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Biographer Ronald Huntford's attempt to restore Amundsen to glory, first published in 1979 under the title Scott and Amundsen, has been thawed as part of the Modern Library Exploration series, captained by Jon Krakauer (of Into Thin Air fame). The Last Place on Earth is a complex and fascinating account of the race for this last great terrestrial goal, and it's pointedly geared toward demythologizing Scott. Though this was the age of the amateur explorer, Amundsen was a professional: he left little to chance, apprenticed with Eskimos, and obsessed over every detail. While Scott clung fast to the British rule of "No skis, no dogs," Amundsen understood that both were vital to survival, and they clearly won him the Pole.
Amundsen in Huntford's view is the "last great Viking" and Scott his bungling opposite: "stupid ... recklessly incompetent," and irresponsible in the extreme--failings that cost him and his teammates their lives. Yet for all of Scott's real or exaggerated faults, he understood far better than Amundsen the power of a well-crafted sentence. Scott's diaries were recovered and widely published, and if the world insisted on lionizing Scott, it was partly because he told a better story. Huntford's bias aside, it's clear that both Scott and Amundsen were valiant and deeply flawed. "Scott ... had set out to be an heroic example. Amundsen merely wanted to be first at the pole. Both had their prayers answered." --Svenja Soldovieri
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. At the beginning of the 20th century, the South Pole was the most coveted prize in the fiercely nationalistic age of exploration. In this work, Roland Huntford re-examines every detail of the gret race to the South Pole between Britain's Robert Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen. Scott, who dies along with four of his men only 11 miles from his next cache of supplies, becomes Britain's beloved failure, while Amundsen, who not only beat Scott to the Pole, but returned alive, was largely forgotten. This account of their race aims to capture the driving ambitions of the era and the comples, often deeply flawed men who were charged with carrying them out. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the South Pole was the most coveted prize in the fiercely nationalistic modern age of exploration. In this dual biography, Roland Huntford re-examines every detail of the great race to the South Pole between Britain's Robert Scott and Norway's Roald Amundsen. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780349113951
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Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. A gripping history of the agonies and feuds, as well as the joys, of the legendary 1911-2 British-Norwegian race to the South Pole. Seller Inventory # B9780349113951
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