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An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science
Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, An Empire of Ice presents a fascinating new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it's the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.
Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers' achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.
Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers' achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2011
105 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Edward J. Larson
41 books177 followersEdward J. Larson is the author of many acclaimed works in American history, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning history of the Scopes Trial, Summer for the Gods. He is University Professor of History and Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University, and lives with his family near Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 31, 2013
This is a book that I really wanted to like. Perhaps it is because I listened to it as an audio book, but I think not. The author made a strategic decision to tell the story of the antarctic exploration in chronological silos spanning the late 1800 to early 1900s. A chapter dealing with magnetism, a chapter on glaciology, a chapter on geography, a chapter on geology, etc. Into each of these chapters he drops personal tidbits and gossip, and makes an attempt at tying together threads of Empire, decline, masculinity, homosexuality, scientific hubris, and international intrigue. Unfortunately, his narrative device of covering each scientific discipline chronologically in different chapters shreds the narrative flow, and leaves the reader trying to piece together fragments of story that area scattered across many pages. At the end, I feel like I have invested a large amount of effort and time in this book, with meager reward. More to the point, rather than leaving me hungry for more, I want to read someone else's book which tells the story better.
October 5, 2011
I have read a number of books about polar exploration. Many focus on attempts to reach the geographic north or south pole. This book focuses on the scientific aspects of various expeditions to Antarctica in the 19th and early 20th centuries making it a worthy addition to the literature. What is almost more interesting is the examination of the national and personal motivations that affected the ways in which the expeditions were structured. If you are interested in the history of polar exploration you will enjoy this book.
March 18, 2014
Non-Fiction. A history, not of Antarctic exploration as I'd hoped, but of the science that grew out of that exploration. Each chapter is dedicated to a different discipline: terrestrial magnetism, oceanography, meteorology, biology, geology, paleontology, and glaciology among them.
The book primarily concerns itself with what's referred to as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration—from the late-1800s to the turn of the century and a little beyond—and focuses mostly on the expeditions of Robert F. Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Because it's organized by scientific discipline rather than the actual passage of time, it covers the same ground repeatedly, returning to each expedition to look at it from a different (scientific) angle. In this way, each chapter stands on its own, except Larson makes little attempt to remind readers of past figures or events, so it all starts to sound the same after a while, often because it is the same. It doesn't help that on any given expedition you might have two or three dudes with the same last name, and the expeditions also shared a lot of personnel, with some individuals starting out under one commander and then returning under a different leader, or, if you're Shackleton, starting out under Scott, getting super pissed at him, and then heading up your own expedition. This made it difficult to remember which expedition Larson was referring to, who was in charge, what year it was, and who these guys were. Instead of a direct cause and effect relationship between science and Antarctic exploration, what I got was a lot of repetition—without further insight—and an annoying sense of deja vu. The text has little commentary or analysis to put these events into a larger context, and I found several factual errors.
But okay, this book is about science, right, it says so on the cover. I love science. Talk to me about science.
Yeah, I feel this book didn't have enough science. Not good, exciting science. Not science that gave me any understanding of the way the people of this time thought, the things they believed, the way they had to change the things they believed because science was proving their assumptions wrong. I got glimpses of it, but nothing that made a lasting impression. What I can remember is that Darwin was all "Hey, everybody: Evolution!" and immediately thereafter people invented eugenics. But guess what, the Regency romance I'm reading right now just taught me the same thing, so.....
Larson doesn't make the science or the scientists come alive; he mostly just lists the things they did in pursuit of collecting data. For example, he names the type of rocks they found on the continent, but doesn't explain what it meant that those rocks were there. I never got a sense of the importance of any given scientific discovery, its impact on the larger scientific world or the advances it brought those at home. Except for how I guess Scott invented a tracked vehicle that was the ancestor of the modern tank—which, I feel like that's only half the story there. There's also not a single complete map of Antarctica in the entire book, which meant that Larson could talk about the Beardmore Glacier all he liked but I still had not one fucking clue where it was.
I did like the epilogue where Larson looks at Scott's death and the way England embraced it, and that of his four companions, as a triumph of English fortitude and self-sacrifice, and the way that attitude changed in the wake of two world wars. Robert F. Scott, with his man-hauled sledges and dedication to science over personnel, is considered to be the last of the great Victorian explorers, while his contemporaries Shackleton and Amundsen, working during the same time period, in the same terrain, belong more to the Edwardian age of exploration, the precursor to the current era of Antarctic science.
