Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #400909 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-11
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Sunday Times, January 16, 2005
well-researched

Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times, October 26, 2003
A fascinating and wide-ranging study.

Duncan Spencer, Washington Times, October 10, 2003
A meticulous examination...weaving record, anecdote and example with great skill, with some remarkable conclusions.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
For anyone who wishes to know more about Captain Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to the South Atlantic, Max Jones' 'The Last Great Quest' is just about the best book there is.

On the one hand, the book is very effective as a straightforward account of Captain Scott's quest to reach the South Pole, the reasons why it took place and why it failed. On the other hand, the book also works extremely well as an account of how Scott's heroic reputation was created and sustained. It is an account, therefore, not merely of the expedition itself, but also an account that takes in wider themes about Edwardian society and culture, and how these forces came to exert an influence on the Scott expedition and its reputation.

Jones is equally adept handling both elements. A range of primary evidence has been used, and it is all marshalled in an effective way to illuminate both the tale of the expedition and the wider themes of society and culture. In doing this, Jones thankfully avoids falling into the trap of writing in a dull and over-complicated style - a trap which sometimes sadly befalls academics. It is comprehensive and detailed without ever being dry, and Jones' writing is fluid.