In December 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven men set sail from South Georgia for the South Pole aboard the Endurance, the object of their expedition to cross Antarctica overland. A month later the ship was beset in the ice of the Weddell Sea, just outside the Antarctic Circle. Temperatures dropped to 35 degrees Celsius below zero. Ice-moored, the Endurance drifted northwest for ten months before it was finally crushed. The ordeal, however, had barely begun. Now illustrated with expedition photographer Frank Hurley's breathtaking images of the crew, the wildlife, the stark beauty of the land and terrors of the sea at every stage of this grueling adventure, Alfred Lansing's already compelling narrative assumes even more staggering dramatic power in its depiction of the heroic endurance of Shackleton and his twenty-seven indefatigably courageous men.
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You can't really fail with a book about the Endurance. Although Ernest Shackleton's attempt to make the first Trans-Antarctic crossing barely made it out of base camp, his expedition has gone into the history books as one of the great epics of polar travel. Endurance left England in August 1914 and reached the pack-ice off Antarctica in January the following year. It sank in November, crushed by the weight of the ice, leaving Shackleton and his 27 men stranded in one of the most desolate areas of the world with no hope of rescue. Undaunted, Shackleton led his team to the edge of the ice, dragging three open life-boats that had been salvaged from the Endurance every step of the way. They then sailed to Elephant Island, a remote uninhabited outcrop of rock, where they lived off penguins and seagull. By April 1916, Shackleton realised there was no chance of them being spotted by a passing ship and he and five men set sail in the open-decked 20-foot boat, the James Caird, across 650 miles of the stormiest seas of the southern oceans for South Georgia. After narrowly surviving being shipwrecked on the reefs surrounding the western coast of South Georgia, Shackleton then proceeded to make the first-ever crossing of the mountainous island before reaching the sanctuary of the whaling station at Stromness. And it was Shackleton, in person, who led the rescue mission to Elephant Island to pick up the rest of his men. Miraculously, all 28 men survived.
Alfred Lansing's book, first published in 1957, tells it as it was. He draws heavily on the diaries and other first-person memoirs of those involved, and he writes with both style and pace. As such it is the classic tale of derring-do. What Lansing misses, though, is the social context. He provides little sense of history; in August 1914, when the Endurance left England, World War One was starting. By the time he returned home two years later, thousands of young men of his generation were lying dead on the battlefields of the Somme. The contrast is almost unbearable but Lansing makes nothing of it. Similarly he does not explain how someone like Scott, whose South Pole expedition several years earlier had been an unmitigated disaster of incompetence and bad planning, should go down in British history as one of our all-time heroes, while Shackleton, whose exploits were indeed truly heroic, has lived for so long in Scott's shadow. --John Crace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off aboard the Endur ance bound for the South Atlantic. The goal of his expedition was to cross t he Antarctic overland, but more than a year later, and still half a continent aw ay from the intended base, the Endurance was trapped in ice and eventuall y was crushed. For five months Shackleton and his crew survived on drifting ice packs in one of the most savage regions of the world before they were finally ab le to set sail again in one of the ship's lifeboats. Alfred Lansing's Enduran ce: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is a white-knuckle account of this astoun ding odyssey.
Through the diaries of team members and interviews with survivo rs, Lansing reconstructs the months of terror and hardship the Endurance crew suffered. In October of 1915, there "were no helicopters, no Weasels, no Sno-Cats, no suitable planes. Thus their plight was naked and terrifying in i ts simplicity. If they were to get out--they had to get themselves out." Ho w Shackleton did indeed get them out without the loss of a single life is at the heart of Lansing's magnificent true-life adventure tale. -- Amazon. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
It seemed right that you should get a younger persons point of view on the book. So here it is.
Every second of this book was breath-taking and the remarkable characters never stopped amazing me with their never ceasing courage and determination to get home. Set during the first World War the crew of the Endurance are forgotton as their ship sinks leaving them stranded on the vast Antarctic ice. For two years the men crossed the ice, living on seals, penguins and dogs. Through vivid diary extracts and accounts you see the adventure through the eyes of the men who struggled through it; you realise how each mans different personalities and qualities succeeded in get the others around him home. The descriptions of the ice and atmosphere of the surrounding countries are amazing and the pictures are breath-taking.
As you read the book you realise Alfred Lansing excellent skill as a writer of accurate events and never loose interest in the risks taken by the crew of the Endurance as they cross ice, the wilest sea in the world and a mountain climbed never before, driven by pure determination and strength of mind.
This book is amazing. Alfred Lansing had true talent.
