Antarctica

by Charles Neider

Bitter cold. Fast whipping winds. Blinding blizzards. That's the general weather forecast for the better part of Antarctica. The world's most southern point is nothing but a vast sheet of ice; yet, explorers are drawn to its barren beauty. Firsthand Accounts of Exploration and Endurance is a journey to the "highest, driest, windiest, coldest and most remote" of the seven continents.

Edited by Charles Neider, Antarctica is a fascinating collection of vivid tales from the journals of 14 explorers including James Cook, Robert F. Scott, and Richard E. Byrd. This anthology of first-hand accounts of the days and months of the great explorers, including those moments when the survival of the entire expedition was in doubt. With an average temperate of 57° below zero, these brave and articulate men weave tales of the harsh conditions and the amazing battles against Mother Nature. For example, Robert Falcon Scott would march/ski for twelve-hour stretches in the blinding snow across this ice continent. During one such outing, a blizzard engulfed the party, and a crewmember was lost. They found him a few miles back, stripped of clothing, and raving mad.

Available for the first time in paperback, Antarctica is a thrilling tribute to the limitless ambition and pioneering spirit of man.

Genres: History

468 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

Charles Neider was an American writer, known for editing the Autobiography of Mark Twain and authoring literary impressions of Antarctica.

Reviews

[Trevor McGuire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been helped greatly by more elucidating footnotes and helped dramatically by some images. Many of the explorers wrote at great length about memorable photographs, but none of those photographs were included in the book. Additionally, when captains' logs referred to reefing sails, or mentioned the mizzenmast, etc, a footnote here and there explaining what part of the ship it was, or what a particular verb meant when used nautically would have deepened the book. Those holes aside, many of the chosen writings I understand, but this book goes in the same vein as many other writings of Antarctica: focus on Scott's deadly Pole trip, and not on Amundsen's successful trip.

[Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection, though a bit academic, so only worth the read if you like dead white guys who travel and have a strange fascination with the southern continent.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all the excerpts from longer books, definitely whetted my interest in a few that I would have otherwise passed over.