Tom Crean: An Illustrated Life

by Michael Smith

This revised pictorial biography celebrates the life of Tom Crean, a great Irish hero of Antarctic exploration in an age of epics of endurance and survival against the odds.

Tom ran away from his Kerry farm at 15 to play an outstanding role in three expeditions with the legendary Shackleton and Captain Scott. His incredible story was largely forgotten until the publication of the best-selling An Unsung Hero in 2000. Only then was the modest, unassuming Irishman given due recognition.

The extraordinary highlights of his adventures in the ice were captured in exceptional photographs taken under extreme conditions. Assembled here they present a photographic record of a truly astonishing man, with other rare and previously unseen pictures. These photographs illustrate his early life, the incredible feats in the Antarctic and a peaceful retirement in Kerry.

Supported by complementary text, diary extracts and maps plus new information on Tom Crean's life, this is a lasting celebration of a true hero.

Genres: History

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Smith gave up a 30 year career as a leading business and political journalist to write the bestselling biography, An Unsung Hero - Tom Crean. He was formerly Political Correspondent and Industrial Editor of the Guardian, City Editor of the London Evening Standard and Business Editor of the Observer. He has a long-standing interest in Polar expedition. He lives in East Sussex.

Reviews

[Tittirossa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In una delle mie tante peregrinazioni irlandesi, più di 20 anni fa, mi sono imbattuta in una piccola mostra su Tom Crean, della cui esistenza non avevo idea. Così come avevo pochissime nozioni sulle varie spedizioni al Polo Sud. Dalla mostra riportai una nascente curiosità su Scott e Shackelton. Anni dopo, e diverse letture, sono pure stata al pub South Pole Inn (dove Crean si era ritirato) e a visitare la sua tomba ad Annascaul.
Perché Crean è veramente un “unsung hero”. E per me è uno “smiling hero”: nelle foto di Ponting che documentano la spedizione Terranova di Scott, Crean appare sempre sorridente e a proprio agio, con gli amati cuccioli.

Da marinaio non ha scritto una riga a differenza di Scott e Shackelton e tutti i grafomani diaristi che hanno partecipato alle diverse spedizioni, e ha fatto tutto il lavoro duro senza lamentarsi*, senza leggere Browning alla luna e senza suonare il violino sui ghiacci.
Da irlandese, quando è tornato da eroe dalla spedizione Edurance, in piena indipendenza Irish, non ha potuto neanche capitalizzare i suoi meriti con la Royal Navy, per non essere visto come un traditore amico dei britannici.
*Nella spedizione Terranova, è nel manipolo che accompagna Scott fino all’ultima tappa, trainando le slitte cariche di viveri. Ma questo è niente in confronto all’Endurance: è uno dei cinque che accompagna Shackelton sulla barchetta lunga 7 metri con cui da Elephant Island navigano fino alla Georgia, e lì insieme a Shack e Worsley attraversa un’isola montagnosa mai attraversata prima.

[John Parle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cailltear scéalta na gcéad eachtraí ar shé mhór-roinn i ndomhain an ama, ach tá a fhios againn conas mar a bhí sé sa seachtú, an ríocht deiridh agus is naimhdeach a thaiscéal daoine ar domhan, seachas doimhneacht na n-aigéan.
Sin an chéad leabhar atá léite agam as Gaeilge ó d'fhág mé an scoil. Dúshlán a bhí ann domsa, cé go bhfuil an téacs sách simplí. Tá cuid mhaith foclóra speisialta ann a bhaineann le topaic an Antartach agus taiscéalaíochta. Cé go raibh orm stop a chur go minic agus éirí as an téacs chun dul i gcomhairle le foclóir, bhain mé sult as na focail nua seo. Mhothaigh mé go raibh cuid de na focail Ghaeilge seo níos fearr ná a leaganacha sa Bhéarla ag léiriú blas na tíre sin ollmhór, fiáin, aneoil an tAntartach. Mar shampla, dar liomsa, tá fuaim íogair agus beagnach ornáideach ag an focal glacier, i gcodarsnacht leis an fhuaim cumhachtach, coimhthíoch atá ag oighearshruth, "ice current".
Tá scéal na heachtraí Tom Crean agus a chomrádaithe beagnach dochreidte. D’fhulaing siad rudaí, ar phá beag, a d’íocfadh an chuid is mó daoine go daor lena sheachaint. Seachtainí agus míonna ar muir, sa dorchadas, reoite agus a mbás ar a dtóir. Agus nuair a shroich siad an talamh, bhí orthu siúl gan stad thar na carraigeacha garbh agus oighear ársa thír an gheimhridh shíoraí. An oiread sin, bhí siad ag súil leí roimh an turas. Ach bhí iontas uafásach le teacht. I bhfocail réasúnta simplí, le cabhair ó na léaráidí áille, cuireann an leabhar seo in iúl scéal iontach misnigh agus seasmhachta.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned of this book and the heroism of Tom Crean while visiting the South Pole Inn in Annascaul, on the sparsely populated Dingle Penisula, where the Irish giant was born and died. Crean opened the pub after retiring from polar exploration, having survived three harrowing Antarctic expeditions. I had, of course, heard and read about the exploits of Endurance under the leadership of Ernest Shackleton, but in most of the accounts of that perilous voyage, Crean is only a footnote. But as this book shows, Crean was the real backbone of the expedition, truly an unsung hero. This book lays it all out. Crean never actually reached the South Pole, but no one deserved it more than him. He was enduring, endearing, and humble. Truly, it is the unsung heroes who are most heroic.

[Aoife Bagnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cried at the end :'). Spent Patrick's weekend this year with my da retracing Crean's footsteps around Kerry and had a pint in the South Pole Inn. Incredible man, and this book really captures who he was as a person, and not just his amazing feats. Highly recommend.

[John Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed from Don at CU Fitter

[Chris Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Crean's life is inextricably linked with both the heroic age of exploration and the early history of the modern Irish state, and this book tells his remarkable story in a brief format illustrated by lots of well-known, and some not-so-well-known, photographs. It makes a super companion to Michael Smith's earlier biography of Tom Crean, An Unsung Hero.