Product Description

This is a first hand account of the first successful expedition to the South Pole, written by the leader Roald Amundsen. It constructs the character of the expedition and provides insight into Amundsen's philosophy of exploration and his own professionalism, in the age of the amateur explorer. On October 18, 1911, Amundsen's party set out to reach the South Pole. They were three weeks ahead of the Scott expedition and, unlike the Scott party, they were using dogs and skis to achieve their goal. On December 14, 1911, Amundsen's party raised the flag of Norway at the South Pole, beating the Scott expedition by one month. This account captures the drive and ambition, and the skill and expertise of Amundsen and his men.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109098 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-02
• Original language: Norwegian
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Paperback
• 896 pages

Review
'Roald Amundsen planted the Norwegian flag on the South Pole on December 14, 1911: a full month before Robert Falcon Scott arrived on the same spot. Amundsen's The South Pole (Hurst) is less well-known than his rivals, in part because he is less of a literary stylist, but also, perhaps, because he survived the journey. His book is a riveting first-hand account of a truly professional expedition; Amundsen's heroism is understated, but it is heroism nonetheless.' -Erica Wagner, The Times'Amundsen was the supreme exponent of Polar technique. He towered above his rivals; he brought an intellectual approach to exploration and stood, as he still stands, the antipole to the heroic delusion. [A...] The journey to the South Pole remains his masterpiece, the culmination of the classical age of Polar exploration and, perhaps, the greatest snow journey ever made.' -Roland Huntford, The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole

Customer Reviews

Roald Amundsen's account of the South Pole expedition 1910-1912
It's a fabulous book to read, very upbeat, full of life. He describes everything so well it is actually like being on the trip with them. The images of the dogs having a howling contest each day on the trip from Norway must have been anything but fun for the crew, he describes how if you could stop the dog who started it as soon as it started then the rest of the day was "quiet". They started with 97 dogs and they each took turns to start off the howling then the rest joined in, the image conjures up a pretty noisy ship!

He cared a great deal for his dogs (number one priority), the men and everything needed to get them to the pole and more importantly back again. He oversaw clothing, food, shelter, everything was checked to ensure the success of the expedition.

The South Pole is by no means a trip for the faint hearted, but to make the trip with a man with Amundsen's lively personality must have been a joy to the men who went with him. He had the utmost respect and admiration for other polar explorers including Shackleton and Scott. Amundsen succeeded because he put his faith in his dogs who were the engines of his expedition. Scott put his faith in the human body which doomed his attempt from day one. Amundsen must have been a very entertaining dinner party guest. I would recommend this book 100% to anyone who is interested in explorers, Polar or otherwise. It is very entertaining and a visual feast to the imagination.