Two stars. A ramshackle look at the science of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Poorly structured, dry, and not very sciencey. In-text citations lead to sparse end notes with sources. It has an index, and throughout the text there are black and white sketches of maps and data from the various expeditions, but they're so tiny they're not much use as a reference.
The book primarily concerns itself with what's referred to as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration—from the late-1800s to the turn of the century and a little beyond—and focuses mostly on the expeditions of Robert F. Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Because it's organized by scientific discipline rather than the actual passage of time, it covers the same ground repeatedly, returning to each expedition to look at it from a different (scientific) angle. In this way, each chapter stands on its own, except Larson makes little attempt to remind readers of past figures or events, so it all starts to sound the same after a while, often because it is the same. It doesn't help that on any given expedition you might have two or three dudes with the same last name, and the expeditions also shared a lot of personnel, with some individuals starting out under one commander and then returning under a different leader, or, if you're Shackleton, starting out under Scott, getting super pissed at him, and then heading up your own expedition. This made it difficult to remember which expedition Larson was referring to, who was in charge, what year it was, and who these guys were. Instead of a direct cause and effect relationship between science and Antarctic exploration, what I got was a lot of repetition—without further insight—and an annoying sense of deja vu. The text has little commentary or analysis to put these events into a larger context, and I found several factual errors.
But okay, this book is about science, right, it says so on the cover. I love science. Talk to me about science.
Yeah, I feel this book didn't have enough science. Not good, exciting science. Not science that gave me any understanding of the way the people of this time thought, the things they believed, the way they had to change the things they believed because science was proving their assumptions wrong. I got glimpses of it, but nothing that made a lasting impression. What I can remember is that Darwin was all "Hey, everybody: Evolution!" and immediately thereafter people invented eugenics. But guess what, the Regency romance I'm reading right now just taught me the same thing, so.....
Larson doesn't make the science or the scientists come alive; he mostly just lists the things they did in pursuit of collecting data. For example, he names the type of rocks they found on the continent, but doesn't explain what it meant that those rocks were there. I never got a sense of the importance of any given scientific discovery, its impact on the larger scientific world or the advances it brought those at home. Except for how I guess Scott invented a tracked vehicle that was the ancestor of the modern tank—which, I feel like that's only half the story there. There's also not a single complete map of Antarctica in the entire book, which meant that Larson could talk about the Beardmore Glacier all he liked but I still had not one fucking clue where it was.
I did like the epilogue where Larson looks at Scott's death and the way England embraced it, and that of his four companions, as a triumph of English fortitude and self-sacrifice, and the way that attitude changed in the wake of two world wars. Robert F. Scott, with his man-hauled sledges and dedication to science over personnel, is considered to be the last of the great Victorian explorers, while his contemporaries Shackleton and Amundsen, working during the same time period, in the same terrain, belong more to the Edwardian age of exploration, the precursor to the current era of Antarctic science.
Two stars. A ramshackle look at the science of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Poorly structured, dry, and not very sciencey. In-text citations lead to sparse end notes with sources. It has an index, and throughout the text there are black and white sketches of maps and data from the various expeditions, but they're so tiny they're not much use as a reference.
January 16, 2020
This wasn't quite what I expected, and although it was often very dry, other parts of it were interesting. I really didn't realize that science played much of a role in the desire to explore Antarctica (and the Arctic). I just assumed it was primarily to be able to say it had been done. I can't decide whether these men were really courageous or just plain crazy for going at all, much less more than once.
August 20, 2024
This is a well researched and referenced book with two faults: it is saturated with trivial facts ( example: the internal politics of the Royal Geographic Society!) And as many others have pointed out, it has frustrating organization with each chapter talking about a single aspect of Antarctic exploration (geology, magnetic study, penguins, etc) and then retelling the same sagas of each British (only) exploration in each chapter.
August 29, 2016
When I started this book, it gave me the impression it was going to be nothing more than a desert dry reference title. However, after I got about a 1/4 of the way in, it reached from the depths of the Antarctic ocean floor and grabbed my attention like a sea monster hugging on the Nautilus. Overall, I wasn't a fan of the author's choice to have each chapter focus on a specific discipline rather than follow a chronological timeline, but it still wasn't a major detractor from the overall experience. Highly enjoyable AND educational.
September 27, 2013
Extremely well-written account of the Discovery, Nimrod, and Terra Nova Expeditions to Antarctica in the early 20th century. The author fills a gap in the literature by concentrating on the scientific research these expeditions conducted. Quite interesting and if you are not familiar with the outcome of these expeditions, he strings you along quite well. And if you do know....his subtle comments pack a punch.
