Product Description

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is uniquely qualified to write a new biography of Captain Scott. This is the first biography of Scott by someone who has experienced the deprivations, the stress and the sheer physical pain that Scott lived through. Ranulph Fiennes tells the story of Scott's life - and discusses how his achievements have been viewed after his death - with empathy and great skill.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #231574 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-13
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

About the Author
A former member of the SAS, Sir Ranulph Fiennes was the first man to reach both poles on land. He is the only person yet to have been awarded two clasps to the Polar medal for both Antarctic and the Arctic regions.

Customer Reviews

Great Scott!
I picked up this book and completed it over a few days. I honestly could not put this book down. Fiennes narrative really draws you in, and I felt I could not get a lot closer to Scott during his expiditions to the South Pole. Fiennes adds to the adventure with comparisons with his own efforts in Antartica.

However Fienns makes it clear that this book aims to set the record straight where other biographers have questioned Scott's character and judgement. This results in perhaps a little to much 'hero worship' of Captain Scott for me, but this did not distract from a cracking read, that will stay with me for a very long time!

A Reputation Restored
I cannot praise this book enough. Like many people, I had accepted the modern day version of Scott's explorations - misguided, amateurish and marred by Scott's wayward and boorishness personality, leading on to predictable tragedy.

Rannulph Fiennes proves not only that this is total nonsense, but reveals Scott as a thoughtful, caring and inspired leader, fully deserving of the heroic reputation he held until it was damaged and disparaged in recent years by a hack journalist, Roland Huntford, so desperate to add some colour and scandal to his books, he fundamentally distorted the true story of Scott and his breathtaking achievements.

Anyone interested in polar adventure, in tales of courage or in simple justice should snatch this book up. It is a tremendous read and fully deserving of its five stars.

This book needed to be written
I believe that R Fiennes has written a very important book.

I have been collecting Antarctic literature, for the period between 1901 - 1922 since the early eighties. I have all the journals, several biographies, many first editions and even one of Scott's first expedition signed by Peter, whom I also knew and visited in Slimbridge. I was fortunate enough to spend 17 days camped, with a friend and Argentinian colleague, just a stone's throw from Scott's hut when part of the NZ Antarctic Research Team of January 1996. I spent many, and happy, hours just sitting in the hut as I had been given the key for the whole period.

All of my "knowledge", and opinions, of this period has come from the various journals and biographies written. I do not claim any expertise, just a love of the period and of Antarctica itself .

I have never been able to understand why biographers believe that there was rivalry between Scott and Shackleton or why, in order to revere one of the explorers of this time it is necessary to pour scorn on another. Why each explorer of this period cannot be admired for their own individual contributions to Antarctic exploration. For myself, I have always regarded Scott as the amateur and Amundsen as the professional, but without denigration or honour being applied to these words. Much like the Players versus the Gentlemen in sixties cricket parlance, or ProAm golf today.

There can be no doubt that Huntford did a huge disservice to the memory of Scott without really adding anything to the understanding of polar exploration. It was as unnecessary as it was transparently erroneous. I sincerely hope that Fienne's book will be widely read, it deserves to be both for the additional material and insights it has brought to the subject as well as re-dressing the balance of Scott's achievement.