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The Longest Winter: The Incredible Survival of Captain Scott's Lost Party
Traces the survival story of the six-member scientific expedition that accompanied the doomed South Pole exploration team led by Captain Scott, drawing on the unpublished journals of Dr. Murray Levick to document their harrowing seven-month struggle with sub-zero temperatures, starvation, dysentery, and mental breakdowns before embarking on a thirty-seven-day escape. 12,000 first printing.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 26, 2010
It's July, 2010 in the northern hemisphere (aka North Carolina, USA), and the temp. outside my apartment is about 95+ degrees Farenheit. My central air comes on and off periodically, cooling the stuffy air inside my home as I sit comfortably in my pj's and snack on some goodies and lemonade.
However, inside my reading world, it's approximately July, 1912 in the extreme southern hemisphere (aka The South Pole). I'm with a band of six unbelievably strong and brave men from Captain Scott's Northern Party on Inexpressible Island. We're cramped together like frozen sardines inside a low roofed, 12' x 9' sleeping area deep inside the interior of a man made igloo. The smell of the seal blubber we use to light the stove is a noxious fume that burns the throat and eyes. When that's not lit, we're cocooned in total pitch darkness. We've haven't bathed in months. Some of us have persistent diarrhea. Others suffer from mental stress (imagine that), but in the very best fashion of the British Navy, this extreme physical and mental duress is downplayed with the characteristic wry humor and reserve so often found in those Brit polar explorers. We've been here one year already, and are cut off from the ship we had hoped would find us before the next polar winter began. We are also cut off from our Western Party as well as the main party of Captain Scott as he makes his valiant race to secure British bragging rights to the South pole in the face of competition from the Norwegians - namely, Roald Amundsen.
The reality is this: It is 1912. There is no GPS. There is no backup rescue if the ship we sailed here on has sunk. There is no cell phone or wireless internet to alert our polar party (or the rest of the world) that we are even still alive. There are limited and finite provisions, and we're damn lucky to have even those. We now know we will have to face yet another winter in the unforgiven world of Antarctica...
Six men.
Six incredible men.
Six survivors, every one, whose journals form the basis of this novel by Katherine Lambert.
What men they were.
However, inside my reading world, it's approximately July, 1912 in the extreme southern hemisphere (aka The South Pole). I'm with a band of six unbelievably strong and brave men from Captain Scott's Northern Party on Inexpressible Island. We're cramped together like frozen sardines inside a low roofed, 12' x 9' sleeping area deep inside the interior of a man made igloo. The smell of the seal blubber we use to light the stove is a noxious fume that burns the throat and eyes. When that's not lit, we're cocooned in total pitch darkness. We've haven't bathed in months. Some of us have persistent diarrhea. Others suffer from mental stress (imagine that), but in the very best fashion of the British Navy, this extreme physical and mental duress is downplayed with the characteristic wry humor and reserve so often found in those Brit polar explorers. We've been here one year already, and are cut off from the ship we had hoped would find us before the next polar winter began. We are also cut off from our Western Party as well as the main party of Captain Scott as he makes his valiant race to secure British bragging rights to the South pole in the face of competition from the Norwegians - namely, Roald Amundsen.
The reality is this: It is 1912. There is no GPS. There is no backup rescue if the ship we sailed here on has sunk. There is no cell phone or wireless internet to alert our polar party (or the rest of the world) that we are even still alive. There are limited and finite provisions, and we're damn lucky to have even those. We now know we will have to face yet another winter in the unforgiven world of Antarctica...
Six men.
Six incredible men.
Six survivors, every one, whose journals form the basis of this novel by Katherine Lambert.
What men they were.
May 28, 2018
The Longest Winter isn't so much as a stand alone book as a "Want to learn more?" if you already have basic knowledge about polar exploration. I picked it up years ago, realized I needed to read more expansive book about Scott's Terra Nova expedition and just got back to this book now. The basics of the entire expedition are covered, but in light of various teams exploring different regions and the switched seasons of the Antarctic (compared to North America) it was much easier to read with a knowledge of the men involved and their plans.
While Scott and his team were headed to the South Pole, a group of six men, the Northern Party, were going to explore an area of coast line further north and do their scientific studies: meteorology, geology, penguins, etc. They were going to stay for a few weeks and be picked up by their ship, but the Terra Nova was unable to reach them due to pack ice. They were forced to spend the winter isolated with limited supplies, digging an ice cave where they lived in the dark, surviving primarily on seal meat. They endured, eventually digging out in the spring and completing an almost 300 mile sledge journey back to the rest of the party.
Every book about Scott takes the "Yes, he made mistakes, BUT SCIENCE!" argument, but this book really did a great job of making that impressive in a real sense. The men were half starved and emaciated, yet gathering geological specimens that they lugged back on their sledges, stopping to take readings even as they struggled to make it back to the larger expedition. Yet again, it's infinitely inspiring to hear a story of enduring hardship and surviving.
While Scott and his team were headed to the South Pole, a group of six men, the Northern Party, were going to explore an area of coast line further north and do their scientific studies: meteorology, geology, penguins, etc. They were going to stay for a few weeks and be picked up by their ship, but the Terra Nova was unable to reach them due to pack ice. They were forced to spend the winter isolated with limited supplies, digging an ice cave where they lived in the dark, surviving primarily on seal meat. They endured, eventually digging out in the spring and completing an almost 300 mile sledge journey back to the rest of the party.
Every book about Scott takes the "Yes, he made mistakes, BUT SCIENCE!" argument, but this book really did a great job of making that impressive in a real sense. The men were half starved and emaciated, yet gathering geological specimens that they lugged back on their sledges, stopping to take readings even as they struggled to make it back to the larger expedition. Yet again, it's infinitely inspiring to hear a story of enduring hardship and surviving.
