK relationship.
The story of the Resolute bookends this account, which is actually more about Arctic exploration in general and the search for the lost John Franklin team in particular. The intertwined stories of various expeditions are filled with incredible moments of heroism and bravery, but almost more interesting were the stories of failure.
The search for the Northwest Passage highlights mid-19th-century British attitudes toward non-Brits, non-military, and the presumed lower classes. For example, the British Navy and other expedition leaders failed to consult with experienced Arctic whalers or with indigenous populations. Had they done so, many lives would have been saved and the world would have had more realistic expectations of success. The naval officers believed they were superior to whalers, so never thought to add them to their crews. Yet, the whalers had lifetimes of experience with the unpredictable Arctic weather and the capriciousness of the ice.
In a similar vein, if the officers had respect for the peoples who lived in the Arctic, they might have spared themselves much agony by, say, taking a look at how these people survived and thrived in the north. Maybe the Navy would have supplied their men with something other than standard-issue uniforms, which were no match for the extreme low temperatures of an Arctic winter. The book is filled with many of these WTF moments.
The story of Resolute and the Arctic expeditions is also one of coincidences, amazing good luck, and horrific tragedies. In the amazing column is the fate of the HMS Resolute, which had been abandoned after it was trapped in ice. In 1855, the intact, floating ship was found by whalers 17 months later at location 1200 miles southeast from where it was last seen. Not only had the unmanned ship safely made it through the ice-filled seas but it did so without disturbing the contents of the cabin, where playing cards remained on a table and crystal decanters still stood upright and filled.
Most everyone in the US has heard of the presidential Resolute desk. Most of us, however, are unaware that it was made from the beams of the decommissioned HMS Resolute, on the orders of Queen Victoria, to be gifted to the United States in 1880.
If I have one complaint about the book, it's that the maps could have been better. Not all of the important or significant locations were labeled. I found that to be disappointing.
On the other hand, I really liked the structure of the endnotes, which provided interesting side stories or background information to each chapter.
If you like true stories of exploration, the Arctic, adventures, and the sea, you'll like this book.
I borrowed this book from a neighbor.
The story of the Resolute bookends this account, which is actually more about Arctic exploration in general and the search for the lost John Franklin team in particular. The intertwined stories of various expeditions are filled with incredible moments of heroism and bravery, but almost more interesting were the stories of failure.
The search for the Northwest Passage highlights mid-19th-century British attitudes toward non-Brits, non-military, and the presumed lower classes. For example, the British Navy and other expedition leaders failed to consult with experienced Arctic whalers or with indigenous populations. Had they done so, many lives would have been saved and the world would have had more realistic expectations of success. The naval officers believed they were superior to whalers, so never thought to add them to their crews. Yet, the whalers had lifetimes of experience with the unpredictable Arctic weather and the capriciousness of the ice.
In a similar vein, if the officers had respect for the peoples who lived in the Arctic, they might have spared themselves much agony by, say, taking a look at how these people survived and thrived in the north. Maybe the Navy would have supplied their men with something other than standard-issue uniforms, which were no match for the extreme low temperatures of an Arctic winter. The book is filled with many of these WTF moments.
The story of Resolute and the Arctic expeditions is also one of coincidences, amazing good luck, and horrific tragedies. In the amazing column is the fate of the HMS Resolute, which had been abandoned after it was trapped in ice. In 1855, the intact, floating ship was found by whalers 17 months later at location 1200 miles southeast from where it was last seen. Not only had the unmanned ship safely made it through the ice-filled seas but it did so without disturbing the contents of the cabin, where playing cards remained on a table and crystal decanters still stood upright and filled.
Most everyone in the US has heard of the presidential Resolute desk. Most of us, however, are unaware that it was made from the beams of the decommissioned HMS Resolute, on the orders of Queen Victoria, to be gifted to the United States in 1880.
If I have one complaint about the book, it's that the maps could have been better. Not all of the important or significant locations were labeled. I found that to be disappointing.
On the other hand, I really liked the structure of the endnotes, which provided interesting side stories or background information to each chapter.