August 5, 2014
Fascinating history, but the author's topical organization doesn't quite come together.
September 10, 2016
Amazing details of the Shackleton voyage. I enjoyed how many granular details and backstory was included. Recommended if you're a fan of the Shackleton tale.
September 27, 2022
An interesting addition to the topic, Larson takes a thematic approach to early British Antarctic exploration to focus on the achievements, scientific and otherwise, in this era. If you're looking for heroic tales of Shackleton and Scott et al, of men dying on the ice pursuing an (ultimately) phyrric victory, this is not the book for you.
I found the background to each expedition, and the machinations of what did (or didn't) end up being done, of value. However, the book is beset by two major flaws that discounted it in my eyes.
Firstly, the author presents a very judgemental, politically correct commentary on these men (and yes, they are mainly men). Whilst it is absolutely true that today a great deal of the comments, attitudes and actions of everyone involved would not be tolerated (and with good reason), such was not the case around 1900 and before. To point the finger of accusation from a hundred years in the future is a narrow-minded, revisionist failing. Perhaps, in Larson's position as a USA Professor he has to be seen to do so, but he (and the narrative he is trying to present) would have been better served by a small explanation in the preface rather than a continual blunderbuss throughout the book.
Secondly, there is an underlying theme of distaste (or possibly disgust) aimed at the idea of the British Empire, and at the concept of Empire itself, that leads to judgements being made about the validity or otherwise of the motivations of the people involved. Larson, again, is too quick to adopt a 'holier than thou' approach here. Writers from the USA doing so throw stones in glass houses; the acquisition of the USA's southern states, overseas territories, Alaska, and current Latin American 'holdings' (ignoring the dispossession of Native/First Nation Peoples and the history of slavery) seem to have been forgotten or (if Larson believes in the doctrine of manifest destiny) forgiven. Again, if commentary on Empire was needed or thought necessary, a mention or treatment in the preface would be sufficient; and not detract from the book.
In the end I enjoyed the book, but for the reasons above nowhere near as much as I had hoped.
Ultimately disappointing.
I found the background to each expedition, and the machinations of what did (or didn't) end up being done, of value. However, the book is beset by two major flaws that discounted it in my eyes.
Firstly, the author presents a very judgemental, politically correct commentary on these men (and yes, they are mainly men). Whilst it is absolutely true that today a great deal of the comments, attitudes and actions of everyone involved would not be tolerated (and with good reason), such was not the case around 1900 and before. To point the finger of accusation from a hundred years in the future is a narrow-minded, revisionist failing. Perhaps, in Larson's position as a USA Professor he has to be seen to do so, but he (and the narrative he is trying to present) would have been better served by a small explanation in the preface rather than a continual blunderbuss throughout the book.
Secondly, there is an underlying theme of distaste (or possibly disgust) aimed at the idea of the British Empire, and at the concept of Empire itself, that leads to judgements being made about the validity or otherwise of the motivations of the people involved. Larson, again, is too quick to adopt a 'holier than thou' approach here. Writers from the USA doing so throw stones in glass houses; the acquisition of the USA's southern states, overseas territories, Alaska, and current Latin American 'holdings' (ignoring the dispossession of Native/First Nation Peoples and the history of slavery) seem to have been forgotten or (if Larson believes in the doctrine of manifest destiny) forgiven. Again, if commentary on Empire was needed or thought necessary, a mention or treatment in the preface would be sufficient; and not detract from the book.
In the end I enjoyed the book, but for the reasons above nowhere near as much as I had hoped.
Ultimately disappointing.
December 21, 2022
Book 36 of 2022: Empire of Ice by Edward J. Larson (2011, Yake University Press, 326 p.)
Edward J. Larson has written an engaging account of British Antarctic science during the sunset of the British Empire. Larson, who I was familiar with his treatment of the Scopes Trial (Summer of the Gods), writes of the history of the science from the earliest days of British Antarctic exploration with James Cook and James Clark Ross, but focuses on the Edwardian expeditions of Scott and Shackelton (the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration).
He covers advances in the fields of meteorology, marine biology, oceanography, geology, glaciology, and physical geography. He contrasts the British approach of justifying exploration and adventure with science to Amundsen's prosaic and focused approach of exploration which put the Norwegians safely at the Pole and back to base safely over entirely new terrain in 1911.
I found the book a nice summary of the scientification (my own word!) of the Discovery, Nimrod, and Terra Nova expeditions, including the missteps that rendered some of the science unusable due to data collection errors, internal conflicts, and poor decisions.
