At last we got away, on October 19. The weather for the past few days had not been altogether reliable; now windy, now calm - now snowing, now clear: regular spring weather, in other words...With this matter of fact sentence begins one of the most famous journeys in all exploration - Amundsen's conquest of the South Pole. The details of the tragic race with Scott are well known, but often forgotten is the sheer professionalism and courage which drove the Norwegian expedition on. Unlike the driven and tortured egos which bedeviled the British expeditions, the Norwegians worked purposefully as a team using the latest technology, and Amundsen acknowledges this openly when the Pole was finally achieved. I had determined that the act of planting it [the flag] - the historic event - should be equally divided among us all. It was not for one man to do this; it was for all who had staked their lives in the struggle, and held together through thick and thin. This was the only way in which I could show my gratitude to my comrades in this desolate spot...Five weather-beaten, frostbitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical South Pole. Amundsen's Antarctic expedition of 1910-12 is one of the most heroic achievements in the history of exploration. The competence and efficiency with which it was accomplished is testimony to an inspired and inspirational leader.
The South Pole
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'Roald Amundsen planted the Norwegian flag on the South Pole on December 14, 1911: a full month before Robert Falcon Scott arrived on the same spot. Amundsen's The South Pole (Hurst) is less well-known than his rivals, in part because he is less of a literary stylist, but also, perhaps, because he survived the journey. His book is a riveting first-hand account of a truly professional expedition; Amundsen's heroism is understated, but it is heroism nonetheless.' -Erica Wagner, The Times'Amundsen was the supreme exponent of Polar technique. He towered above his rivals; he brought an intellectual approach to exploration and stood, as he still stands, the antipole to the heroic delusion. [A...] The journey to the South Pole remains his masterpiece, the culmination of the classical age of Polar exploration and, perhaps, the greatest snow journey ever made.' -Roland Huntford, The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole
--This text refers to an alternate
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While his conquest of the South Pole is remembered as the crowning achievement of Amundsen's life, it was only one amongst a number of extraordinary accomplishments. In 1897 he served in the Belgica, the first ship to overwinter in the Antarctic. From 1902 to 1906 he became the first person to navigate the fabled North-West Passage and locate the North Magnetic Pole. In 1910 he set sail in the Fram for the North Pole but turned his attention to the South Pole on hearing Peary's fraudulent claim. In December 1911 he reached the South Pole one month ahead of Scott. He then joined the select few to conquer the North-East Passage and in 1926 almost certainly became the first man genuinely to reach the North Pole by airship. In 1928 he died when the airship in which he was searching for the explorer Umberto Nobile crashed.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By D. J. Wilden
Format:Paperback
It's a fabulous book to read, very upbeat, full of life. He describes everything so well it is actually like being on the trip with them. The images of the dogs having a howling contest each day on the trip from Norway must have been anything but fun for the crew, he describes how if you could stop the dog who started it as soon as it started then the rest of the day was "quiet". They started with 97 dogs and they each took turns to start off the howling then the rest joined in, the image conjures up a pretty noisy ship!
He cared a great deal for his dogs (number one priority), the men and everything needed to get them to the pole and more importantly back again. He oversaw clothing, food, shelter, everything was checked to ensure the success of the expedition.
The South Pole is by no means a trip for the faint hearted, but to make the trip with a man with Amundsen's lively personality must have been a joy to the men who went with him. He had the utmost respect and admiration for other polar explorers including Shackleton and Scott. Amundsen succeeded because he put his faith in his dogs who were the engines of his expedition. Scott put his faith in the human body which doomed his attempt from day one. Amundsen must have been a very entertaining dinner party guest. I would recommend this book 100% to anyone who is interested in explorers, Polar or otherwise. It is very entertaining and a visual feast to the imagination.
He cared a great deal for his dogs (number one priority), the men and everything needed to get them to the pole and more importantly back again. He oversaw clothing, food, shelter, everything was checked to ensure the success of the expedition.
The South Pole is by no means a trip for the faint hearted, but to make the trip with a man with Amundsen's lively personality must have been a joy to the men who went with him. He had the utmost respect and admiration for other polar explorers including Shackleton and Scott. Amundsen succeeded because he put his faith in his dogs who were the engines of his expedition. Scott put his faith in the human body which doomed his attempt from day one. Amundsen must have been a very entertaining dinner party guest. I would recommend this book 100% to anyone who is interested in explorers, Polar or otherwise. It is very entertaining and a visual feast to the imagination.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By John Brain
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'The South Pole' is an account by Roald Amundsen of his expedition to the Antarctic in 1910-12. In fact, it is 4 books (or more) in one, for it includes an introductory history of polar exploration, an account of Amundsen's own overland journey to the Pole, a further account of the parallel part of the the expedition - an exploratory sledge journey - and a narration of the full journey of his ship the 'Fram', which sailed an incredible 54,400 nautical miles taking the main party to and from the Pole and conducting scientific research. In addition there are several detailed appendices.
