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Edward Wilson Of The Antarctic
EDWARD WILSON OF THE ANTARCTIC by GEORGE SEAVER. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY APSLEY GHERRYGARRARD. INTRODUCTION FOREWORD I EARLY YEARS AND CHELTENHAM COLLEGE II CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE III ST. GEORGES HOSPITAL AND LIFE AT BATTERSEA IV NORWAY AND SWITZERLAND V FROM LIFE AT STANMORE TO MARRIAGE THE DISCOVERT EXPEDITION VI THE VOYAGE VII THE FIRST WINTER. VIII FARTHEST SOUTH. IX THE SECOND WINTER X RELIEF AND RETURN XI GROUSE DISEASE : BRITISH MAMMALS AND BIRDS XII SOME ANTARCTIC CORRESPONDENCE XIII WHALING EXPEDITION THE LAST EXPEDITION XIV THE VOYAGE XV THE DEPOT JOURNEY . XVI WINTER QUARTERS
396 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1933
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 3, 2026
Thank you to this book for absolutely finishing me off on my birthday, crying over Wilson’s last letters to his friends and wife.
What a delightfully warm, friendly, heart-lifting book. It is definitely of an older historical tradition, but the fact that it was written with help from first-hand interviews from Terra Nova expedition members (including Apsley Cherry-Garrard who I adore and who provided an introduction which goes for the jugular immediately) and Wilson’s beloved wife, Oriana, is immediately so interesting to me.
I have had an appreciation for Wilson since first beginning to read about the Terra Nova and Discovery expeditions; it is impossible not to, considering how beautifully and highly his comrades and friends wrote about him. This book proves again and again what a gorgeous soul he was, self-sacrificial, gentle, and kind. I came away adoring him even more. His views on life and religion and society really touched me, as well as all his aid and support to his friends.
(I’m also now even prouder to have one of his penguin drawings tattooed on my arm!)
As Cherry says in his introduction, ‘If this book succeeds in showing what kind of man Bill was, it will give you courage; and this is what the world has wanted since he died, and never perhaps so much as now.’ Still so true, more than one hundred years after his death.
What a delightfully warm, friendly, heart-lifting book. It is definitely of an older historical tradition, but the fact that it was written with help from first-hand interviews from Terra Nova expedition members (including Apsley Cherry-Garrard who I adore and who provided an introduction which goes for the jugular immediately) and Wilson’s beloved wife, Oriana, is immediately so interesting to me.
I have had an appreciation for Wilson since first beginning to read about the Terra Nova and Discovery expeditions; it is impossible not to, considering how beautifully and highly his comrades and friends wrote about him. This book proves again and again what a gorgeous soul he was, self-sacrificial, gentle, and kind. I came away adoring him even more. His views on life and religion and society really touched me, as well as all his aid and support to his friends.
(I’m also now even prouder to have one of his penguin drawings tattooed on my arm!)
As Cherry says in his introduction, ‘If this book succeeds in showing what kind of man Bill was, it will give you courage; and this is what the world has wanted since he died, and never perhaps so much as now.’ Still so true, more than one hundred years after his death.
September 22, 2013
This was the first book I ever read about Scott's doomed expedition having acquired it from my college library when that institution was ruthlessly closed down with a cartloads of other teacher training colleges in 1978.
Edward Wilson was a doctor and naturalist, aeros all friend of Scott and a man who was able to remain calm and clear headed no matter what. A man of deep faith his meticulous nets and diaries make up a very significant part of the Scott canon. Loyal to the end. He died with Scott on the return home from the pole.
Edward Wilson was a doctor and naturalist, aeros all friend of Scott and a man who was able to remain calm and clear headed no matter what. A man of deep faith his meticulous nets and diaries make up a very significant part of the Scott canon. Loyal to the end. He died with Scott on the return home from the pole.
July 29, 2016
Overall, this is a good book, although it has it's limitations. George Seaver (not "Sever") clearly had no intention of writing the kind of warts-and-all biography that I think most current readers have come to expect. He clearly makes an effort to steer clear of any controversy or anything that might smack of criticism, either of Wilson or of anyone else for that matter. So you can't help but feel like you are missing out on the whole picture. This book can feel more like a tribute to than an in-depth analysis of Edward Wilson's life.
That said, Seaver clearly had full access to Wilson's diaries and papers. He quotes from these primary sources at length, which is nice. This book contains a lot of very interesting things that make it well worth reading. Just one example is a string of letters from Ernest Shackleton begging Wilson to go with him as second in command of the Nimrod expedition. The book also includes some of Wilson's illustrations - great to see. I really liked seeing the sketch-map of Cape Crozier that Wilson made when they were planning on basing the expedition from there - how different things would have been had they been able to make a landing there!
Wilson was a fascinating, amazing man. While not giving the full picture, this book does do a lot to help us understand his life.
Lastly, the introduction by Apsley Cherry-Garrard is 21 pages long. This is essential reading - the book is well worth getting just for the introduction.
That said, Seaver clearly had full access to Wilson's diaries and papers. He quotes from these primary sources at length, which is nice. This book contains a lot of very interesting things that make it well worth reading. Just one example is a string of letters from Ernest Shackleton begging Wilson to go with him as second in command of the Nimrod expedition. The book also includes some of Wilson's illustrations - great to see. I really liked seeing the sketch-map of Cape Crozier that Wilson made when they were planning on basing the expedition from there - how different things would have been had they been able to make a landing there!
Wilson was a fascinating, amazing man. While not giving the full picture, this book does do a lot to help us understand his life.
Lastly, the introduction by Apsley Cherry-Garrard is 21 pages long. This is essential reading - the book is well worth getting just for the introduction.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews