An empire of ice : Scott, Shackleton, and the heroic age of Antarctic science / Edward J. Larson.

  • Larson, Edward J. (Edward John)
Date:
[2011], ©2011
  • Books

About this work

Description

Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, An Empire of Ice presents a new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it's the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context. Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. This book offers a new perspective by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow.--From publisher description.

Publication/Creation

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2011], ©2011.

Physical description

xiv, 326 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-315) and index.

Contents

"Three cheers for the dogs" -- A compass pointing south -- The empire's mapmaker -- In Challenger's wake -- Taking the measure of men -- March to the penguins -- Discovering a continent's past -- The meaning of ice -- Epilogue : heroes' requiem.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    ZDF.05.AA9
    Open shelves

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Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9780300154085
  • 0300154089
  • 9780300188219
  • 0300188218