One noticeable omission was, when describing the history of geology, was any mention of William 'Strata" Smith, the father of stratigraphy.
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Larson is a terrific writer and historian who breathed life into what potentially coukd be a dry subject.
Recommended.
Edward J. Larson has written an engaging account of British Antarctic science during the sunset of the British Empire. Larson, who I was familiar with his treatment of the Scopes Trial (Summer of the Gods), writes of the history of the science from the earliest days of British Antarctic exploration with James Cook and James Clark Ross, but focuses on the Edwardian expeditions of Scott and Shackelton (the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration).
He covers advances in the fields of meteorology, marine biology, oceanography, geology, glaciology, and physical geography. He contrasts the British approach of justifying exploration and adventure with science to Amundsen's prosaic and focused approach of exploration which put the Norwegians safely at the Pole and back to base safely over entirely new terrain in 1911.
I found the book a nice summary of the scientification (my own word!) of the Discovery, Nimrod, and Terra Nova expeditions, including the missteps that rendered some of the science unusable due to data collection errors, internal conflicts, and poor decisions.
One noticeable omission was, when describing the history of geology, was any mention of William 'Strata" Smith, the father of stratigraphy.
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. Larson is a terrific writer and historian who breathed life into what potentially coukd be a dry subject.
Recommended.
June 24, 2018
Starting with James Clark Ross in 1841, and ending with Earnest Shackleton in 1931, Antarctica was the destination of 17 scientific expeditions launched from ten different countries. This was the age of "Heroic" exploration - when limited resources meant that each expedition became a feat of endurance that tested, and sometimes exceeded its personnel's physical and mental limits. During the Heroic Age, 19 men died on the Antarctic continent.
"An Empire of Ice" touches on the politics of the race to the South Pole, but it's main focus is on the scientific research and findings of each expedition. For the most part, the book does not follow the chronological order of the expeditions, but groups them according to scientific fields of study. While a bit confusing at the outset, I ultimately enjoyed the pace and content.
I give this book a 5-star rating, because it challenges me to learn more about the politics of the era, and Antarctic discoveries.
"An Empire of Ice" touches on the politics of the race to the South Pole, but it's main focus is on the scientific research and findings of each expedition. For the most part, the book does not follow the chronological order of the expeditions, but groups them according to scientific fields of study. While a bit confusing at the outset, I ultimately enjoyed the pace and content.
I give this book a 5-star rating, because it challenges me to learn more about the politics of the era, and Antarctic discoveries.
February 15, 2024
[audiobook]
I mostly enjoyed this, and there were a few parts that I hadn't heard about before (eugenics in the RGS anyone?! 😬) but my main takeaway, and I don't know if it would make more sense in physical book form, is that the structure of this book is INSANE. It jumps all over the place, one sentence we're with Franklin in the 1850s, the next it's Shackleton on the Nimrod in 1907. There doesn't seem to be much need to jump about so much and it got quite confusing.
The narration of the audiobook is quite strange, it's read by an American, and he Does The Accents. His version of Doing The Accents is to give EVERYONE an upper class English accent.
Norwegian? NO! POSH ENGLISH. Australian? WHAT? NO! POSH ENGLISH. Welsh? ARE YOU INSANE?? TIME FOR POSH ENGLISH! I also enjoyed the pronunciation of 'crevasse' as CREVARSE. And Armitaahhhge.
Weird one. There are many better books about these stories out there, most of which I've already reviewed!
I mostly enjoyed this, and there were a few parts that I hadn't heard about before (eugenics in the RGS anyone?! 😬) but my main takeaway, and I don't know if it would make more sense in physical book form, is that the structure of this book is INSANE. It jumps all over the place, one sentence we're with Franklin in the 1850s, the next it's Shackleton on the Nimrod in 1907. There doesn't seem to be much need to jump about so much and it got quite confusing.
The narration of the audiobook is quite strange, it's read by an American, and he Does The Accents. His version of Doing The Accents is to give EVERYONE an upper class English accent.
Norwegian? NO! POSH ENGLISH. Australian? WHAT? NO! POSH ENGLISH. Welsh? ARE YOU INSANE?? TIME FOR POSH ENGLISH! I also enjoyed the pronunciation of 'crevasse' as CREVARSE. And Armitaahhhge.
Weird one. There are many better books about these stories out there, most of which I've already reviewed!
January 20, 2018
A very interesting account of Antarctic exploration. Details a lot of the politics surrounding approval of the expeditions along with a lot of in depth coverage of their focus on the sciences of the Antarctic continent. I found the daily logs of Scott and Edward Wilson of interest, also, the few drawing showing Wilson's artistic side as he documented his interest of science. I found myself looking up the maps that are provided, as they are to small to view in the book itself, showing the treks of the expeditions and results thereof. I felt as if I wanted to be there myself, sharing in the knowledge and exploration of the continent and the goal of reaching the pole. It makes you appreciate the comforts of home!
August 3, 2018
Una de las cosas que me impactó sobre la Edad Heroica de Exploración Antártica fue darme cuenta de lo desconocido que era el planeta para el hombre hasta hace muy poco, y lo que ha implicado conocerlo, explorarlo y estudiarlo. El legado del Capitán Scott, su equipo y otros exploradores tanto británicos como de otras nacionalidades es invaluable. Este libro además nos ayuda a entender la Europa antes de la I Guerra Mundial y lo que implicaba pertenecer a un país imperialista. Es uno de esos libros que te demuestra cómo los británicos no se rinden, y su sentido del honor que se sobrepone a cualquier adversidad. Me gustó que no demoniza a Scott, ni lo endiosa. Se puede poner tedioso en las partes científicas pero en general es un libro maravilloso.
August 18, 2024
After I started working in Antarctica in the mid-2000s, I began to read accounts of its early exploration. Those are often tales of empire masquerading as epics of endurance. Larson's approach is slightly different. While he doesn't deny that imperial hubris and imperatives drove exploration, his focus is on the science that the British Empire was trying to conduct. The book is organized into sections based on that science – geomagnetics, geography, oceanography, geology, glaciology, etc. Within each domain, Larson dives into the history of science and exploration to set the stage, then focuses on the work done during three British Antarctic expeditions - Scott's 1901-1904 Discovery Expedition, Shackleton's 1907-1909 Nimrod Expedition, and Scott's final 1910-1913 Terra Nova Expedition.
There is a tension throughout between the overtly imperial goals (getting places first, planting flags, etc.) and scientific objectives, but the discoveries made on these expeditions were impressive. But you can't help but wonder if this mixing of goals contributed to the demise of Scott's Party and some of the other struggles these expeditions faced. But perhaps a bigger contributor was a different imperial project, to use the pain and suffering of the explorers as a demonstration of British strength and toughness. One reason the Brits man hauled sleds rather than use dogs is that they thought hauling was more 'manly'.
The structure of the book, repeatedly cycling back through the core expeditions with a shift in focus each time, is only partly successful. There is repetition and loss of focus in this approach. But I was partly sold by the cover. It shows the haggard Northern Party – coated in soot from seal fat lamps and fires – as they emerge from their snow cave on Inexpressible Island after they overwintering at Terra Nova Bay. Larson covers their amazing journey in the book. I've searched those rocky beaches for seal bits and in the process have run across bones with cut marks and piles of seal skin that the Northern Party generated in 1911.
There is a tension throughout between the overtly imperial goals (getting places first, planting flags, etc.) and scientific objectives, but the discoveries made on these expeditions were impressive. But you can't help but wonder if this mixing of goals contributed to the demise of Scott's Party and some of the other struggles these expeditions faced. But perhaps a bigger contributor was a different imperial project, to use the pain and suffering of the explorers as a demonstration of British strength and toughness. One reason the Brits man hauled sleds rather than use dogs is that they thought hauling was more 'manly'.
The structure of the book, repeatedly cycling back through the core expeditions with a shift in focus each time, is only partly successful. There is repetition and loss of focus in this approach. But I was partly sold by the cover. It shows the haggard Northern Party – coated in soot from seal fat lamps and fires – as they emerge from their snow cave on Inexpressible Island after they overwintering at Terra Nova Bay. Larson covers their amazing journey in the book. I've searched those rocky beaches for seal bits and in the process have run across bones with cut marks and piles of seal skin that the Northern Party generated in 1911.
March 3, 2025
I was annoyed when at the very beginning of the book the author stated this book isn’t going to be a narratively-driven account of the explorers and their expeditions to Antarctica.
Also, the narrator’s British accident is teeeerrible. So cringe.
This book read like a history book and took a little while to get into. I did find myself getting more and more invested in the various accounts of the explorers - despite what I would call a very boring method of story telling.
Worth noting, all of the explorers were white men and in many cases racist (with one very glaring example of this). Many of the scientists were eugenicists which I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by (having read Carl Zimmer’s “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh” which touched on common scientific beliefs during this era) but I was pretty disturbed by it.
