Product Description

The atlas of 1816 was littered with blanks. What was the North Pole? Was there a Northwest passage? What lay at the heart of Africa? Did Antarctica exist? In his quest to find the answers to these questions John Barrow, Second Secretary to the Admiralty, launched the most ambitious programme of exploration the world had ever seen. Between 1816 and 1845 his hand-picked teams of elite naval officers scoured the globe's empty spaces. Often at odds with each other and working in utterly surreal conditions - cocked hats in the Arctic, frock coats in the Sahara - they entered the void. Their ignorance of the conditions they would encounter, allied to Barrow's insouciant way with maps, make this a tale of absurdly dangerous comedy as well as harrowing personal endeavour.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #110129 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 500 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There's something about the overwhelming emptiness and terrifying beauty of the polar regions that never fails to attract. They are the most powerful symbols we have left of a world where human-made laws and values count for nothing; no one conquers the frozen wastelands-- they merely learn to live by the rules nature dictates. It is easy to see how for a long time the lives of the polar explorers were shrouded in quasi-mystical and heroic terms. This all changed in the 1970s with the publication of Roland Huntford's magnificent biography, Scott and Amundsen, in which he systematically and methodically revealed the levels of incompetence and arrogance with which Scott's expedition was riddled.

In Barrow's Boys Fergus Fleming takes us on an incisive and witty journey through the landmark years of British exploration from 1816-1850, marvelling at both the bravery and the stupidity involved. Fleming is a historian first and foremost, so he begins by placing exploration in its context. It wasn't some high-minded idealism or wacky sense of adventure, as is often suggested, that placed Britain at the forefront of discovery, but economics and self-interest. At the end of the Napoleonic wars, the British Navy was too large for its peacetime needs. Officers were laid off and advancement was slow, so the Navy needed to find itself a role. Charting the unmapped areas of the world seemed as good an idea as any.

Step forward John Barrow. Barrow was only the Second Secretary at the Admiralty--not normally a position of great influence--yet he was a skilled politician, and he managed to carve out a niche for himself by organising expedition after expedition. He started inauspiciously by sending Captain James Tuckey off on an ill-fated jaunt up the Congo in search of Timbucktoo, which was then imagined as some African El Dorado, and he ended in failure with the loss of Franklin's expedition to find the North West Passage. In between he courted triumph and tragedy; Ross discovered Antarctica, Parry opened up the Arctic with his attempt on the Pole, and Captain Bremer failed to establish northern Australia as the new Singapore.

Fleming has a great feel for the telling detail. He doesn't get lost in endless minutiae that distract from the narrative, but he never fails to remind us of the surrealism of British 19th-century exploration--cocked hats and reindeer-drawn sledges in the Arctic, frock coats in the Sahara. When put like this, it makes it all too easy to see how Scott could have been allowed to have botch his journey to the South Pole quite so catastrophically. --John Crace

Good Book Guide
‘A remarkable story, engagingly and knowledgeably told’

About the Author
Fergus Fleming was born in 1959 and studied at Oxford University and City University, London. He trained as an accountant and barrister and has worked as a furniture maker.

Customer Reviews

From Biblio to Bio
The Author explains that this book was conceived as the name of John Barrow is to be found in the Bibliographies on English Expeditions of Discovery, for a good portion of the first half of the 19th Century. The men that lead or were notable participants in these ventures have written books, and been the subject of other tomes, many times over. Evidently this is the first time the man who was a driving force behind these events has been profiled alongside the voyages. Some of these events include the search for The Northwest Passage, the trek for The North Pole, documenting the North and South Magnetic Poles, and exploring Antarctica. And when you have frozen through these epic travels, the writer takes you to Australia, and the overland marches in search of Timbuktu, the search for the beginning and end of The Niger River, and many other historical firsts.

Along with the details of the trips and the men that carried them out, the Author also explains the construction of the ships, how these wooden vessels were able to break through ice instead of their being broken. There are important details noted that history too often neglects, such as the black member of the group that first crossed the Northwest Passage from West to East, and also the man of color who was there when the North Pole was attacked. The tales range from remarkable folly when officers were to wear dress uniforms when crossing the desserts of Africa to maintain the pride of Britain, to other men who adopted not only the dress of The Muslims, but also learned to speak their language!

In his position at The Admiralty and other distinguished posts, Barrow not only could direct what expeditions took place, but also those personalities that were to lead them. With this power he made or destroyed the reputations of many brave men whose only failure was that they did not succeed Barrow's terms. Most of his beliefs about The Northwest Passage, The North Pole, and the rivers and cities of Africa were wrong. Despite this, his persistence and through those men that undertook these journeys, he set in motion the travels that would fill in what were then voids on the map of the world. But while alive he was a bitter taskmaster who would brutally discredit the same courageous men he had sent to destinations never before seen by a European, if he did not gain the information and confirmation of the beliefs he held to be true. His ego came before his desire for accuracy.

Different readers will select those actions they find to be the most remarkable, for me
it was those trips that in futility sought The Northwest Passage by ship. These ships and crew would at times be gone for 2, 3, or even 4 years, depending on the whims of the ice. During one such voyage after surviving another brutal winter a vessel again made its way toward home. When once again locked in the ice for yet another winter the ship had traveled a distance that a man could easily have walked in 2 hours!

These winters, which occupied most of the calendar, were filled with activities to literally keep all members healthy and sane. Seamen who could not read or write came home literate, and the majority of the time scurvy was kept at bay by Captains that truly seemed to care for their men. There were of course Captains whose sanity could be questioned, and at least one who was certifiably a mental misfit. However these were the exception and not the rule. The Author also shares the first outside human encounter that an isolated group of Eskimos had experienced in 400 years. The story will contradict every evil cliché that has been too easily attached to those who set out on these voyages.

The book is a remarkable piece of work, which pays both tribute and passes judgment when appropriate. A wonderful piece of scholarly work that is a privilege to read.

A great book
A book which proves the English are completely mad. A collection of chaotic attempts in the first half of the eighteenth century to complete the NW passage, get to the North/South Pole, and explore Africa - some explorations were extremely good, some totally insane. Highly recommended.

Very Enjoyable Exploration History
This is a fascinating and enjoyable account of a number of brave men, sent to the furthermost points of the world to fill in the blank spots on the British Navy's globe. John Barrow, Second Secretary to the Admiralty sent a number of expeditions to find the source of the Niger River, to locate and traverse the North-West Passage, to locate Magnetic North, to find out what was actually at the Antarctic.

There are some great adventure stories here, of brave men, blundering fools and gentle heroes. Travel the Sahara on a camel or with a slave convoy, drag boats and sleds across ice flows in the Arctic whilst on half rations or travel across the Canadian wilderness whilst near death from starvation. Experience the affects of scurvy and hunger whilst trapped in a wooden ship with massive icebergs slowly crushing the frame.

Read about the majestic sights seen by these intrepid travelers, pink ice, the aurora borealis and the aurora australis, Eskimo's and polar bears. Read about the tragic end to a number of these expeditions and the fate of many of the ship's crews, most notably John Franklin's 1845 expedition in the 'Erebus' and 'Terror' to find the North-West Passage.

This is a great book, the narrative flows along like a well-written novel. At times I found it hard to put the book down, reading late into the morning trying to finish a chapter. I must admit that I have no previous expertise in this field other than having read "Ice Blink" but I found the story well presented and believe that the author has done his research. This is an easy and enjoyable book to read and I think anyone who loves a good adventure story will certainly enjoy this account.