The Great Polar Fraud: Cook, Peary, and Byrd--How Three American Heroes Duped the World into Thinking They Had Reached the North Pole

by Anthony Galvin

In 1910 Roald Amundsen set off from Oslo toward the North Pole but soon received word that two Americans—Frederick Cook and Robert Peary—each claimed to have reached the Pole ahead of him. Devastated, Amundsen famously went south. For years Cook and Peary tried to convince the world of their claims. Finally the National Geographic Society endorsed Peary, and the matter seemed settled. In May 1926 an American airman, Richard Byrd, flew north in a three-engine plane, and returned with a log showing that he had flow exactly over the geographical North Pole, becoming the third man to reach that mythical spot. National Geographic again supported the claim.

However, it is now obvious that Peary claimed distances he could not possibly have achieved, and it is doubtful that Cooke, who had a history of fraud, ever got even close to the pole. Byrd flew further north than anyone before, but he did not have the fuel to have made the journey he claimed—his log was falsified. Just three days after Byrd’s flight, Amundsen reenters the story on an airship traveling across the pole from Svalbard to Alaska, unknowingly passing directly over the pole, becoming the true first to reach it—just as he had been the first at the South Pole. The Great Polar Fraud explores the history of the three men who claimed the pole, their claims, and the subsequent doubts of those claims, effectively rewriting the history of polar exploration and putting Amundsen center stage as the rightful conqueror of both poles.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Travel, Biography

351 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2014

About the author

Anthony Galvin trained as a physicist before working for a decade as a crime journalist for a daily paper in Europe's toughest city. Now he travels the world performing magic, ventriloquism and hypnotism.

He has worked as a hotel manager, radio presenter, Arctic skidoo driver, and many other jobs. He briefly held the world record for the longest public lecture (at sixty two hours) and spends every winter in the Arctic.

In his spare time he enjoys martial arts, hill-walking, and competitive public speaking.

He writes factual books under his own name, and fiction under a variety of pen names, including Jim Gallows and Dean Carson.

Reviews

[Eric S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book since I wanted to know more about Fredrick Cook. I was very surprised to see Robert Peary listed so I assumed the author had found out something no one else had. What a disappointment. As far as Peary goes this book is absolute trash. Nothing on the bathymetry soundings taken. Nothing showing the photographic evidence could be false and NOTHING to indicate that previous analysis by certified photogrammetrists were incorrect. Nothing casting any serious doubt on the journals or the other members of the expeditions diaries. Just a lot of blather about how it couldn't be true. The lack of any reasonable arguments against Peary's
claim make one very skeptical of the charges against Richard Byrd.

Don't waste your time on this one. Very disappointed. Should be ZERO stars.

[Sugarpuss O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting book. Cook & Peary are the primary focus here, while Richard Byrd is a really more of an afterthought. But then there's Roald Amundsen. He's is the true hero of this story. And while repetitious in some places, this is an easy read, with a storyline that bounces you back and forth between the exploits of these 4 men. However....

I do have a few gripes about this book:

1) The author's disdain for Peary is blatantly obvious, and while Peary was a scoundrel, Mr Galvin's bias distracts from the story he is trying to tell;
2) There are no maps provided to help the reader follow the trails these men took; and
3) There are absolutely NO notes/source citations to know where Mr Galvin's material comes from. Not acceptable in a book where you are accusing 3 men of being frauds. I guess we should be grateful he provides a bibliography.

[Sivani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book for people who are fascinated by polar history. I wasn't particularly enamored with the author's dismissal of Cook's North Pole claims. The reasoning was rather circular and though that Cook did not reach the North Pole is widely accepted, the proof could have been dealt with a bit better. Still, the book brings to life the rivalries of the age of polar exploration in vivid prose. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about polar exploring and such from time to time and this sounded very interesting and something I didn't know much about so thought this would be a good read. But unfortunately it wasn't able to peak my curiosity enough to care much

[S V B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good but I noticed a few weird errors, especially in the part about Captain Scott (if you've read any of my other reviews about polar stuff you may have noticed that I am a PEDANT).
Just off the top of my head, Kathleen Scott wasn't American (she was born in Nottinghamshire), so that seemed like a weird mistake to make.
Also this was the first time I've read that in the tent, on the way back from the pole, Bowers died last out of the last three (Scott, Wilson, Bowers). It's generally accepted that Scott died last and tucked Wilson and Bowers into their sleeping bags. So that was weird and I'm not sure what it was based on.

Otherwise I really enjoyed learning more about Cook, Peary, Amundsen and Byrd. Especially how much of an absolute DANGER Peary was, if I had a time machine I'd totally go back to 1908 and full on kick that guy in the balls.

[A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book. I didn't have a good opinion of Peary before I read this; on all evidence, including his own writing, he was a thoroughly loathsome man as well as a fraud. But it was interesting to hear more about Frederick Cook and Richard Byrd (and Amundsen too). The book really is mostly about Cook and Peary. Peary comes over as abhorrent. Cook comes across as likeable, unfortunate, and misguided. Byrd isn't much of anything really. There's a lot about Amundsen's character and exploits, as well as, of course, the fact that he was almost undoubtedly the first to both the North and South Poles. Well worth reading if you're interesting in the history of polar exploration.

[Bradford Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting reading on the races to both the north as well as the south pole. The deception and fraud created was suspected however one did what one must do in order to become famous. It’s also Tragic the way local Eskimo populations were treated by certain explorers. Their arrogance was overwhelming and evidently overlooked by many. It wasn’t until the explorers notes and documents became public after their deaths that the fraud Was discovered. The book does indicate who should get the credit.

[David Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my grade school education I had this feeling of certainty that the conquest of the poles was always unassailable. This is a great window, courtesy of subsequent revelations, into the immense temptation to claim notoriety. The dynamic between Cook and Peary makes this a compelling read. A lesson for today: the truth is tenacious.

[John Yolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fascinating, True, Tale

Read more like an adventure novel. As a history buff, I learned facts I never knew before about these great explorers. I highly recommend this book. Very enjoyable read.

[Harry · Rating 2 out of 5]

really detailed in some areas but weirdly not in others. I can well imagine that Cook, Peary and Byrd were all frauds but would have liked a bit more specific info about what was wrong with their calculations

[Mark Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of a colossal Polar Fraud. It led to bizarrely to Scott's death in the Antartic!

[Solarnum · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on the North Pole exploration and the personalities involved. Although Frederick Cook is portrayed in a much kinder light than Robert Peary, the author still rather casually dismisses Cook's claims to the Pole without any detailed analysis. Repetitious in places, this is a fairly accessible read for the non-expert, and much easier to read than the dense narrative of the Golden Age of Explorers themselves. Amundsen is really the hero of the book. Unless you have a passing familiarity with the geography of the Arctic and Antarctic, there are no illustrations here to apprise yourself of their routes and bases.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good context North and South

As much as the ‘fraud’ stories, this book fleshes out the stories of many attempts to reach both the North and South Poles, putting Amundsen achievements, and the efforts of others, such as Shackleton, in context. A good overall reference, well told.