True Polar Adventure Stories

Usborne True Stories

by Paul Dowswell, John Woodcock (Illustrator)

Chronicles the exploration of and travel to the North and South Poles.

Genres: Nonfiction

142 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2004

About the author

Paul Dowswell is a British writer of nonfiction and young adult novels who has written over 70 books for British publishers. He was a senior editor at Usborne Publishing, then went freelance in 1999.

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging, sort of narrative non-fiction look at polar exploration. Fascinating how deadly it was 100 years ago, and how it's nearly a tourist activity now.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read! I liked that they included maps of the Arctic & Antarctic. Sometimes I wanted to see more details on the maps to get a better mental picture of where the different expeditions went.

I liked the story of the Perry expedition to the Arctic, where the Inuit couple (their guides) with 2 little kids had another baby while on the expedition. They seemed like an awesome family to meet!

For a few months, I liked the Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic. The one that started out as an expedition to cross the continent with dog sleds, but their boat got stuck in the ice. It almost seemed like their spirits were up for a while & it was like a "booze cruise frat party" with puppies (that were born to their dogs) & one Scotsman's cat, "Mrs Chippy" (& when she fell overboard once, the boat actually turned around to get her). But then, tragically, there was a change of plans as they realized they couldn't cross the continent like they originally planned, & they had to shoot the dogs & the cat. I was like, "Nooooo!" And empathized with the "executioner" who said there were people he would rather shoot than their dogs. But what I thought was most impressive about that expedition was that all the humans survived.

[Rydzyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, brief and easy collection of stories of iconic explorers. You'll find a few anecdotes to share, but if you're preparing for your own adventure, this book won't help you. There's just a few pages for each expedition - just enough to build some drama, not enough to discuss logistics.

It reads like an easy adventure book. I enjoyed it.

[Mika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about the adventures of many polar explorers. Each with a different situation and scenario, the adventures of many teach readers about determination. No matter the obstacle or how far it may be, to never give up.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accounts of a number of expeditions.

Some of the descriptions of the hardships endured sounded unbelievable, but were true.

Reading time around two hours.

[Thi Nguyên (Thảo Điền) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Có thể mở đầu cuốn sách bằng câu trích dẫn của một nhà thám hiểm nổi tiếng:
"Thám hiểm địa cực rõ ràng là cách hành xác thanh tao và cô đơn nhất con người từng nghĩ ra"

[Sundeep Supertramp · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is a very good collection of polar -both north and south- expeditions..

Very inspiring read..

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polar adventuring is some interesting stuff!

[Shubha · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book I have read !