"Nimrod": Ernest Shackleton and the Extraordinary Story of the 1907-09 British Antarctic Expedition

by Beau Riffenburgh (Author)

Synopsis

On New Year's Day 1908, the ship Nimrod set off for the mysterious regions of the Antarctic. The leader of the small expedition was Ernest Shackleton who, in the next year and a quarter would record some of the greatest achievements of his career and would then, together with his companions, return home as a hero. Shackleton and his party battled against extreme cold, hunger, danger and psychological trauma in their attempt to reach the South Pole and to return alive. They climbed the active volcano of Mount Erebus, planted the Union Jack at the previously unattained South Magnetic Pole, and struggled to within 97 miles of the South Geographic Pole. Beau Riffenburgh has written the definitive account of what Shackleton grandly called the British Antarctic Expedition. The story features an extraordinary cast of characters including Scott, Douglas Mawson, who would become one of the greatest Antarctic explorers, and the Antarctic pioneers Nansen and Amundsen. Nimrod is a story of an adventure which was a source of huge pride and fascination to both the leaders and subjects of the British Empire, and a journey almost too incredible even for Shackleton.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 04 Oct 2004

ISBN 10: 0747572542
ISBN 13: 9780747572541
Book Overview: A dramatic account of Shackleton's 1907-09 expedition in which he showed for the first time the courage and as a leader that he would later need again on the Endurance expedition. The definitive account, based on extensive original research using numerous first-hand accounts - some previously unstudied A revealing insight into the dramatic and complex relationship between Shackleton and Scott

Author Bio
Beau Riffenburgh is an historian specialising in exploration, particularly that of the Antarctic, Arctic, and Africa. Born in California, he earned his doctorate at Cambridge University, following which he joined the staff at the Scott Polar Research Institute, where he is the editor of Polar Record. He is the author of the highly regarded The Myth of the Explorer and is currently serving as Editor of the Encyclopedia of the Antarctic.