Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage and Tragedy in the Extreme South
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David Crane has given us the definitive biography of one of Britain’s greatest heroes and explorers.‘It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more…For God’s sake look after our people.’These were the final words written in Scott’s diary on 29 March 1912, as he lay dying in his tent with Birdie Bowers and Edward Wilson. Oates had taken himself into a blizzard a few days before, and the fifth member of the Polar party, Edgar Evans, had died some ten days previously, worn out by the cold and physical effort of the journey across Antarctica.Since then Scott has been the subject of many books – many hagiographical, others dismissive and scathing. Yet in all the pages that have been written about him, the personality behind the legend has been forgotten or distorted beyond all recognition.David Crane’s magisterial biography, based on years of close and detailed research with the original documents, redresses this completely. By reassessing Scott’s life and his substantial scientific achievements, Crane is able to provide a fresh and exciting perspective on both the Discovery expedition of 1901-4 and the Terra Nova expedition of 1910-12. The courage and tragedy of Scott’s last journey are only one part of the process, for the scientific enquiry that led up to it transformed the whole nature and ambition of Antarctic exploration.Scott’s own voice echoes through the pages. His descriptions of the monumental landscape of Antarctica in all its fatal and icy beauty are breathtaking; his honest, heartfelt letters and diaries give the reader an unforgettable account of the challenges he faced both in his personal life and as a superlative leader of men in possibly the harshest environment on the planet.Written with the full support of Scott’s surviving relatives, this definitive biography sets out to reconcile the very private struggles of the man with the very public life of extremes that he led.Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.
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David Crane. Scott of the Antarctic: A Life of Courage and Tragedy in the Extreme South
SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC. DAVID CRANE
CONTENTS
MAPS
NOTE ON DISTANCES, TEMPERATURES AND WEIGHTS
ONE St Paul’s, 14 February 1913
TWO Childhood and Dartmouth
THREE Scott’s Navy
FOUR Crisis
FIVE Enter Markham
SIX Preparations
SEVEN South
EIGHT Into the Ice
NINE Harsh Lessons
TEN Antarctic Night
ELEVEN Man Proposeth … God Disposeth
TWELVE The Southern Journey
THIRTEEN Survival
FOURTEEN A Second Winter
FIFTEEN Last Season
SIXTEEN A Long Wait
SEVENTEEN Escape from the Ice
EIGHTEEN The Reluctant Lion
NINETEEN The Pull of the South
TWENTY Of Lions and Lionesses
TWENTY-ONE Marking Time
TWENTY-TWO Making Ready
TWENTY-THREE South Again
TWENTY-FOUR Challenges
TWENTY-FIVE Return to the Ice
TWENTY-SIX Depot-Laying
TWENTY-SEVEN Disaster
TWENTY-EIGHT Winter
TWENTY-NINE The Barrier
THIRTY Without Priority
THIRTY-ONE Ars Moriendi
P.S. IDEAS, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR. Q and A with David Crane
LIFE at a Glance
TOP TEN Favourite books
A Writing Life
ABOUT THE BOOK. Why Scott? by David Crane
READ ON. Have You Read? Lord Byron’s Jackal
The Kindness of Sisters
FIND OUT MORE
If You Loved This, You Might Like …
EPILOGUE
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NOTES
Epilogue
PRAISE
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER