Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition: The Voyage of the Nimrod
by Beau Riffenburgh
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Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition is the story of Ernest Shackleton's epic journey toward the South Pole. Lacking funds and plagued by hunger, cruel weather, and unpredictable terrain, Shackleton and his party accomplished some of the most remarkable feats in the history of exploration. Not only were members of the expedition the first to climb the active volcano Mount Erebus and the first to reach the South Magnetic Pole, but Shackleton himself led a party of four that trudged hundreds of show more miles across uncharted wastelands and up to the terrible Antarctic Plateau to plant the Union Jack only ninety-seven miles from the South Pole itself. Based on extensive research and first-hand accounts Riffenburgh makes the expedition vivid while providing fascinating insight into the age of British exploration and Empire. Beau Riffenburgh is a historian specializing in exploration. A native of California, he earned his doctorate at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, where he is currently the editor of Polar Record. He is the author of the critically praised The Myth of the Explorer and editor of the Encyclopedia of the Antarctic. A Selection of the History Book Club "Riffenburgh's perceptive book blends first-hand accounts with original research and a fast-paced narrative, providing a cracking adventure."-The Times Literary Supplement UK "A masterful balance of true drama and first-rate scholarship. The narrative moves with the speed of a novel, while the author's unerring eye for historical detail captures the essence of polar exploration and explorers and locates Shackleton and his men in the grand scheme of empire."-Sir Ranulph Fiennes Also available: HC 1-58234-488-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-58234-488-1 $25.95 Riveting...for those who thrilled to the Endurance saga, Riffenburgh offers an equally gripping adventure.-Publishers Weekly. show less
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Excellent, readable, written by a historian, gave me much more insight into Shakleton and the 1908 expedition. I was very impressed by the way Mr Riffenburgh sets the scene and gives the reader the cultural background that shaped the thinking and attitudes of the men and the expedition. Too many modern writers damn Anarctic explorers for not knowing things that hadn't been discovered and for not having attitudes that coincide with the author's. This book is not one of those - here we get a good look at what it was like then and at the remarkable achievements of the expedition. Not only did they pioneer travel on the Antarctic plateau, they achieved remarkable scientific work and, as noted in the epilogue, laid the groundwork for the show more future of Antarctic science especially through the work of such people as David, Mawson and Priestly. Highly recommended. show less
Detailed account of Shackleton's second trip to Antarctica. Provides a good overview of the politics and personalities of early 20th century exploration, and illuminates Shackleton's far less known, but far more productive, 1907-1909 trip to the frozen continent.
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Polar exploration
54 works; 4 members
Author Information
42+ Works 783 Members
Beau Riffenburgh is a historian specializing in exploration, particularly that of the Antarctic, the Arctic, and Africa. He earned his doctorate at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, where he is currently the editor of Polar Record
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Nimrod. Ernest Shackleton and the Extraordinary Story of the 1907-09 British Antarctic Expedition
- Original publication date
- 2004
- People/Characters
- Ernest Shackleton; Jameson Boyd Adams; Bertram Armytage; Philip Brocklehurst; Tannatt William Edgeworth David; John King Davis (show all 17); Ernest Joyce; Alistair Forbes Mackay; Aeneas Mackintosh; Clements Markham; Eric Marshall; Douglas Mawson; James Murray (Sir, biologist); Raymond Priestly; Robert Falcon Scott; Emily Shackleton; Frank Wild
- Important places
- Antarctica; Cape Royds, Antarctica
- Dedication
- To my wife, Liz, who has been an inspiration for this book and so much else
- First words
- PROLOGUE
He saw nothing.
One can only assume that most of the inhabitants of Cape Royds had an unusual combination of ebullience and trepidation that night in February 1908.
PREFACE
In recent years, the fame of Ernest Shackleton has spread beyond the relatively small community of polar scholars and enthusiasts, and he has captivated the imagination of a world-wide audience. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)When, having reunited so briefly, the men of the British Antarctic Expedition left the palace that afternoon, no such gathering among them would ever occur again.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In writing of passing that farthest south, attained three years earlier with such toil, determination, faith and resolve, Roald Amundsen remembered: We did not pass that spot without according our highest tribute of admiration to the man, who - together with his valiant companions - had planted his country's flag so infinitely nearer to the goal than any of his precursors. Sir Ernest Shackleton's name will always be written in the annals of Antarctic exploration in letters of fire. - Blurbers
- Fiennes, Sir Ranulph; Preston, Diana
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Travel, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 919.8904 — History & geography Geography & travel Geography of and travel in Australasia, Pacific Ocean islands, Atlantic Ocean islands, Arctic islands, Antarctica and on extraterrestrial worlds Polar regions Antarctica
- LCC
- G850 — Geography, Anthropology and Recreation Geography (General) Arctic and Antarctic regions
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 139
- Popularity
- 234,302
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.21)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 3
