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In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic (Modern Library Exploration)

by Valerian Albanov

In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic (Modern Library Exploration) Cover

ISBN13: 9780679783619
ISBN10: 067978361x
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In 1912, six months after Robert Falcon Scott and four of his men came to grief in Antarctica, a thirty-two-year-old Russian navigator named Valerian Albanov embarked on an expedition that would prove even more disastrous. In search of new Arctic hunting grounds, Albanov's ship, the Saint Anna, was frozen fast in the pack ice of the treacherous Kara Sea-a misfortune grievously compounded by an incompetent commander, the absence of crucial nautical charts, insufficient fuel, and inadequate provisions that left the crew weak and debilitated by scurvy.

For nearly a year and a half, the twenty-five men and one woman aboard the Saint Anna endured terrible hardships and danger as the icebound ship drifted helplessly north. Convinced that the Saint Anna would never free herself from the ice, Albanov and thirteen crewmen left the ship in January 1914, hauling makeshift sledges and kayaks behind them across the frozen sea, hoping to reach the distant coast of Franz Josef Land. With only a shockingly inaccurate map to guide him, Albanov led his men on a 235-mile journey of continuous peril, enduring blizzards, disintegrating ice floes, attacks by polar bears and walrus, starvation, sickness, snowblindness, and mutiny. That any of the team survived is a wonder. That Albanov kept a diary of his ninety-day ordeal-a story that Jon Krakauer calls an "astounding, utterly compelling book," and David Roberts calls "as lean and taut as a good thriller"-is nearly miraculous.

First published in Russia in 1917, Albanov's narrative is here translated into English for the first time. Haunting, suspenseful, and told with gripping detail, In the Land of White Death can now rightfully take its place among the classic writings of Nansen, Scott, Cherry-Garrard, and Shackleton.

Synopsis:

Including a new Epilogue, this is "one helluva read" ("Newsweek") and a chilling first-person account of extreme survival in the Siberian Arctic, rediscovered by Jon Krakauer and David Roberts. "Vivid . . . (a work of) terrifying beauty."--"The Boston Globe."

About the Author

Valerian Albanov was born in 1881 in Voronezh, Russia, and graduated in 1904 from the Naval College of St. Petersburg. Despite his harrowing voyage aboard the Saint Anna, he continued going to sea until his death in 1919.

Jon Krakauer is the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.

David Roberts is the author of over a dozen books on mountaineering, exploration, and archaeology, including, most recently, True Summit. His work regularly appears in National Geographic Adventure, Smithsonian, and Outside, among other publications.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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crowyhead, August 21, 2006 (view all comments by crowyhead)
This journal tells the story of Russian navigator Valerian Albanov's amazing ordeal in the Arctic. In 1914, Albanov joined a hunting and fishing expedition that would scout for whales, walruses and other lucrative sea life in the Arctic Circle. His ship, the Saint Anna, became trapped in pack ice only a few months into the journey, and remained frozen for nearly two years. With supplies running low and tempers fraying, Albanov and thirteen other men build kayaks and sledges out of materials on board the ship and set out across the ice, hoping to reach Franz Josef Land and Cape Flora, more than 120 miles away.

The group of men consisted mainly of sailors and hunters, not seasoned explorers, and mishap after mishap plagues the team despite Albanov's leadership and problem-solving skills. All are suffering from malnutrition and particularly scurvy, which adds to their difficulties. Albanov is a brilliant man but perhaps not the most personable of leaders; he rails against what he sees as laziness and despair on the part of his compatriots. Eventually, it is only Albanov and one other sailor who will survive the voyage across the ice. The story of their journey is amazing, and Albanov tells it well.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679783619
Preface:
Krakauer, Jon
Introduction:
Roberts, David
Translator:
Anderson, Alison
Preface:
Krakauer, Jon
Introduction by:
Roberts, David
Introduction:
Roberts, David
Author:
Krakauer, Jon
Author:
Anderson, Alison
Author:
Roberts, David
Author:
Albanov, Valerian
Author:
Krakauer, Jon
Publisher:
Modern Library
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Discovery and exploration
Subject:
Polar Regions
Subject:
Arctic regions
Subject:
Expeditions & Discoveries
Subject:
Travel
Subject:
Arctic regions Discovery and exploration.
Subject:
Brusilov, Georgii Lvovich - Travel -
Subject:
General History
Subject:
Arctic and Antarctic-General
Edition Number:
Modern Library ed.
Edition Description:
Expanded
Series:
Modern Library exploration
Series Volume:
no. 00-E005
Publication Date:
20010931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.03x5.19x.62 in. .51 lbs.

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In the Land of White Death: An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic (Modern Library Exploration) Used Trade Paper
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Product details 288 pages Modern Library - English 9780679783619 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , Including a new Epilogue, this is "one helluva read" ("Newsweek") and a chilling first-person account of extreme survival in the Siberian Arctic, rediscovered by Jon Krakauer and David Roberts. "Vivid . . . (a work of) terrifying beauty."--"The Boston Globe."
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