The History of Antarctica

What drives humans to risk death for a continent of ice? This book tells the full story of Antarctic exploration, from ancient geological origins to the modern era, through the obsession, betrayal, and impossible courage of the people who went there. Forget empty wasteland. This is a place where sailors chased myths into screaming blizzards, adventurers ate their own dogs near the Pole, and a ship crushed by ice gave rise to one of the greatest survival stories ever recorded. The book begins long before any human set foot on the continent, when Antarctica was a jungle covered landmass connected to Gondwana before 35 million years of ice buried it all. From there it follows Cook's 1770s expeditions that shattered dreams of a warm southern Eden, the sealing crews who turned Antarctic beaches red in the 1820s, and the great polar rivalries of the early 20th century. Amundsen's deception, Scott's frozen final camp with soil samples still clutched in his hands, Shackleton's 800 mile open boat crossing after the Endurance sank, and Nobu Shirase's forgotten Japanese expedition erased from history are all covered.