Heart of the Antarctic and 'South' (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) - Softcover

Sir Ernest Shackleton

4.32

37 ratings by Goodreads

9781840226164: Heart of the Antarctic and 'South' (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1840226161 ISBN 13: 9781840226164

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 2007

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Ernest Shackleton led two Antarctic expeditions, and died shortly after the beginning of the third. His first expedition was not a total success (they did not reach the South Pole), and the second was, in some senses, a total failure (they never reached the Antarctic mainland at all). Yet it is the second for which he is remembered. His expedition ship Endurance was trapped, then crushed in the ice, before his party could be landed, leaving his men in a hopeless situation. For months Shackleton held his party together before taking to boats and bringing everyone to safety to Elephant Island. His open-boat journey to South Georgia, and the eventual rescue of the party left behind, are now legendary. Visitors to Shackleton s grave in South Georgia, stepping over the lounging elephant seals that keep the dead company, pay homage to the man who had the vision, bravery and strength to open up Antarctica for all who followed. Shackleton showed the flame of leadership as few in the history of exploration have done, and nowhere does this come through more clearly than in the two accounts in this volume.

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About the Author:

Now most famous for the Endurance expedition with its legendary boat journey, a story which even today remains one of the greatest feats of human endurance of all time, Shackleton remains amongst the greatest and most famous of all British explorers. Astonishingly enough, most of his expeditions were failures, yet his powers of leadership and charisma have elevated him to the ranks of the great. He is buried in South Georgia.

Review:

"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 once again in the frozen south. - Ernest Shackleton A more interesting book on polar exploration...has yet to be written - New York Times Book Review; The book will take its place among the great records of adventure... - Spectator; The best book of Polar travel which has ever been written. - The Guardian --Wordsworth Classics

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