Frank A. Worsley was the captain of the H.M.S. Endurance, the ship used by the legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in his 1914-16 expedition to the Antarctic. On its way to the Antarctic continent the Endurance became trapped and then crushed by ice, and the ship's party of twenty-eight drifted on an ice floe for five months. Finally reaching an uninhabited island, Shackleton, Worsley, and four others sailed eight hundred miles in a small boat to the island of South Georgia, an astounding feat of navigation and courage. All hands survived this ill-fated expedition; as Worsley writes, "By self-sacrifice and throwing his own life into the balance, [Shackleton] saved every one of his men . . . although at times it had looked unlikely that one could be saved." "This remarkable book . . . shows [Shackleton] both luckless and lucky, and supremely cool and courageous throughout. Worsley writes without heroics . . . but makes us feel to the marrow the conditions that the party endured before all hands were rescued." The New Yorker "Worsley's account of that journey is a breath-taking story of courage, skill and determination under the most appalling conditions." Sir Edmund Hillary
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On 1 August 1914, on the eve of World War I, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his hand-picked crew embarked in HMS Endurance from London's West India Dock, for an expedition to the Antarctic. It was to turn into one of the most breathtaking survival stories of all time. Even as they coasted down the channel, Shackleton wired back to London to offer his ship to the war effort. The reply came from the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston Churchill: "Proceed". And proceed they did. When the Endurance was trapped and finally crushed to splinters by pack ice in late 1915, they drifted on an ice floe for five months, before getting to open sea and launching three tiny boats as far as the inhospitable, storm-lashed Elephant Island. They drank seal oil and ate baby albatross (delicious, apparently.) From there Shackelton himself and seven others- -the author among them--went on, in a 22-foot open boat, for an unbelievable 800 miles, through the Antarctic seas in winter, to South Georgia and rescue. It is an extraordinary story of courage and even good-humour among men who must have felt certain, secretly, that they were going to die. Worsley's account, first published in 1940, captures that bulldog spirit exactly: uncomplaining, tough, competent, modest and deeply loyal. It's gripping, and strangely moving. --Christopher Hart
--This text refers to an alternate
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"One of the greatest survival stories of all time - Library Journal; I have gazed into the naked soul of man... - Ernest Shackleton; A breathtaking story of courage, skill and determination under the most appalling conditions - Sir Edmund Hillary; The Heart of the Antarctic: Ernest Shackleton; Shackleton: the Polar Journeys - incorporating South and The Heart of the Antarctic: Ernest Shackleton; An Unsung Hero - Tom Crean Antarctic Survivor: Michael Smith"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The Weddell Sea might be described as the Antarctic extension of the South Atlantic Ocean. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The Weddell Sea might be described as the Antarctic extension of the South Atlantic Ocean. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Kenyon
Format:Paperback
A testament to the human spirit. If this was a film, you'd classify it as pure fantasy. This account details Shackleton's party's escape from the antartic, a gruelling slog by foot accross broken ice, a perilous voyage though the ice flow and two fantastic journeys accross the Southern Ocean in boats no bigger than ones you see down the boating lake.
The fantastic feats are woven with accounts of everyday life... you can feel the cold, you wonder at how they survived in nothing more than waterlogged layers of heavy tweed and a few furs.
By the end of the book you are left in no doubt that given intelligence, determination, teamwork and belief (forget super human qualities or luck), human beings are very difficult to kill.
Someone in the preface is asked which antartic explorer they most admired, i'll paraphrase, for science - Scott, for determination - Admunsen, if i was in a tight spot with no apparant hope - Shackleton every time.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A. J. Watson
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
To find yourself having no choice but to set out to sea, in the middle of a south polar winter, with the only hope of rescue 800 miles off would reduce most people to despair. It's a mark of the stuff that these men were made of that they reached their goal, intact, then went back to rescue their comrades.
I find it difficult to imagine how they navigated in those high (=low!) latitudes, in a roiling sea, howling gales and limited visibility; Worsley tells you how...
He also has the writers' gift of transporting you from your comfortable chair to the freezing, wet, cramped conditions of their boat - and yet still bringing to life the thoughts and feelings of this rare breed of men.
This should be recommended reading for all teenagers, so they should understand what life can dole out, but yet you can still turn the tables on fate, instead of sitting back and letting life ride roughshod over you.
I find it difficult to imagine how they navigated in those high (=low!) latitudes, in a roiling sea, howling gales and limited visibility; Worsley tells you how...
He also has the writers' gift of transporting you from your comfortable chair to the freezing, wet, cramped conditions of their boat - and yet still bringing to life the thoughts and feelings of this rare breed of men.
This should be recommended reading for all teenagers, so they should understand what life can dole out, but yet you can still turn the tables on fate, instead of sitting back and letting life ride roughshod over you.
Thoroughly Recommended.*****
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was the first book I read on this subject.I`d never heard of Shackelton before but I found it most gripping and exciting I could not put it down! A very good read even if you`re not interested in the subject,just the way mans fight for survilval carries you on.You may end up coming back for more.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping first hand narrative
This is one of those books that leaves a lasting impression. I have handled small boats in storm conditions a few times, and have always found it an extremely unnerving experience. Read more
Published 2 months ago by stevie h
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shackletons boat journey
I would recommend this book to all age ranges it is a good read informative and a real feat of endurance.
Published 3 months ago by Angela Grayson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Front cover image sums up heroic endeavour
This book is perfect for anyone wanting to read in more detail about the incredible boat journey that Frank Worsley and five other men took from Elephant Island to South Georgia in... Read more
Published 15 months ago by magicaltrevor
5.0 out of 5 stars
A deceptively simple account, but vastly more gripping for that.
This is the best and most famous account of the destruction of Shackleton's expeditionary endeavours in the Antarctic, both physically and aspirationally. Read more
Published 23 months ago by SM
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very good read!
If you like a real adventure rather than fiction, this is definitely a book worth reading.
Published on 31 Oct 2010 by Mrs. Mary L. Glover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic
This book is delightful; detailing in an understated way how some amazing men survived an epic journey; written by Frank Worsley, the Skipper.
Published on 5 Aug 2010 by Mr DJ King
3.0 out of 5 stars
Stimulating first hand account of a famous boat journey
There have been a great deal of books written about the exploits of Earnest Shackleton and in particular his now famous boat journey across stormy waters of the South Pacific... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible account of hardship and determination.
A fascinating account of a struggle for survival against the odds. This books concentrates on the final stages of Shackleton & Co. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2001 by bishopstown@hotmail.com
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