Product Description

This first-person account of the Endurance crew's famed odyssey across the frozen Antarctic is one of the most amazing adventure stories ever.

In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men set out to make the first sea-to-sea crossing of the most inhospitable continent on earth. One year later, halfway to their objective and their ship destroyed by ice, the expedition began an unbelievable journey back to the fringe of civilization. South is their story of battles against incredible obstacles for nearly two years, surviving on ice floes, sailing hundreds of miles on tumultuous seas, battling the unimaginable cold of the Antarctic winter, enduring debilitating hunger, injury, and misfortune, and finally overcoming improbable odds to reach help.

As Shackleton himself wrote at the time of the book's original publication in 1920, this is "a book of high adventure, strenuous days and lonely nights, unique experiences, and, above all, records of unflinching determination, supreme loyalty, and generous self-sacrifice on the part of my men." It is a story that resonates to this day as the classic tale of survival, resolve, and leadership.

Alfred Lansing's Endurance made the journey famous; Shackleton's book brings it dramatically to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #780243 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 488 pages

Review

From the Publisher
This is the most handsome paperback edition available of this important historic record.

From the Back Cover
In August 1914, twenty-eight men aboard the ship Endurance began what was to be the "last of the great explorations" - the crossing of the vast Antarctic land mass. It turned into one of the most remarkable survival stories ever recorded. In this reprint of the original 1920 edition, Sir Ernest Shackleton, the legendary leader of the expedition, eloquently describes their fabled two-year odyssey in one of the most inhospitable regions on earth - the devastating crushing of the Endurance in a sea of ice, the crew's impossible journey over the barren, frozen wasteland of the Antarctic, their navigation across nearly a thousand miles of tumultuous seas in an open boat, and their ever-constant struggles against unimaginable cold, hunger, hardship, and despair as they struggled toward rescue. Filled with more than eighty-five photographs and [map] illustrations from the journey, Shackleton's account is a distinctive tale of high adventure. It is also a lasting testament to his leadership and courage, as well as a moving statement about the human will to survive. (6 X 9, 404 pages, b&w photos, maps)

Customer Reviews

Edge of Your Seat
Fascinating and exciting book. Shackelton writes in the most British of style -- he describes an ice floe splitting beneath his tent in the same plain delivery as the description of a depth sounding. The book is overflowing with the most amazing of events, placing Shackelton's crew in an adventure every bit as great as Lewis and Clark's expedition (read the Ambrose book "Undaunted Courage" if you like this one).

This is a fine edition, as it includes approx. eighty photographs of the expedition. From the outset of the voyage to the harrowing crossing of St. George Island, this guy would put today's extreme adventure-seekers to shame.

Sheer will and nerve.
Ernest Shackleton's description of his voyage into and subsequent escape from Antartica is amazing. The matter of fact tone with which he describes his adventure seems wildly juxtaposed on the events which he led his men safely through. It's an interesting read which gives some glimpse into the calm and mechanically rational mind of Shackleton, the reason he and his men survived. I highly recommend this book.

A True Leader
Shackleton was an amazing man full of true grit and true leadership. Among the many things that stand out in his story of survival is the importance of keeping a journal. Even after many supplies and equipment were left on the ice, the men were instructed to continue to carry their journals. And what if they had not? Where would be the true story that outshines most fictional adventure stories in the minds and imaginations of many, including myself?

If you want to read more about Antarctica, I suggest T.H. Baughman's "Before the Heroes Came."