If you like true stories of exploration, the Arctic, adventures, and the sea, you'll like this book.
I borrowed this book from a neighbor.
August 17, 2017
In the mid-19th century, Sir John Franklin led a British expedition to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. His was only one of many such expeditions, but it was the mysterious disappearance of Franklin and his crew that captured the imaginations of society then and even now. Touching on the beginnings of arctic explorations, the numerous search-and-rescue missions sent after Franklin, and the continuing searches for answers about their disappearance and demise, Sandler’s book offers a fascinating look at the history of a region that continues to offer as many questions as it does answers. And the famed Resolute desk gets a cameo role.
This book checks all the right boxes for me in a great history book—fact, unbelievable adventure, and great tidbits of history to bring up at a party. I enjoyed learning about the search for the Northwest Passage because its something we always mention in the classroom (Lewis & Clark searched for it at the turn of the 19th century) but never go into detail about. The actual experiences of the men (and women!) who were involved in the explorations—and then especially the search and rescue for Franklin—were mind-blowing to me. I loved it and though I did get bogged down in the plethora of names, I’d highly recommend it.
This book checks all the right boxes for me in a great history book—fact, unbelievable adventure, and great tidbits of history to bring up at a party. I enjoyed learning about the search for the Northwest Passage because its something we always mention in the classroom (Lewis & Clark searched for it at the turn of the 19th century) but never go into detail about. The actual experiences of the men (and women!) who were involved in the explorations—and then especially the search and rescue for Franklin—were mind-blowing to me. I loved it and though I did get bogged down in the plethora of names, I’d highly recommend it.
August 9, 2017
Recommended by the West Wing Weekly.
Lively rendition of the story of the search for the Northwest Passage, centering on Sir John Franklin's sensational exploration attempt. Sandler is merciless in skewering the "fake news" around the 19th century Polar voyages. And he consistently challenges the argument that glory-seeking sociopathy is required to achieve great things, by highlighting the numerous administrative mistakes made by the British Navy in pursuit of ideology above accomplishing mission goals. In particular, the errors of the naval officers ignoring the expertise of Inuit and other native peoples, and of whalers, are sharply drawn.
The book suffers from lacking scaffolding for the casual reader of Arctic exploration history. A geographic overview of the target region for exploration would have been extremely helpful for following along with how the captains learned from each other's voyage logs (though the maps included are excellent: well-labeled and clear). Another area that could have benefited from more scaffolding is mapping the interpersonal rivalries and affinities between the explorers -- Sandler clearly knows the "gossip" side of the content but when it appears on the page it is so thinly drawn that it easily slips away.
tl;dr: Fascinating topic for a pop history, beautifully packaged, but somewhat underbaked.
Lively rendition of the story of the search for the Northwest Passage, centering on Sir John Franklin's sensational exploration attempt. Sandler is merciless in skewering the "fake news" around the 19th century Polar voyages. And he consistently challenges the argument that glory-seeking sociopathy is required to achieve great things, by highlighting the numerous administrative mistakes made by the British Navy in pursuit of ideology above accomplishing mission goals. In particular, the errors of the naval officers ignoring the expertise of Inuit and other native peoples, and of whalers, are sharply drawn.
The book suffers from lacking scaffolding for the casual reader of Arctic exploration history. A geographic overview of the target region for exploration would have been extremely helpful for following along with how the captains learned from each other's voyage logs (though the maps included are excellent: well-labeled and clear). Another area that could have benefited from more scaffolding is mapping the interpersonal rivalries and affinities between the explorers -- Sandler clearly knows the "gossip" side of the content but when it appears on the page it is so thinly drawn that it easily slips away.
tl;dr: Fascinating topic for a pop history, beautifully packaged, but somewhat underbaked.
August 19, 2025
I really have enjoyed a number of books about the Arctic, Antarctic, and other fields of exploration. The British were certainly intrepid explorers, and they just would not rest when one of their heroes had gone missing. Huge sums of money and additional lives were lost trying to find John Franklin. The scope of this work is really large, so a vast number of stories are condensed into this book. I had to just push on at times in the face of wanting to put the book down, so long and involved it was. Wrapping the story up is the tale of the Resolute desk, which is really an amazing historical connection.