Also, the narrator’s British accident is teeeerrible. So cringe.
This book read like a history book and took a little while to get into. I did find myself getting more and more invested in the various accounts of the explorers - despite what I would call a very boring method of story telling.
Worth noting, all of the explorers were white men and in many cases racist (with one very glaring example of this). Many of the scientists were eugenicists which I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by (having read Carl Zimmer’s “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh” which touched on common scientific beliefs during this era) but I was pretty disturbed by it.
September 28, 2025
An interesting book about various British explorations in polar regions, focussing mainly on the famous Scott story. The material Larson covers is extremely familiar and well-known, so to get around this and provide something fresher he views the various expeditions through a scientific lens, theming his chapters around geology, botany, etc. The issue with this is that it creates a structural problem insofar as the chronology of the narratives constantly jumps back and forwards in time, which becomes a bit bewildering at times. The writing style is accessible and the stories of derring-do remain highly readable, which makes this a good choice for anyone interested in a new interpretation of the history, but this isn't quite the thrilling or engrossing account that it wants to be.
June 14, 2020
A fantastic book about the famous heroic early Antarctic explorations which looks at these expeditions not just as heroic endeavors, but from the perspective of their real primary purpose - as scientific expeditions. Discusses these expeditions discoveries in biology, oceanography, climatology, geology, cartography, and meteorology & how these discoveries fit into the larger picture of the earth & life sciences. Particularly of interest as this region, as well as the Arctic, are the places were these systems are changing the fastest due to climate change & we can best see a picture, if you will, of the future.
June 8, 2017
I consider myself well-read in the Antarctic explorers, especially Shackleton's dumfounding survival in the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914–17), but this book tackled the larger scientific work that happened with these expeditions which I found quite intriguing. The author also opened my eyes to Huntford's slant against Scott and for Shackleton, which has formed much of my bias against Scott. I was especially amazed that Wilson and Scott collected geology specimens even when they knew they were going to die.
November 24, 2025
A pretty readable book although I must admit I skimmed parts of it. It is about the rivalry between Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott and the race to be first to the South Pole. Spoiler alert if you don’t already know from grade school, Amundsen won by a long shot. He was smart enough to use dog sleds and skis rather than the more “manly” pulling of sledges. It also brings in Shackleton, who was probably a better leader than Scott. The conditions these men lived in and explored in were unimaginable.
December 12, 2021
Not what I expected, but I did get a lot out of this audio book. There are many chapters devoted to the science of the exploration, such as magnetism and geology.
The explorers Scott, Shackleton and many others are heroes of a different point in time and sadly might be slowly forgotten. At the end of the book there is a mention of the portraits of these men, that were once hanging in galleries, but are now in storage.
If you are a fan of Antarctic literature, it is worth a read.
The explorers Scott, Shackleton and many others are heroes of a different point in time and sadly might be slowly forgotten. At the end of the book there is a mention of the portraits of these men, that were once hanging in galleries, but are now in storage.
If you are a fan of Antarctic literature, it is worth a read.
March 24, 2022
Powerful. Larson does an excellent job of humanizing the explorers, giving them context and deepening the portrait of Robert Scott. The tale of Scotts deadly final expedition is especially poignant. Less time is spend on Shackleton and Amundsen, likely because much has already been said about them, but both are still well represented. The mixture of human goals, historical context (funding, arts, ideals), and scientific philosophy is well balanced in a way a lot of books on science are not.
February 3, 2024
I'm not sure that this added anything significant to the polar-exploration history I've already read, but it's a good survey/introduction to the field. I'm more drawn to the adventure than the scientific aspects of polar exploration, but this book explains why the adventures were undertaken in the first place. Larson introduces all the major players of the age, and so gives the curious reader a cast of characters to follow in greater depth.
December 11, 2022
Great book on the various Antarctic expeditions separated by scientific discipline. Particularly harrowing is the last chapter which chronicles Scott's expedition to the South Pole in which he died on the return trip.
July 17, 2017
Stories were interesting but seemed to drag on too long.
August 5, 2018
Antarctic science!
January 27, 2023
Illuminating an era.
March 12, 2023
This book focuses on the science of the polar exploration journeys instead of the tragedy, race and survival stories we usually get.
The flow is a bit off but it is fascinating nonetheless
The flow is a bit off but it is fascinating nonetheless
November 6, 2023
Interesting and enjoyable. It's very interesting to read about the science that drove most of these missions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews