Roald Amundsen records his race to be the first man to reach the South Pole. Amundsen's expertise enabled him to succeed where his predecessors, and competitors, did not. His rival Captain Robert F. Scott not only failed to reach the Pole first, but--due to poor preparation and miscalculation--died with the rest of his party on their return trip. The South Pole remains one of the greatest and most important books on polar exploration.
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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About the Author
Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was the first to sail through the Northwest and Northeast Passages, and the first to fly a dirigible over the North Pole.
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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 4 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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