Product Description

David Crane has given us the definitive biography of one of Britain's greatest heroes and explorers. 'It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more...For God's sake look after our people.' These were the final words written in Scott's diary on 29 March 1912, as he lay dying in his tent with Birdie Bowers and Edward Wilson. Oates had taken himself into a blizzard a few days before, and the fifth member of the Polar party, Edgar Evans had died some ten days previously, worn out by the cold and physical effort of the journey across Antarctica. Since then, Scott has been the subject of many books - many hagiographical, others dismissive and scathing. Yet, in all the pages that have been written about him, the personality behind the legend has been forgotten or distorted beyond all recognition. David Crane's magisterial biography, based on years of close and detailed research with the original documents, redresses this completely. By reassessing Scott's life and his substantial scientific achievements, Crane is able to provide a fresh and exciting perspective on both the Discovery expedition of 1901-4 and the Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12. The courage and tragedy of Scott's last journey are only one part of the process, for the scientific enquiry that led up to it transformed the whole nature and ambition of Antarctic exploration. One of the great strengths of this biography is Scott's own voice, which echoes through the pages. Scott's descriptions of the monumental landscape of Antarctica in all its fatal and icy beauty are breathtaking; his honest, heartfelt letters and diaries give the reader an unforgettable account of the challenges he faced both in his personal life and as a superlative leader of men in possibly the harshest environment on the planet. Written with the full support of Scott's surviving relatives, and with access to the voluminous diaries and records of key participants, including admiring scientists, this definitive biography sets out to reconcile the very private struggles of the man with the very public life of extremes that he led.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48156 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

Review
'Moving!a balanced and gripping account!David Crane has written a fine biography of Scott, the flawed but timeless hero, and I read it all with pleasure.' Guardian 'he [Crane] has freed himself from the tyranny of the card index to let Scott live again as a man.' Daily Telegraph 'Compelling!impressive!moving!' The Sunday Telegraph

Literary Review
'a vivid and readable account of the world's most tragically famous failure'

The Guardian
'moving...a balanced and gripping account...a fine biography of Scott, the flawed but timeless hero'

Customer Reviews

The book is better than the subject
In passing judgement, one should not confuse the efforts of author Crane with those of explorer Scott. In the case of Crane he has done a marvelous job with copious material that allows one to take good measure of the subject Scott. This allows one to conclude as ever that Scott was a heroic failure, a man driven he believed towards success but whose destiny was inevitable given the constant extreme risks he took, the unforgiving harsh environment and his lack of knowledge and experience in that environment. The virtue of Crane is that, despite his desire to rescue Scott's reputation, the thoroughness of his research cements the conclusion to the contrary.

The dedicated but amateur Scott up against the meticulous professional Amundsen in the race to the pole? The outcome was no surprise. Again, it is to Crane's credit that he directly admits so in the text. That Scott's foolhardiness also killed other men, albeit their participation willing, is sufficient factual evidence to condemn his actions. Scott was, as the back cover of the book states, ''a superlative leader of men'', whose leadership brought them to their death. The numerous narrow escapes (e.g. the over-loaded Terra Nova was lucky to make it through to Antarctica in the first place - maybe Scott should have decided against bringing the champagne or the untested motorized sledges?) documented by Crane made it only a matter of time. Shackleton's record in keeping his team alive stands in harsh contrast.

The book is a pleasure to read. Its well-constructed prose flows easily page after page. Though I have read numerous other accounts and know the facts fairly well, Crane's account absorbed my attention. Curiously, I did not find it very emotional despite the romantic nature of Scott and his writing.

Crane's book is a fascinating rounded picture of a complex man's life. It makes one reflect how we are all mixed products of our society and times, our upbringing, people we meet by chance or by design, our efforts, our individual personality and the randomness of the world. This is a book worth buying and keeping on the shelf.

With Huntford to the Pole!
I enjoyed this, and found it easy to read even though it's a bit hefty. It is another revisionist attempt to undermine Scott's critical nemesis - Roland Huntford. It doesn't succeed however, since, as another reviewer points out, most of Huntford's criticism remains entirely justified and unconvincingly challenged. Crane, in fact, when faced with a particularly choice example of Scott's ineptitude, usually dismisses criticism with an authorial shrug of the shoulders as if to say 'How could it have been otherwise?' This is simply disingenuous, for it could well have been otherwise had Scott's expertise and aptitude been as great as his physical courage.