January 1, 2025
Great and interesting book about the Northern Party, not only for those who are interested in the extensive personnel involved in the "Terra Nova expedition" but also for anyone who wants to read about the hardships of Antarctic exploration; you can tell the author really cares about the subject and the people involved.
February 10, 2020
When Captain Robert Scott took his team to Antarctica in 1912 to reach the South Pole, it was actually a true scientific expedition with several other teams besides the group of men who trekked to the pole. There were two groups on the shore tasked with doing scientific surveys and a team on the support ship. The Northern Party, as one group was known, became trapped when the support ship was blocked by ice floes. The team was forced to spend an unscheduled winter without any support, or even knowing if any support would ever be available. They were forced to dig an underground bunker to survive the extreme cold and wind while sustaining themselves on penguins and seals they were able to hunt. Through incredible hardships, the six men banded together and managed to all survive, though it was a close thing. It is a good story of how people can rise to their best when conditions around them are at the worst. Lambert made extensive use of the diaries and official journals of the men on the expedition to provide details of not only how they managed to survive the physical hardships, but also of what they were thinking and managed the survive the mental hardships as well. There is a wealth of information about Antarctica and the exploration of the continent that was going on during this period. Recommended for anyone interested in Antarctica or true stories of survival under extreme circumstances.
August 6, 2016
Fantastic book on an amazing true story.
I have two minor complaints. One, there are too many typos or minor errors of fact. Nothing major, as far as I can tell. For instance, in one place they got the year wrong. If that is wrong, then what else is wrong? A lot of these mistakes are under the photo captions. Lambert clearly did not write them or get to proof them. In two places the captions completely contradict something on the same page within the text. And whoever wrote the captions consistently misspelled the name of one of the 6 main people (Priestley, not Priestly).
My other beef is that I thought Lambert left out some important details or else didn't go into things deeply enough. For instance, she describes some of the strange effects of the men's malnutrition toward the end, and how they were worried that it was scurvy. With modern nutritional science, I think their symptoms could be explained. But Lambert didn't go into it. Also, at 2 points subjects in the book collapse from mental breakdowns. All she really says is, so-and-so "had a mental breakdown." That seems kind of important, but Lambert doesn't tell any more about what happened there.
Otherwise, fantastic book.
There is another book also called "The Longest Winter" about the exact same subject, by a different author: Meredith Hooper. Not to be confused. I haven't read that one yet.
I have two minor complaints. One, there are too many typos or minor errors of fact. Nothing major, as far as I can tell. For instance, in one place they got the year wrong. If that is wrong, then what else is wrong? A lot of these mistakes are under the photo captions. Lambert clearly did not write them or get to proof them. In two places the captions completely contradict something on the same page within the text. And whoever wrote the captions consistently misspelled the name of one of the 6 main people (Priestley, not Priestly).
My other beef is that I thought Lambert left out some important details or else didn't go into things deeply enough. For instance, she describes some of the strange effects of the men's malnutrition toward the end, and how they were worried that it was scurvy. With modern nutritional science, I think their symptoms could be explained. But Lambert didn't go into it. Also, at 2 points subjects in the book collapse from mental breakdowns. All she really says is, so-and-so "had a mental breakdown." That seems kind of important, but Lambert doesn't tell any more about what happened there.
Otherwise, fantastic book.
There is another book also called "The Longest Winter" about the exact same subject, by a different author: Meredith Hooper. Not to be confused. I haven't read that one yet.
June 19, 2016
I chose this as one of two survival stories to take with me on a cruise. Unfortunately, I didn't think it was that well written. In 1911, when Robert Scott was racing Amundsen to the South Pole, he sent a separate scientific team, the so-called Northern Expedition, to explore Victoria Land. Those six men faced ferocious conditions and had to winter over in an igloo, subsisting on seal steaks and blubber. They had to spend almost all their time for months inside the filthy igloo, which was virtually dark except for a few blubber oil lamps. One part of it near the door was the latrine. Their clothes were so dirty, frozen and blubber-soaked that their pants could stand up by themselves. It's amazing they didn't go mad and kill one another.
When spring came in Sept.-Oct. 1912, they decided to trek over 200 mi. through ice flows and glaciers pulling two heavy sledges with food, tents and survival gear to McMurdo Sound, where they knew their was a cache of food. It was either that or spend another winter in the igloo. Luckily they made it, joined up with other expedition members, and learned Scott and some of his men perished on their way back from the pole.
Great subject matter to be sure, but the prose narrative leaves much to be desired.
When spring came in Sept.-Oct. 1912, they decided to trek over 200 mi. through ice flows and glaciers pulling two heavy sledges with food, tents and survival gear to McMurdo Sound, where they knew their was a cache of food. It was either that or spend another winter in the igloo. Luckily they made it, joined up with other expedition members, and learned Scott and some of his men perished on their way back from the pole.
Great subject matter to be sure, but the prose narrative leaves much to be desired.
April 23, 2015
This book is a bit dry in places, but overall informative about the harsh Antarctica climate & the hardships suffered on Scott's expedition.
It is touching in places, however. Such as Oates' exit into the cold to save his friend s the sight of watching him die & the letters Scott wrote to the relations of their group before his own passing.
It is touching in places, however. Such as Oates' exit into the cold to save his friend s the sight of watching him die & the letters Scott wrote to the relations of their group before his own passing.
June 1, 2013
I loved this book of teamwork, triumph, and survival against all odds! This book left me feeling great about what can be achieved by man when pushed to the very end!
May 18, 2014
For a book supposedly about the ordeal of the Northern party, it devotes pretty little time to this portion of the whole expedition and takes its sweet time getting there.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews