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Robert Falcon Scott
(1860-1912)
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Britain’s hero of the
Antarctic, the life of Robert Scott remains one of the greatest exploration
legends of the modern age. Having gone to sea at the age of thirteen, Scott was
already an accomplished mariner when Sir Clements Markham, the former polar
explorer and then president of the Royal Geographical Society, asked him to
undertake an exploration of the frozen Antarctic continent in 1900. That
exploration saw Scott reaching the furthest southern point to date, though he
was still well shy of the South Pole. Inspired to reach this elusive, and
dangerous, point on the map, Scott set out in 1912 along with five members of
his polar-exploration team. Upon reaching their icy goal, Scott and his men were
dismayed when they discovered that the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, had
reached the South Pole a month before.
Though Amundsen returned to his base camp without incident, Scott and his men
were not so lucky. Emotionally crushed by their defeat, the English explorers
set off to journey back to safety, never knowing that they were about to endure
icy conditions so harsh that they were only duplicated once during the ensuing
twentieth century. Two men died en route, while Scott and his companions lost
their lives eleven miles away from safety. When discovered, the explorer’s diary
recorded his last thoughts.
"Had we lived I
should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my
companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman."
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Scott's Last Expedition
Robert Scott
ISBN 1590480694
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A world of words
has been written about this stirring book. For how many tomes were penned at
the cost of the author’s life? What other book was discovered next to the
frozen hands of the man who had written his last thoughts on icy paper
nearly a year before? This is the expedition diary of Captain Robert Scott,
the fabled British explorer who lost his life in 1912 while attempting to
reach the South Pole, and on these pages is the tremendous story of how he
set out to lead a tiny team of men towards a dangerous geographical mystery.
When Captain
Peary of America claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909, all eyes
turned to the South Pole. The British Empire was at its zenith and national
expectations were high that an Englishman should be the one to claim the
other ice-bound crown. Captain Robert Scott was elected to carry British
honour to that forbidden spot. Yet an element of international suspense
occurred when it became known that the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen,
was intent on beating the English there.
After careful
preparation, Scott set off across Antarctica with four companions on what he
hoped would be a successful push to the Pole. After a heroic effort his team
reached the southern heart of the globe only to discover that Amundsen had
arrived first. Then disappointment turned to death. On the return journey
one man died from injuries sustained in a fall. Another, beset with
frostbitten feet, disappeared in a blizzard. Finally Scott and his two
surviving companions were trapped by horrific weather in their tent. In
temperatures too cold to comprehend, they died only eleven miles from
safety.
A remarkable and
heart-moving account of men who made the ultimate sacrifice in their attempt
to claim the Southern Crown, this book has a special Introduction written by
the explorer’s grandson, Falcon Scott.
This edition is being produced in
an effort to raise awareness of the need to safeguard Scott’s original hut,
along with all of the remarkable memorabilia preserved within its frozen
walls. The royalties will be donated to the Antarctic Heritage Trust’s
efforts to preserve the building listed as one of the most endangered sites
in the world.
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