South: The Endurance Expedition - Couverture souple

Shackleton, Ernest

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0141037563 ISBN 13 : 9780141037561

Editeur : Penguin Books Ltd, 2008

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture :

Shackleton's South is one of the great books of exploration, written by a national hero, about what he called 'the greatest journey on earth': his Antarctic expedition in which his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by the ice, and he and his men made a 600-mile trek to reach solid land. They then embarked on a 700-mile journey in an open boat to South Georgia, followed by an epic crossing of the uncharted mountains of that island. Shackleton's account is superbly written, and the book has never ceased to enthrall readers since it was first published in 1919.

Since that time, however, Shackleton's life - and his account of the expedition - have been dramatically revalued by scholars and biographers, and it emerges that South conceals much of the truth about his great feat. In this edition Peter King, who has examined the latest research on the entire episode, presents in his additional notes a much more detailed picture of what really occurred. The major defects in Shackleton's organization, the inadequate finance, the lack of training provided for his crew in the handling of skis, sledges and dogs, Shackleton's personal problems (which were considerable), the failure to provide proper supplies of food - these and many other details are explained, and give a fascinating background to what remains a magnificent drama of leadership.

In addition, the book contains over a hundred beautifully produced photographs by Frank Hurley, the official photographer of the expedition, as well as other contemporary illustrations. The explanatory captions, and the maps charting the course of the expedition, enable readers to follow Shackleton's account almost as if they were present themselves.

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In 1911 Roald Amundsen beat Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole, and Scott and his colleagues all died on the return journey. Ernest Shackleton, who had served with Scott on a previous expedition, decided that crossing Antarctica from sea to sea was the last great unattempted journey on the continent. His Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 191417 was a failure. But perhaps because it failed, with Shackleton not only surviving but bringing his crew back alive, the expedition became more famous than many of those adventurous voyages that succeeded. After reaching the Weddell Sea off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, Shackletons ship the Endurance became trapped in pack ice and spent 1915 drifting northwards. The Endurance was eventually crushed by the ice and sank, leaving 28 men stranded on the ice. They spent months sheltering from the subzero temperatures as the pack ice continued to drift. Eventually Shackleton accepted they could not rely on rescue and had to help themselves, so he led five men on an 800-mile voyage in an open boat to reach South Georgia, from where he was able to mount a rescue of all of the men he had left behind on the ice. Every one of them survived - a remarkable tribute to his leadership, courage and determination. South is Shackletons own account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It is a true story of courageous endurance, survival against the odds and an undeterred sense of adventure. This special edition includes detailed maps so that the reader can see just how extraordinary Shackleton's achievement was, and a specially written Foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, introducing the book from an explorer's perspective.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Penguin Books Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0141037563
• ISBN 13: 9780141037561
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 448