An Empire of Ice
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Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science
Edward J. Larson
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From a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, a riveting account of the great expeditions of Antarctica's Heroic Age that restores their status as grand scientific enterprises
Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, An Empire of Ice presents a fascinating new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it's the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.
Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers' achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.
“A far more interesting and richer account than we have had thus far. . . . Larson has written a fascinating book, one sure to force a rethinking of the Scott-Amundsen race as well as reconsiderations that will include science as a driving force in Antarctic and indeed polar exploration.” —Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis, Science Magazine
“Larson’s beautifully written narrative takes in the triumph and tragedy of the polar expeditions, and sheds new light on the scientific culture of the age. Entertaining, informative, and based on impeccable research, this book is a wonderful achievement.”—Peter Harrison, author of The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science
“A riveting account of science, courage, and endurance, revealing that along with dreams of glory the quest for knowledge of Antarctica drove the explorations of the icy, forbidding continent.” —Daniel Kevles, Stanley Woodward Professor of History, Yale University
“A fascinating account of the extensive and varied scientific research conducted by daring explorers racing to be the first to reach the South Pole. Whether he is discussing the first observations of the life cycle of the Emperor Penguin, the mapping of the ocean floor, or experiments in terrestrial magnetism, Larson’s book sparkles.”—Bernard Lightman, author of Popularizers of Victorian Science
"Edward Larson reveals that British exploration of the Antarctic was no mere 'dash to the pole', but an extended effort to conquer the last great wilderness for science."—Peter Bowler, author of The Earth Encompassed and Evolution: The History of an Idea
"Empire of Ice is a new take on polar exploration of the early 20th century. It puts expeditions by Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton et al. into a wider scientific, social and geopolitical context."—Travel Book Seller
“…… [An] enlightening and entertaining new book, An Empire of Ice, seeks to rescue the exploits of Edwardian derring-do from the condescension of posterity by showing us how much more there was to what his subtitle refers to as the heroic age of Antarctic science.”—Robert J.Mayhew, Times Higher Education
Publication Date: December 4, 2012
54 b/w illus.
