Shackleton
Explorer. Leader. Legend.
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4.7 • 11 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Discover the exhilarating true story of Ernest Shackleton's legendary Antarctic expedition
Told through the words of the world's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes - one of the only men to understand his experience first-hand . . .
'For anyone with a passion for polar exploration, this is a must read' NEW YORK TIMES
'THE definitive book on Shackleton and no one could have done it better . . . an authentic account by one of the few men who truly knows what it's like to challenge Antarctica' LORRAINE KELLY
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In 1915, Sir Ernest Shackleton's attempt to be the first to traverse the Antarctic was cut short when his ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice.
He and his crew should have died.
Instead, through a long, dark winter, Shackleton fought back: enduring sub-zero temperatures, a perilous lifeboat journey across icy seas, and a murderous march over glaciers to seek help.
Shackleton's epic trek is one of history's most enthralling adventures. But who was he? How did previous Antarctic expeditions and his rivalry with Captain Scott forge him? And what happened afterwards to the man many believed was invincible?
In this astonishing account, Fiennes brings the story vividly to life in a book that is part celebration, part vindication and all adventure.
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'Fiennes makes a fine guide on voyage into Shackleton's world . . . What makes this book so engaging is the author's own storytelling skills' Irish Independent
'Fiennes relates these tales of exploration and survival, adding insight to Shackleton's journeys unlike any other biographer' Radio Times
Praise for Sir Ranulph Fiennes:
'The World's Greatest Living Explorer' Guinness Book of Records
'Full of awe-inspiring details of hardship, resolve and weather that defies belief, told by someone of unique authority. No one is more tailor-made to tell [this] story than Sir Ranulph Fiennes' Newsday
'Fiennes' own experiences certainly allow him to write vividly and with empathy of the hell that the men went through' Sunday Times
'Fiennes brings the promised perspective of one who has been there, illuminating Shackleton's actions by comparing them with his own. Beginners to the Heroic Age will enjoy this volume, as will serious polar adventurers seeking advice. For all readers, it's a tremendous story' Sara Wheeler, The Wall Street Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Explorer Fiennes (Cold) draws on his own experiences in Antarctica in this sympathetic if somewhat dry biography of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874-1921). Fiennes contends that Shackleton's first two expeditions to Antarctica "helped pave the way for Amundsen and Scott to reach the South Pole," and recounts in detail the 1914-1917 Endurance expedition, when Shackleton's ship was crushed by ice and he saved his entire crew by sailing a lifeboat across 800 miles of "grey and desolate sea" and traversing South Georgia island to get help. Fiennes also defends Shackleton against accusations of being a poor planner, and notes that his own journey across the Antarctic continent in 1993 followed the route Shackleton intended to take on the Endurance expedition. Details of Shackleton's early life in Ireland and England reveal how he dreamed from a young age "of becoming a hero... feted far and wide," while discussions of the challenges he faced in raising funds and finding crew members showcase his fierce will and powers of persuasion. Though Fiennes's admiration shines through, frequent asides about his own expeditions are more distracting than insightful, and the prose doesn't quite capture the drama of polar exploration. Still, this is a thorough record of Shackleton's successes and failures.
