Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907 - 1909.
SHACKLETON'S NIMROD EXPEDITION
The Heart of the Antarctic Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907 - 1909.
Heinemann, 1909.
First edition. Two volumes. 4to. Blue cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and silver lettering and illustration to the upper cover. Top edges gilt. Photogravure frontispieces to each volume; twelve colour plates after paintings by George Marston, all with captioned tissue guards; four double-page photographic plates, 271 photographic illustrations on 195 plates; diagrams, maps, plans & graphs in the text, including nine full-page. Also three folding maps and one folding plate containing two panoramic views in end-pocket of vol. II. A fine set, with exceptionally bright gilt and clean cloth in very near fine dust wrappers, clean and crisp with just a trace of wear to the head of the spine.
Shackleton's famous account of the Nimrod expedition, which he lead to the Antarctic in 1907-09. The expedition got within some hundred miles of the Pole, whereupon Shackleton gave the quest up famously claiming, "Better a live donkey than a dead lion.", but it established Shackleton as a "bona fide English hero" (Books on Ice). A measure of the regard in which Shackleton was held can be gathered from the quote attributed to Raymond Priestley, who accompanied Shackleton on this and future expeditions, "For scientific leadership, give me Scott; for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems to be no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton."
Stock ID: 45369
£15,000.00
