In 1910 Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen set sail for Antarctica, each from his own starting point, and the epic race for the South Pole was on. December 2011 marks the centenary of the conclusion to the last great race of terrestrial discovery. This title presents each man's full account of the race to the South Pole in their own words.
A Pictorial Anthology of the Polar Explorer and Edwardian Hero
This pictorial anthology celebrates the life of Ernest Shackleton, a key figure in the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Best known for his legendary third expedition, 'Endurance', Shackleton also undertook three other notable expeditions, each captivating yet ultimately unsuccessful in reaching their intended goals. His charm, charismatic leadership, and unwavering determination made him a hero during his lifetime. Each chapter delves into different periods of Shackleton's life, introduced by Roland Huntford's insightful text and accompanied by a wealth of photographs, drawings, and diary extracts, many previously unpublished. Shackleton's independent spirit and courage inspired both financial backers and his men during the darkest times. After losing the race to the South Pole to Roald Amundsen in 1911 and his rival Captain Scott in 1912, he aimed to cross Antarctica. Although he failed again, he turned disaster into success by ensuring the survival of all his crew. Following years of lecturing and writing to settle debts, he raised funds for one final expedition, 'Quest'. Tragically, he died of a heart attack at forty-seven as 'Quest' reached South Georgia. Unlike Scott's glorified death, Shackleton's passing went largely unrecognized until recently. His unresolved anger towards Scott for sidelining him during their 1902-03 expedition partly fueled his relentless pursuit of Antarctic exploration, showcasing his exception
Behind the great polar explorers of the early twentieth century - Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott in the South and Peary in the North - looms the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), the mentor of them all. He was the father of modern polar exploration, the last act of territorial discovery before the leap into space began. Nansen was a prime illustration of Carlyle's dictum that 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men'. He was not merely a pioneer in the wildly diverse fields of oceanography and skiing, but one of the founders of neurology. A restless, unquiet Faustian spirit, Nansen was a Renaissance Man born out of his time into the new Norway of Ibsen and Grieg. He was an artist and historian, a diplomat who had dealings with Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin, and played a part in the Versailles Peace Conference, where he helped the Americans in their efforts to contain the Bolsheviks. He also undertook famine relief in Russia. Finally, working for the League of Nations as both High Commissioner for Refugees and High Commissioner for the Repatriation of Prisoners of War, he became the first of the modern media-conscious international civil servants.
Peter Biddlecombe takes us on another irreverent global tour, snubbing his nose at the "gimmick tourists" and carrying on doing what he does best—business, all over the world, with a wonderfully diverse range of characters. Power-players in Milan, storm-trooping language police in Toronto, and just general chaos in Kinshasa are a mere selection of the obstacles the international businessman must face as he struggles to come to grips with the local way of doing things. But it's all in the name of commerce, and whether he's trapped in a luxury hotel during the riots in Bombay or working his way through a "Good Food Guide" to Ouagadougou, Peter Biddlecombe always comes out with a tale to tell.
The classic, award-winning adventure story of Ernest Shackleton - now the subject of a major new Wolfgang (Das Boot) Peterson film.
Umfassende, dokumentartreue und spannende Darstellung der berühmten antarktischen Expeditionen
