Shackleton: The Polar Journeys

by Ernest Shackleton, Hugh Robert Mill (Introduction)

"Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons. Some are actuated simply by a love of adventure, some have the keen thirst for scientific knowledge, and others again are drawn away from the trodden paths by the lure of 'little voices,' the mysterious fascination of the unknown. I think that in my own case it was a combination of these factors that determined me to try my fortune again in the frozen south." -Sir Ernest Shackleton.

This omnibus combines Heart of the Antarctic and South, Sir Ernest Shackleton's personal accounts of his polar expeditions.

Heart of the Antarctic is the story of his expedition of 1907-09, part of his neverending quest to reach the South Pole. On this, his first expedition in sole charge, he came agonizingly close to achieving his dream. However, appalling weather conditions, together with the necessity of reaching his ship before it had to flee the advancing pack-ice, forced him to abandon his goal in a breathtaking race against time. With photographs taken on the expedition by Douglas Mawson, and numerous maps and diagrams, this is a fascinating record of one of the most daring feats of exploration of all time. This is the only complete edition available.

South is Shackleton's account of a journey that began in August 1914 with high hopes of a first in exploration and ended two years later in another desperate struggle for survival, after the expedition's ship, the Endurance, was first trapped in sea-ice, then crushed. Shackleton, with a handful of his party, braved the fury of the South Atlantic as they made their desperate 800-mile journey from Elephant Island to South Georgia aboard the James Caird. This small boat-just over twenty feet long-was pitted against the fury of the southern ocean. The survival of the entire expedition was hinged on this last gamble....

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Adventure, Travel, Biography

277 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 2007

About the author

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874-1922) was an Anglo-Irish merchant naval officer who made his reputation as an explorer during what is known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, a period of discovery characterised by journeys of geographical and scientific exploration in a largely unknown continent, without any of the benefits of modern travel methods or radio communication.

Reviews

[Jakob Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing adventure and fantastic first hand account of Shackleton’s First Antarctic Expedition in 1907-1908 and his Second Antarctic Expedition in 1914-1918. Both story’s of true leader ship and survival. Overcoming the greatest forces of nature and learning what it is to truly be an explorer. A very detailed book that shows aspects from the entire expedition. From climbing Mt Erebus, to coming short of the South Pole, discovering the location of the South Magnetic Pole and much more just from the first book “The Heart Of The Antarctic”. The second book “South” is the first hand account of Shackleton and his disastrous expedition with the Endurance and Aurora. Nothing went to plan. Everything made up as they went. Yet I have never read a more captivating or anxiety inducing journey where all of the members survived. I loved the other stories from all the other crew members and the parts where Shackleton wasn’t involved and things happened and were decided without their leader. Shackleton’s writing feels as though he’s talking to you, without using super difficult dialogue and explaining even some of the most simple decisions he made. A true leader and a true explorer.

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read. Not quite as good as South, but close.

[Krysten]

I quit.

I am in love with all things Antarctica but for some reason I utterly CANNOT stand the first-person narratives of early 20th-century Antarctic exploration. too detailed, too technical. I can't do it. sorry Ernest, I still love you.l

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard going. But amazing tales of the human spirit.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read a long time ago (1990's?) on one of my adventure reading phases. Interesting.

[Ita]

hard to read

[Sébastien Picard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished The Heart of the Atlantic.
It becomes a bit monotonous around the middle. Well written but too bad the pictures have been removed from this edition.