Synopses & Reviews
Robert Falcon Scotts 1901-4 expedition to the Antarctic was a landmark event in the history of Antarctic exploration and created a sensation comparable to the Arctic efforts of the American Robert E. Peary. Scotts initial expedition was also the first step toward the dramatic race to the South Pole in 1912 that resulted in the tragic deaths of Scott and his companions. Since then Scotts reputation has vacillated between two extremes: Was he a martyred hero, the beau ideal of a brave and selfless explorer, or a bumbling fool whose mistakes killed him and his entire party? In this work, Antarctic historian T. H. Baughman goes beyond the personality of Scott to remove the first expedition from the shadow of the second, to study objectively its purpose, its composition, and its real accomplishments.
Review
"Baughman's work provides a much-needed re-evaluation of a pivotal expedition and of some of the most important personalities in the history of Antarctic exploration. Pilgrims on the Ice succeeds both as an accessible and entertaining book for the general reader and as an invaluable addition to the field of polar history."—S.J. Collier, Terrae Incognitae S.J. Collier
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [323]) and index.
About the Author
T. H. Baughman is chair of the History Department at Benedictine College. He is the author of Before the Heroes Came: Antarctica in the 1890s (Nebraska 1993).