Shackleton

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Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish explorer, never achieved his goal of reaching the South Pole, though he was knighted in 1909 for having come within 100 miles. With bravery matched only by his theatricality, Shackleton sought to top that accomplishment by landing on one side of Antarctica and traveling the width of the icy continent by sledge. What might have been a great exploratory journey turned into a raw struggle for survival when his ship became trapped in pack ice, and he was forced to lead his team on a desperate trek across hundreds of miles of the world's most dangerous terrain. He made it home, but even his stature as one of Edwardian England's greatest heroes could not save Shackleton from financial risk taking; he ended his life mired in debt. Roland Huntford's biography presents a balanced and lively portrait of a man who was, depending on which of his contemporaries you asked, a national hero or a contemptible rogue. --Robert McNamara


From Publishers Weekly
He is a biographer's dream: Ernest Shackleton was ruthless and ambitious, an unabashed adventurer, an inspired leader, a glorious failure. Also, for much of his life, he was beset by financial and romantic entanglements. Huntford, author of Scott and Amundsen (basis of the recent PBS series The Last Place on Earth), has written a superb account of heroic adventure, of ineptitude and disappointment. Shackleton left a career in the merchant marine to join Robert Scott's expedition on the Discovery (1900); sent home for reasons of health after the first season, he determined to try for the South Pole on his own. The bitter rivalry with Scott had begun. Shackleton's charm and powers of persuasion enabled him to raise money for his 19071909 expedition that came within 100 miles of the Pole. Back home, he was a national hero with financial troubles (he always sought instant fortune). Again, he found backers and planned the "last great journey" across the Antarctic continent. This produced epic adventure: the loss of Endurance in the ice and the long, open-boat journey to safety and rescue. It is one of the greatest survival stories of all time, and Huntford gives it full treatment. Readers interested in polar exploration will find this book hard to put down. Photos. January 14Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Despite his great leadership gifts, Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), the Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer, was dogged by failure. None of his business, political, or exploratory ventures achieved their goals. Yet the narratives of his expeditions still make gripping reading. Huntford, the author of Scott and Amundsen (the basis for a PBS miniseries), has written the definitive life of Shackleton, copiously detailed and documented. Some readers may be shocked by the negative portrayal of Scott, Shackleton's rival, and the revelations of British ineptitude in polar exploration, and others may be overwhelmed by the profuse detail, but this book belongs in all exploration collections. J.F. Husband, Framingham State Coll. Lib., Mass.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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A superb and gripping biography of the brave polar explorer.


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