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Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 South: The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurance (The Explorers Club Classic) October 14, 2009
P. Wachter (Scottsdale, AZ)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The journal format in which the book was written was difficult to read and enjoy.
I did finish reading it but it was an effort.
 read this April 27, 2009
T. Martin (moving to texas)
i first read this book after national geographic did a story on shackleton years ago. the article itself was an amazing read and prompted me to want to know more.
this tale is absolutely incredible! shackleton did everything against the social and known norms in putting together his team, this journey and, quite frankly, his life. shackleton, apparently, was a misfit of a man who was scoffed at in social and science circles because he was half irish and had a brother being investigated for the robbery of some magnitude at the time.
with all of our advances in technology today antartica, for the most part, still remains a no man's land. yet, shackleton and his crew (every single one of them) survived with just wool socks, sweaters, pea coats and the like.
it is such a compelling story and certainly not one to ever be forgotten. this is a must read not only for the amazing story within, but, if anything, for the reassurance that man alone can survive anything.
Extraordinary. Heroic. Awe-Inspiring. Historical. December 5, 2008
Jeffrey E Ellis (Naperville, IL USA)
SOUTH (The Last Antarctic Expedition of Shackleton and the Endurance) is Shackleton's personal account of the extraordinary endeavor to discover the South Pole from 1914 to 1916.
World War I was just breaking out as Shackleton and the crew of twenty-eight aboard the Endurance sailed to discover the unexplored regions of Antarctica. Little did they know that they would be facing one of the most daunting challenges to human survival ever chronicled.
The Endurance would be caught in early ice floes before she reached her intended port and imprison her crew in what would have been a wintry grave. With temperatures well below freezing, this hardy group of explorers would bravely face survival for a year and half. Amazingly, all twenty-eight would survive in the most incredible example of leadership, courage, and gritty endurance of the 20th century.
As the leader of the expedition, Shackleton's account of the journey and rescue is fascinating. Revered by his men, he was simply known as the "Boss". His leadership kept those men alive and in hope of rescue when all reason and sanity would have given up. I was interested to read of his quiet faith and reliance upon divine "Providence" for his hope and strength.
"We had suffered, starved, and triumphed, grovelled down yet grasped at glory, grown bigger in the bigness of the whole. We had seen God in his splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man."
While not a spell-binding story-teller, Shackleton's account is matter-of-fact and occasionally poignant; an interesting insight into an extraordinary leader.
British Stoicism October 7, 2007
Philip W. Henry (Rialto, CA)
SOUTH: THE LAST ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
Here is a list of equipment that Sir Ernest Shackleton did NOT have for his memorable Endurance expedition: GPS location finders; radio ; RADAR, SONAR; computerized navigation; professional medical care; thermal clothes; MRE'S (Meals Ready To Eat), double steel hull; air and logistical support, public relations agents; marketing proposals; lawyers.
Shacketon's crew navigated with a sextant; traversed the icecap with dog sleds instead of ski-doos, and ate canned herring, tinned meat, pemmican, biscuits and occasional seals.
What he did have was an old ship, a strong crew, an incredible work ethic, classic British stoicism and unerring sense of the right thing to do.
His book reads like a Robert Louis Stevenson or H.G. Welles story, but it is the unvarnished truth. His matter -of -fact account is brilliantly illustrated by Frank Hurley's dramatic black & white photos of The Endurance encapsulated in ice, its masts and spars dripping frozen water like the maritime apparition in Melville's "Benito Cereno."
I seriously doubt whether a modern expedition equipped with all the bells and whistles and sponsored with corporate money could duplicate what Shackleton's Endurance accomplished under the most adverse circumstances imaginable.
Because the Endurance expedition occurred in 1914-15 at the start of World World War I
Shackleton's accomplishment was largely overshadowed, and the Antarctic was all but forgotten until the `fifties and `sixties when its scientific and strategic value was rediscovered.
Now, as the Antarctic ice cap melts from global warming, one wonders at Shackleton's accomplishment.
No one could tell this experience better than Sir Ernest Shackleton himself! May 20, 2007
Rik's Journeys (Northern California)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After more than a year of seeing pretty much nothing but ice and snow, and living in, at times, sub-zero temperatures, Sir Ernest Shackleton writes about his camp's current conditions; "Drifts four feet deep covered everything, and we had to be continually digging up our scanty stock of meat to prevent its being lost altogether... On this day, and for the next two or three also, it was impossible to do anything but get right inside one's frozen sleeping bag to try and get warm. Too cold to read or sew, we had to keep our hands well inside, and pass the time in conversation with each other." He's so matter-of-fact... no fluff here. He just tells it like it is. I love that about this book. The conditions worsen by leaps and bounds as the story continues, but I'll leave that for you to explore on your own. Anyway, the first few chapters are very informative regarding how the expedition was planned, where they were headed, how they got there, etc... for me, it started a little slow, but I understand why the writer wanted to include this information. So, then you get into the "meaty" survival stuff... and is it ever so fascinating. And for me, it's especially fascinating because it doesn't seem to be sugar-coated, as so many writers are proned to do when telling their story. In fiction, I don't mind so much the way a writer gives you every detail, written ever so eloquently, but when it comes to true stories... especially survival stories, I personally just want to hear the straight talk. A GREAT SURVIVAL STORY AND PERFECTLY WRITTEN for this reader.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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