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If Scott's deification was almost instantaneous, Shackleton's descent into obscurity was more of a slow fade than a sudden death. He achieved a certain amount of acclaim when South, his own account of the Expedition, was published, but his legend seemed to die with him when he suffered a fatal heart attack on another trip south in 1922. His memory deserved much better. Not only was he a far better explorer than Scott, both in terms of his technical and man management capabilities, but the story of the Transantarctic expedition read like an epic out of a Boys Own annual. With his boat crushed, he led his men across the pack-ice, sailed them in open boats to Elephant Island. Once he realised there was no chance of rescue, he and four crew mates sailed a further 600 miles across the southern ocean to South Georgia where they were shipwrecked. The five men then made the first crossing of the island to reach the whaling station at Stromness. Three attempts and three and a half months later, Shackleton returned to Elephant Island to pick up the remaining men. Not a single member of either party was lost.
So we have Lansing to largely thank for Shackleton's rehabilitation. But herein lies the problem. Shackleton's story has been now been so well told both in books--especially Roland Huntford's definitive biography, and in film and TV, that even though Lansing's thrilling account, making liberal use of the diaries of several expedition members, was the first to be published it now feels all terribly familiar and adds nothing to what we already know. Even Frank Hurley's exquisite photographs which illustrate the book now engender a slight feeling of déjà vu--not least because they have already been better reproduced in a single volume published by Bloomsbury. But Lansing deserves his day in the snow and no polar library would be complete without this book. And if, by any chance, you've never previously read a word about Shackleton, this is as good a place as any to start. --John Crace
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR002969058
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Paperback, 302 pages, illustrated, 14 b/w photos. Ernest Shackleton's third Antarctic expedition sailed from London. His ship was the Endurance, but little did her complement know that their own Endurance would be tested to the full after the ship was trapped in the ice in the Weddell Sea late in 1915 and had to be abandoned. This was the beginning of a struggle for survival, with 28 men with three small boats striking out by sledge and boat across the hazardous Weddel Sea for Elephant Island. Their journey took from Christmas 1915 to April 1916. From the island Shackleton, with a crew of five others, left on April 24 to sail one of the small boats to South Georgia, which they reached on May 10. This has become one of the epic small boat voyages of all time, but it was to be the end of August before the remaining survivors could be rescued from Elephant Island. A remarkable story of beating all the odds. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Arctic & Antarctic; Exploration. ISBN: 0586051201. ISBN/EAN: 9780586051207. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 3729. Seller Inventory # 3729