Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica
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Product Description
Book Description
A modern classic of Antarctic exploration, beautifully rejacketed to join The Magnetic North
Product Description
After writing two highly praised travel books, Sara Wheeler was accepted by the American government to be the first foreigner on their National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists' and Writers Program. She spent six weeks at the pole and on the edge of the infamous Ross Ice Shelf, as well as another month with the British Antarctic Survey. Terra Incognita is a meditation on the landscape, myths and history of one of the remotest parts of the globe, as well as an encounter with the people who inhabit this region - living in close confinement despite the surrounding acres of white space - and the mechanics of day-to-day life in extraordinary conditions. Through Sara Wheeler, the Antarctic is revealed, in all its seductive mystery.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Extraordinary. Made me laugh and cry at once. Deadpan British humour and intriguing detail coexists along soaringly touching, even mystical, reverie. There is nothing sentimental about Wheeler's love for the Antarctic. This is a real journey told with incredible candour. It's a privilege to have read it.
One of Wheeler's cleverest adjectives to describe detailed, jewel-like writing that she admires is "lapidary." She uses it twice in the book to describe the Antarctic writing of other authors. But HER OWN writing is as jewel-like and detailed in the extreme. What an extraordinary book. It's not like a book at all - it's like a world.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sara Wheeler got a first glimpse of Antarctica when she completed her north-to-south journey through Chile ["Travels In A Thin Country"] by visiting the Chilean base on the Antarctic peninsula. She wrote the title of this book on a new notebook as she flew north again from the Chilean base. It took her two years to arrange to return. For the reader, this account of her adventure was worth every minute and all the effort.
The result is enormously interesting and entertaining. Her writing is a pleasure to read, whether dealing with historical background material, describing childish horse-play and lavatorial school-boy pranks [mostly perpetrated by the British, sadly], rhapsodising over the Antarctic landscape or reflecting on her own inner landscape of fear, depression and faith.
Her style is succinct and humorous when describing life in the bases and in the field, and close to elegiac when treating with the landscape and her own thoughts and feelings about it all. It's clear that Antarctica is spectacular in the extreme. Sara Wheeler has described it without becoming carried away or over-blown but has nevertheless given us a picture lacking nothing in colour, detail and texture.
There is a large library of books on Antarctic exploration. I have quite a number myself, including "South With Scott" by Teddy Evans, signed by the author. Sara Wheeler's book is eminently worthy of taking its place amongst those of Evans, Wilson, Shackleton and Cherry Garrard.
Sara Wheeler is not an explorer or a scientist or an obsessive. She has not written a book describing the events in the moments of the creation of a myth or the miseries endured whilst accomplishing some heroic but essentially meaningless quest [what she refers to as the how-dead-can-you-get tendency]. She has given us a book by an engaging, percipient, thoughtful lay person who describes, for those of us who are entranced but will never go there, what Antarctica is like.
The result is enormously interesting and entertaining. Her writing is a pleasure to read, whether dealing with historical background material, describing childish horse-play and lavatorial school-boy pranks [mostly perpetrated by the British, sadly], rhapsodising over the Antarctic landscape or reflecting on her own inner landscape of fear, depression and faith.
Her style is succinct and humorous when describing life in the bases and in the field, and close to elegiac when treating with the landscape and her own thoughts and feelings about it all. It's clear that Antarctica is spectacular in the extreme. Sara Wheeler has described it without becoming carried away or over-blown but has nevertheless given us a picture lacking nothing in colour, detail and texture.
There is a large library of books on Antarctic exploration. I have quite a number myself, including "South With Scott" by Teddy Evans, signed by the author. Sara Wheeler's book is eminently worthy of taking its place amongst those of Evans, Wilson, Shackleton and Cherry Garrard.
Sara Wheeler is not an explorer or a scientist or an obsessive. She has not written a book describing the events in the moments of the creation of a myth or the miseries endured whilst accomplishing some heroic but essentially meaningless quest [what she refers to as the how-dead-can-you-get tendency]. She has given us a book by an engaging, percipient, thoughtful lay person who describes, for those of us who are entranced but will never go there, what Antarctica is like.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sara Wheeler visited Antarctica under the Writers and Artists program. She travelled extensively and visited the staions of many countries.
This book strikes me as being astonishingly perceptive. She appreciates subtle and less-subtle differences between the nationalities (I'm afraid that the laddish atmosphere of the British base was somewhat unwelcoming). She points out that the real reason for all of these countries maintaining an antarctic presence is more political than scientific.
This book is a rare blend of the spiritual and the scientific. Wild lonely places often evoke a feeling of closeness to God and although many authors have written about this, Ms Wheeler in addition furnishes us with explanations on katabatic winds.
There are tangible connections between her journey and those of the early explorers.....
Lots of little things ring true; she does not display her antarctic mementoes because, off the ice, no-one will understand. I can well believe it. Try telling someone you would like to visit Antarctica and watch their reaction......
Great book. Better travel writing than Theroux, and that's high praise. Buy it.
This book strikes me as being astonishingly perceptive. She appreciates subtle and less-subtle differences between the nationalities (I'm afraid that the laddish atmosphere of the British base was somewhat unwelcoming). She points out that the real reason for all of these countries maintaining an antarctic presence is more political than scientific.
This book is a rare blend of the spiritual and the scientific. Wild lonely places often evoke a feeling of closeness to God and although many authors have written about this, Ms Wheeler in addition furnishes us with explanations on katabatic winds.
There are tangible connections between her journey and those of the early explorers.....
Lots of little things ring true; she does not display her antarctic mementoes because, off the ice, no-one will understand. I can well believe it. Try telling someone you would like to visit Antarctica and watch their reaction......
Great book. Better travel writing than Theroux, and that's high praise. Buy it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Loved it
I came to this book via the diaries of Scott and Shackleton and much of the first-hand material attending them, thence to The Worst Journey in the World and the biography of Apsley... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Patrick Malone
Minority report
I liked Wheeler's "Chile: Travels in a Thin Country', but I found the first half of this rather dull - I can't comment on the second half because I didn't bother reading it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by contrarydavy
A wonderful addition to the polar-explorer classics
I read this book whilst reading a selection of other Antarctic explorer literature. Wheelers' delightful account interweaves previous polar explorers exploits and current Antarctic... Read more
Published 14 months ago by L. Sime
Terra Incognita
Great reading. Book was in good condition. If you are thinking of journying to the South Pole this is the one to read along with Shackletons journey - excellent.
Published on 12 July 2009 by Winston C.
Review of "Terra Incognita" by Sara Wheeler
A really excellent novel, beautifully written, gripping and very personal. I would recommend it to anyone, more especially a woman perhaps.
Published on 28 Jun 2009 by J. J. James
WOO!
Sara Wheeler went to Antarctica as part of the American National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists' and Writers' Program, and found herself virtually the only creative type in... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2007 by Ms. D. R. Moorhouse
Enjoyable and Easy to Read
This book is extremely well written and enjoyable. Despite containing a lot of historical detail it still manages to entertain, and as I say in my review title it is easy to read. Read more
Published on 12 July 2007 by Wendy Jones
Brilliant
The author mixes an account of her visit to Antartica with a potted history of exploration around that region. Read more
Published on 6 July 2007 by Chris Rawlings
An insight into a mystery most of us will never see
I really enjoyed Sara Wheeler's insights into a strange and unforgiving world that very few of us will ever have a privilege to see. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2005 by E. J. Hothersall
EXCELLENT
A good critique of the adventures of an Antarctic explorer! A definite for the curious mind or for the brave soles who want to embark on Antarctic travel. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2002
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