[ANTARCTICA] SHACKLETON, Ernest H.
South: The Story of Shackleton's Last expedition 1914-1917.
London, Macmillan, 1920.
Octavo, with 88 illustrations and diagrams; a couple of library stamps; a fine copy in the original dark blue ribbed cloth.
First American edition, second printing, of Shackleton's expedition account.
After hearing of Amundsen's victory in attaining the South Pole - a goal he had so nearly achieved in his 1907-09 expedition - Shackleton decided on a bold plan to cross the Antarctic continent from sea to sea.
The British Trans-Continental Expedition consisted of two parties: Shackleton's Weddell Sea Party which sailed to South Georgia in the Endurance, and the Ross Sea Party, which sailed from Sydney in the Aurora and began their trek at Cape Evans.
Before making a landing, members of Shackleton's party were trapped in the ice in the Endurance and forced to spend ten months there until the Endurance sank due to pressure cracks. After a further six months on the ice floes, Shackleton took five men and sailed to South Georgia where they chartered a boat and returned to rescue the rest of the party camped on Elephant Island. Their efforts had been in vain: they abandoned the expedition without ever having set foot on the continent.
The Ross Sea Party was scarcely more successful. Under extreme conditions, the shore party had sledged over one thousand six hundred miles in six and a half months to lay provision trails to support the continental crossing that would not occur.
This is an unusually good copy of the "New and Cheaper edition", printed in November 1920 (the first printing was in January of the same year).
Rosove, 308.B2.