Every second of this book was breath-taking and the remarkable characters never stopped amazing me with their never ceasing courage and determination to get home. Set during the first World War the crew of the Endurance are forgotton as their ship sinks leaving them stranded on the vast Antarctic ice. For two years the men crossed the ice, living on seals, penguins and dogs. Through vivid diary extracts and accounts you see the adventure through the eyes of the men who struggled through it; you realise how each mans different personalities and qualities succeeded in get the others around him home. The descriptions of the ice and atmosphere of the surrounding countries are amazing and the pictures are breath-taking.
As you read the book you realise Alfred Lansing excellent skill as a writer of accurate events and never loose interest in the risks taken by the crew of the Endurance as they cross ice, the wilest sea in the world and a mountain climbed never before, driven by pure determination and strength of mind.
This book is amazing. Alfred Lansing had true talent.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This account of Shackleton's famous expedition reads like a thriller novel. It may lack some technical detail that a student of Antarctica might desire, but it gives full vent to the predicament the party found themselves in, and the inspirational fortitude and courage of their leader. One advantage of this book is that the author had access to surviving expedition members when researching the subject, and the book benefits from these first hand accounts of the persoanlities involved as well as the bleak details of their situation.
As the story unfolds, each step required to get nearer rescue becomes more 'impossible'. Threat of starvation, wintering on ice, breaking ice floes, an incredible boat journey, amputation, crossing impenetrable mountains (the first to do so)---it is all in here. Each phase is a powerful story in itself. It is one of the great stories of the 20th century---up there with the Apollo 13 crew---but these men had no-one except themselves and their determination to get themselves home safely. If you know little or nothing about Shackleton's adventure this is, I think, the best book to introduce the subject. It is the pinnacle of the 'heroic age' adventures, and Alfred Lansing captures the mood beautifully.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
UK EDITION: Lansing does a great job of conveying life on the ice with Shacklton's team and allows us to meet the men involved. I found myself constantly refering to the nominal role at the front of the book to check who did what. I would have liked even more background on the personalities, if only to stop me briefly hating those whose courage or determination fialed to match the incredible standards set by the others. The author, I'm sure plays down subjects which would normally be life changing- frostbite,hypothermia and malnutrition to name a few. Set in an environment most of us would find hard to imagine and over a priod difficult to comprehend. A fitting way to introduce Shacklton's story in a non academic style but I would love to have seen photo's (especially of the main characters), detailed maps, manifests and technical data relating to the voyage. Shackleton joins the likes of Scott,Mawson and Fiennes in making me feel inspired but insignificant at the same time, every schoolboy should be told this story.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A humbling experience
Put simply, reading this book is an utterly humbling experience. In an age of epic heroism, of bravery incomparable to our modern day experience, the men of Shackleton's... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Dario McGeachy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enthralling read
A compelling read about this epic journey. Well written account a real page turner. I've since recommended to family members who have been similarly enthralled.
Published 24 days ago by Thebrassinator
5.0 out of 5 stars
incredible indeed
I am really enjoying the book. Well written and you get to understand how the men must have felt. Only half way through but so far so good
Published 3 months ago by eldee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic; every man should read it and be proud they did!
Just..... read it and you will feel you are taking part. A true adventure, brave men and one of our
greatest leaders.
greatest leaders.
Published 3 months ago by Riverwater
4.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible journey in appalling conditions.
A most incredible journey undertaken in an age when there were no luxuries or tele-communication systems. A story of couraage and endurance in the most appalling conditions.
Published 3 months ago by Lili
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shackletons Voyage
This book was bought as a Christmas present for a friend who was extremely pleased with it.
Service was excellent and the book was exactly as described.
Service was excellent and the book was exactly as described.
Published 4 months ago by chickenjean
5.0 out of 5 stars
great easy read
Product arrived on schedule. Best book of this type I have read, easy to read and enjoyable. Very descriptive and not drawn out.
Published 4 months ago by Anne Dawson
5.0 out of 5 stars
READ THIS BOOK
and never moan about the petty things in life again.
This true story leaves you in awe of these men and their fight for survival and puts modern day exploration onto a very... Read more
This true story leaves you in awe of these men and their fight for survival and puts modern day exploration onto a very... Read more
Published 6 months ago by glenn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lansing does a super job recounting an incredible adventure
As with Scott, Shackleton is rememebered today for a hopeless disaster, but from which he was able to save himself and his entire crew by a superbly heroic effort. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Alfredo Hamill
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courage beyond endurance
Many books have been written about the Antarctic explorations which took place in the early 1900's, but surely this is the best. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Random Reader
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