I read this camping in Alaska and at other times in the summer of 2025.
I read this camping in Alaska and at other times in the summer of 2025.
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January 7, 2021This quote sums it up: "Given the results, it would not be difficult to dismiss the entire endeavor as a failure. From the very beginning, it was marked with tragic mistakes, colossal blunders, lessons never learned, even outright lunacy--all enveloped in an unwavering arrogance."
Extremely detailed retelling of events of the many Arctic expeditions that went in search of Franklin, among other things.
Extremely detailed retelling of events of the many Arctic expeditions that went in search of Franklin, among other things.
February 6, 2025
Superbly written book, not so much solely about the voyage of the HMS Resolute, but rather of the many and varied expeditions sent out to determine the fate of Sir John Franklin’s missing expedition. Though Franklin’s ships have finally been found, after publication “Resolute”, that should in no way detract from the necessary inclusion of this book in the vast published canon of Franklin lore. Highly recommended.
September 1, 2017
I've loved reading about Franklin's expeditions ever since I picked up Nadolny's fictional account given in The Discovery of Slowness. This book gives a great overview about arctic explorations and all the rescue missions that were sent out to find traces of Franklin or at least clues to the disappearance of his expedition.
January 27, 2021
This is a FASCINATING story about many things: the elusive Northwest Passage; Franklin and his crew who disappeared; the "For he is an Englishman" culture of the time; and also the desk that sits in the Oval Office. Definitely read the notes at the back of the book. They flesh out the stories of the characters,
April 10, 2022
An excellent history of the search for the passage. The arrogance of the time comes through. Its a bit dated with discovery of the Terror and Erebus and further excavation of the Franklin sites. Still it is a well organized account of the rescue missions and their discoveries as well as the lives of those involved.
September 23, 2023
This book introduced me into what quickly became my favorite topic in history, the 19th century expeditions, voyages, rescue missions, and searches for the Northwest Passage. Beautifully written by Martin W. Sandler, this book kept me enthralled through every turn of the page, and I absolutely recommend this wonderful read to everyone who enjoys historical nonfiction.
June 26, 2025
A facinating story about the English search for a North West Passage. The amount of time spent "on ice" was amazing, especially considering all of the advances in clothing and medicine since the 1850's. A well done account of the hero's of the age as well as the Resolute, who eventually becomes Presidential furniture after the ship is found.
November 24, 2018
This is a pretty thorough account of the British misadventures in the Arctic during the first half of the 19th century. Some of the reading becomes a bit redundant and more maps would have made following some of the expeditions easier.
July 19, 2021
Superbly written account of one of the Arctic’s Great Mysteries
A superbly researched and written account of Franklin’s tragic expedition and the many rescue attempts that were made. The only criticism is the exclusion of Adolphus Greely’s voyage in search of Franklin.
A superbly researched and written account of Franklin’s tragic expedition and the many rescue attempts that were made. The only criticism is the exclusion of Adolphus Greely’s voyage in search of Franklin.
January 13, 2022
If you are interested in the Arctic a must read
Resolute is a great work about a great ship. I remember the LIFE magazine picture of the Kennedy's and the desk. This gives you the "rest of the story"
Resolute is a great work about a great ship. I remember the LIFE magazine picture of the Kennedy's and the desk. This gives you the "rest of the story"
January 13, 2023
A long meandering review of Arctic exploration during the first hall of the 19th century. Interesting stories that while obviously connected were not connected by the author. The stories were fantastically told, but the bits in between made it easy to lose interest in the book.
November 13, 2024
4.5 but defaulting to 5 stars. Excellent research and pretty good writing but yeah, it drags a bit here and there; like most Victorian era writing that is used as a source here, it takes a lot of words but doesn’t move too quickly…
January 1, 2018
Thanks to Dr. Jim Dammon for lending this book to us--it was one of the best reads of the entire year.
September 13, 2018
great arctic exploration novel.
December 22, 2019
Excellent.
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