The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antartctic Expedition in the "Fram", 1910-12 - Softcover

Amundsen, Capt Roald

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841582069 ISBN 13: 9781841582061

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd, 2003

Synopsis

At last we got away, on October 19. The weather for the past few days had not been altogether reliable; now windy, now calm - now snowing, now clear: regular spring weather, in other words...With this matter of fact sentence begins one of the most famous journeys in all exploration - Amundsen's conquest of the South Pole. The details of the tragic race with Scott are well known, but often forgotten is the sheer professionalism and courage which drove the Norwegian expedition on. Unlike the driven and tortured egos which bedeviled the British expeditions, the Norwegians worked purposefully as a team using the latest technology, and Amundsen acknowledges this openly when the Pole was finally achieved. I had determined that the act of planting it [the flag] - the historic event - should be equally divided among us all. It was not for one man to do this; it was for all who had staked their lives in the struggle, and held together through thick and thin. This was the only way in which I could show my gratitude to my comrades in this desolate spot...Five weather-beaten, frostbitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical South Pole. Amundsen's Antarctic expedition of 1910-12 is one of the most heroic achievements in the history of exploration. The competence and efficiency with which it was accomplished is testimony to an inspired and inspirational leader.

About this title

Review:

'Roald Amundsen planted the Norwegian flag on the South Pole on December 14, 1911: a full month before Robert Falcon Scott arrived on the same spot. Amundsen's The South Pole (Hurst) is less well-known than his rivals, in part because he is less of a literary stylist, but also, perhaps, because he survived the journey. His book is a riveting first-hand account of a truly professional expedition; Amundsen's heroism is understated, but it is heroism nonetheless.' -Erica Wagner, The Times'Amundsen was the supreme exponent of Polar technique. He towered above his rivals; he brought an intellectual approach to exploration and stood, as he still stands, the antipole to the heroic delusion. [A...] The journey to the South Pole remains his masterpiece, the culmination of the classical age of Polar exploration and, perhaps, the greatest snow journey ever made.' -Roland Huntford, The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole

About the Author:

While his conquest of the South Pole is remembered as the crowning achievement of Amundsen's life, it was only one amongst a number of extraordinary accomplishments. In 1897 he served in the Belgica, the first ship to overwinter in the Antarctic. From 1902 to 1906 he became the first person to navigate the fabled North-West Passage and locate the North Magnetic Pole. In 1910 he set sail in the Fram for the North Pole but turned his attention to the South Pole on hearing Peary's fraudulent claim. In December 1911 he reached the South Pole one month ahead of Scott. He then joined the select few to conquer the North-East Passage and in 1926 almost certainly became the first man genuinely to reach the North Pole by airship. In 1928 he died when the airship in which he was searching for the explorer Umberto Nobile crashed.

About this edition

• Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1841582069
• ISBN 13: 9781841582061
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496