The book is written in an incredibly easy-flowing and eminently readable style.
Three aspects in particular made a deep impression on me. First was the man himself - Amundsen. Incredibly brave and courageous; incredibly competent, and a much loved leader of his men. In terms of leadership, he was quite different from Captain Scott - his rival. Whereas Scott organised his expeditions on naval disciplinary lines, with officers and ordinary expedition members strictly separate, Amundsen, though as much if not more a leader, regarded his men as his equals - and shared everything.
Secondly, the expedition was professionally driven. Prior to this 2+ year undertaking, Amundsen had not visited the Antarctic before. Yet his preparation was meticulous, foreseeing almost every eventuality. In particular, he knew that his only way to achieve success was by reliance on dog-hauled sledges and his use of over 100 dogs is described beautifully.
Thirdly, the book demonstrates the remarkable levels of skills which men possessed a century ago, before the modern technological innovations which proceeded apace in the 20th century. Sailing skills were exceptional. Long before GPS, with relatively primitive instruments, latitude, longitude and altitude were calculated with unerring accuracy both at sea and on the ice bound land-mass. The ability to survive in an unrelenting climate, for many days and months on end, by careful planning, prodigious knowledge and an aptitude for innovation when circumstances dictated, were second-to-none.
This is a superb book. Highly recommended.
The book is written in an incredibly easy-flowing and eminently readable style.
Three aspects in particular made a deep impression on me. First was the man himself - Amundsen. Incredibly brave and courageous; incredibly competent, and a much loved leader of his men. In terms of leadership, he was quite different from Captain Scott - his rival. Whereas Scott organised his expeditions on naval disciplinary lines, with officers and ordinary expedition members strictly separate, Amundsen, though as much if not more a leader, regarded his men as his equals - and shared everything.
Secondly, the expedition was professionally driven. Prior to this 2+ year undertaking, Amundsen had not visited the Antarctic before. Yet his preparation was meticulous, foreseeing almost every eventuality. In particular, he knew that his only way to achieve success was by reliance on dog-hauled sledges and his use of over 100 dogs is described beautifully.
Thirdly, the book demonstrates the remarkable levels of skills which men possessed a century ago, before the modern technological innovations which proceeded apace in the 20th century. Sailing skills were exceptional. Long before GPS, with relatively primitive instruments, latitude, longitude and altitude were calculated with unerring accuracy both at sea and on the ice bound land-mass. The ability to survive in an unrelenting climate, for many days and months on end, by careful planning, prodigious knowledge and an aptitude for innovation when circumstances dictated, were second-to-none.
This is a superb book. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By S. Chander
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very very basic rendering of the text.
No plates or diagrams or maps whatsoever.
The text has lots of mistakes in it, with strange symbols and headings stuffed into the text ... looks like it was edited (if that's the word) in India or some such place.
Yes it's readable if you want the text, but for the money better to get a copy that hasn't got gobbledygoock through it, and has some maps.
No plates or diagrams or maps whatsoever.
The text has lots of mistakes in it, with strange symbols and headings stuffed into the text ... looks like it was edited (if that's the word) in India or some such place.
Yes it's readable if you want the text, but for the money better to get a copy that hasn't got gobbledygoock through it, and has some maps.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Do not buy
This book is produced by a print on demand operation which does not even bother to proof read the extremely inaccurate result of scanning the original text. Shoddy piece of work.
Published 2 months ago by A. du Plessis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant read
Fantastic book, makes you wonder how men endured these hardships and never moaned about a thing. I would of loved to have been there.
Published 3 months ago by j j sowerby
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another South Pole epic
This is a good factual account of the Norweigans trip to the South Pole but I found the author's attitude somewhat smug and complacent with everything going according to plan or... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Arthur Twiggs
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amundsen was a great explorer, but Huntford tells the story better.
Amundsen's first-hand account of his trip to the South Pole is fascinating in many ways, because it is the in the words of the man who actually planned and did it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Alfredo Hamill
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, But Would Recommend Shackleton's "South" Instead
This isn't a bad book. It's a lengthy and detailed account of the Norwegian trip to the South Pole. It has a lot of scientific content at the end and it is overall very factual,... Read more
Published 17 months ago by kindler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amundsen's Expedition to the South Pole
It's interesting to compare this account with Apsley Cherry-Garrard's story of the Scott expedition. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Baraniecki Mark Stuart
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