The result is that, just as the ghost of Shackleton and his achievement shadowed Scott all the way to the Pole and prompted much of the action, the ghost of Huntford accompanies Crane on his trail and shapes much of the journey. Thus, for example, we are always being reminded that Scott's rigid naval training was more to blame for the desperate mistakes he made than Scott himself.

Crane gives a great show of even handedness, but is careful to let us know, in what I assume he thinks is a very subtle manner, the true quality (and essential un-Britishness) of the opposition. Shackleton, for instance, went on to great things but we are often reminded that he is chiefly a self publicist on a huge ego trip. Amundsen doesn't kill his worn out dogs, he 'slaughters' them.

Shackleton got lucky with ponies on his furthest south, so Scott had to have ponies. Shackleton had to be bettered, so his methods were almost slavishly copied and adhered to. Yet Scott only had to see the dogs performing well when handled properly for all sorts of doubts to seize him about having brought the ponies (not to mention the ludicrously untested and unequipped motorized sledges).

Scott's legendary temper is acknowledged but then explained away by the stress and strain of leadership. His tantrums were wonderful to behold, but they get little airing here. His rigid adherence to the divide between lower and upper decks is seen, too, as harmless, benign even; the diaries of the men don't always testify to this and Crane has to choose his extracts carefully here. In fact, when Scott and his 'right sort' chums, like Wilson, go tearing round the ship ripping each other's shirts off as part of some after dinner game, it gives you some idea of what men like Crean and Lashly (not to mention today's psychoanalysts) were up against.

It is difficult to read Huntford's book (Scott and Amundsen: the last place on earth) without becoming irked at the relentlessly anti-Scott position he adopts. Nevertheless, his criticism still stands; it remains as potent and justified as ever. Ranulph Fiennes's attempt to dismiss it on the grounds that Huntford has never manhauled a sledge not only negates all historical writing, but also smacks of desperation. Crane's softly, softly, let's-not-dwell-upon-the-mistakes approach is too romantic for my taste. Huntford is still the man to read if you want to know what it was really like. He's a better writer, too.

Other means of transportation
The Western civilization was always fascinated in human continued existence in isolated and remote places. Those isolated circumstances yielded unique possibilities of behavioral investigations in to the human nature. For us the Rice to South Pole is an historical event of small group of people in remote and isolated place. For many years following the Rice to the South Pole, the authors were describing of the way history of the event has been. The second wave of books preliminary by Roland Huntford Scott and Amundsen and TV film The Last Place on Earth marked new and highly critical accounts of Scott actions as a leader of expedition. Scott's hero like reputation and mythology was damaged to the great extend. The third wave recently emerged to rebut of Huntford's demolition of Scott by Susan Solomon, Ranulph Fiennes and David Crane. Fiennes pointed out that Huntford lacks direct experience of Polar travel and man-hauling and is therefore not really authorized to comment on Scott's technical deficiencies. However, all except few authors have had man-hauling experience. While working in this line, one easily exclude all books about historical events and persons, as very few of us have direct experience similar to the subject. And even if, Fineness' line of reasoning was right that his polar experience gives him unique position to judge Scott's actions, he further proves that Amundsen's superior familiarity of polar conditions and methods was crucial and led him to success.

Was Capitan Scott genuinely interested in scientific research, was his expedition preliminary scientific or its was façade to cover up expeditions expenses and justification? Between many great pictures taken by camera artist Herbert G. Ponting there is one showing Scott's cubicle in the base hut at Cape Evans, McMurdo Sound. One can easily notice a good number of books on the bookshelf. For sure some Scott's contemporary accounts of Arctic and Antarctic exploration were their. Did he read it? Did Scott read these books before his attempts to explore Antarctica? And even if, did Scott gained knowledge and used it? Undoubtedly, to read these books at the last minute at Cape Evans will be too late.

One can wonder, which version of Scott is true: Huntford's bungling fool, Salomon's cold over mind, Fineness' mind over matter or Crane's transcendent romantic? However, their is no need to succumb to the monomania of a single, unified, explain-it-all speculation as a complexity of the story is vast.