- Hardcover: 480 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; illustrated edition edition (7 Nov 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007150687
- ISBN-13: 978-0007150687
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 14.6 x 4.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 792,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘Moving … a balanced and gripping account … David Crane has written a fine biography of Scott, the flawed but timeless hero, and I read it all with pleasure.’ Guardian
‘He [Crane] has freed himself from the tyranny of the card index to let Scott live again as a man.’ Daily Telegraph
‘Compelling … impressive … moving’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Crane’s exhilarating biography avoids the excesses of either approach, humanising the man without diminishing his epic endeavour. As the end nears, Crane turns to the men’s dignified accounts of their ordeal. It is as Scott prophesied: no heart could remain unstirred.’ Observer
‘The most balanced biography yet. Like Scott’s own writings, Crane’s stylish prose is a sheer pleasure.’ New York Times
Literary Review
'a vivid and readable account of the world's most tragically famous failure'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A thoroughly good read. Picked it up Saturday Morning and barely put it down until I finished it Sunday Evening. The level of detail made it possible to imagine just what the team went through especially the Polar Party. You would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the last things that Scott and Wilson wrote at the end of their lives just a few miles from their next supply depot.Went on to read Cherry-Gerrard's The Worst Journey in the World.A fascinating subject.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In passing judgement, one should not confuse the efforts of author Crane with those of explorer Scott. In the case of Crane he has done a marvelous job with copious material that allows one to take good measure of the subject Scott. This allows one to conclude as ever that Scott was a heroic failure, a man driven he believed towards success but whose destiny was inevitable given the constant extreme risks he took, the unforgiving harsh environment and his lack of knowledge and experience in that environment. The virtue of Crane is that, despite his desire to rescue Scott's reputation, the thoroughness of his research cements the conclusion to the contrary.
The dedicated but amateur Scott up against the meticulous professional Amundsen in the race to the pole? The outcome was no surprise. Again, it is to Crane's credit that he directly admits so in the text. That Scott's foolhardiness also killed other men, albeit their participation willing, is sufficient factual evidence to condemn his actions. Scott was, as the back cover of the book states, ''a superlative leader of men'', whose leadership brought them to their death. The numerous narrow escapes (e.g. the over-loaded Terra Nova was lucky to make it through to Antarctica in the first place - maybe Scott should have decided against bringing the champagne or the untested motorized sledges?) documented by Crane made it only a matter of time. Shackleton's record in keeping his team alive stands in harsh contrast.
The book is a pleasure to read. Its well-constructed prose flows easily page after page. Though I have read numerous other accounts and know the facts fairly well, Crane's account absorbed my attention. Curiously, I did not find it very emotional despite the romantic nature of Scott and his writing.
Crane's book is a fascinating rounded picture of a complex man's life. It makes one reflect how we are all mixed products of our society and times, our upbringing, people we meet by chance or by design, our efforts, our individual personality and the randomness of the world. This is a book worth buying and keeping on the shelf.
The dedicated but amateur Scott up against the meticulous professional Amundsen in the race to the pole? The outcome was no surprise. Again, it is to Crane's credit that he directly admits so in the text. That Scott's foolhardiness also killed other men, albeit their participation willing, is sufficient factual evidence to condemn his actions. Scott was, as the back cover of the book states, ''a superlative leader of men'', whose leadership brought them to their death. The numerous narrow escapes (e.g. the over-loaded Terra Nova was lucky to make it through to Antarctica in the first place - maybe Scott should have decided against bringing the champagne or the untested motorized sledges?) documented by Crane made it only a matter of time. Shackleton's record in keeping his team alive stands in harsh contrast.
The book is a pleasure to read. Its well-constructed prose flows easily page after page. Though I have read numerous other accounts and know the facts fairly well, Crane's account absorbed my attention. Curiously, I did not find it very emotional despite the romantic nature of Scott and his writing.
Crane's book is a fascinating rounded picture of a complex man's life. It makes one reflect how we are all mixed products of our society and times, our upbringing, people we meet by chance or by design, our efforts, our individual personality and the randomness of the world. This is a book worth buying and keeping on the shelf.
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written and researched book, which takes a more balanced view of Scott than the less than scholarly Fiennes biography. And Scott still emerges as a very sympathetic character, and much maligned.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
With Huntford to the Pole!
I enjoyed this, and found it easy to read even though it's a bit hefty. It is another revisionist attempt to undermine Scott's critical nemesis - Roland Huntford. Read more
Published on 13 Feb 2007 by Dog trainer (failed)
Other means of transportation
The Western civilization was always fascinated in human continued existence in isolated and remote places. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2006 by Kris
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