1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910461627703321

Autore

Larson Edward J (Edward John)

Titolo

An empire of ice [[electronic resource] ] : Scott, Shackleton, and the heroic age of Antarctic science / / Edward J. Larson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven [Conn.], : Yale University Press, c2011

ISBN

1-4526-0314-6

1-283-11435-6

9786613114358

0-300-15976-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (288 p.)

Disciplina

919.8/9

Soggetti

Scientific expeditions - Antarctica - History - 20th century

Electronic books.

Antarctica Discovery and exploration British

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

"Three cheers for the dogs" -- A compass pointing south -- The empire's mapmaker -- In challenger's wake -- Taking the measure of men -- March to the penguins -- Discovering a continent's past -- The meaning of ice -- Epilogue : heroes' requiem.

Sommario/riassunto

Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, An Empire of Ice presents a fascinating new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it's the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole



was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers' achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.