Over The Edge: Flying With The Arctic Heros - Hardcover

K.C. Tessendorf

9780689318047: Over The Edge: Flying With The Arctic Heros

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689318049 ISBN 13: 9780689318047

Publisher: Atheneum, 1998

True tales of intrepid adventurers fill this exploration of the history of twentieth-century efforts to conquer the vast land of shifting ice and the conflicting reports of who made the first successful trek across the Arctic.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 7 Up-Combine the "new" technology of aviation with daredevil determination and you get intrepid airmen doggedly attempting to reach/traverse the North Pole during the golden age of arctic "barnstorming" (1895-1928). In a readable text larded with quotes from original journals and contemporary media, Tessendorf recounts several of these expeditions, some mired in tragedy and others a tribute to luck, human persistence, and improving technology. The exploits range from the ill-fated Andree helium balloon expedition in 1897 (their frozen remains were discovered 33 years later), through the triumphant bisection of the Pole in 1926 by an airship piloted by Umberto Nobile, to the politics-riddled disaster of Nobile's Italia attempt in 1928. Black-and-white photos (many grainy due to extreme circumstances) present visualizations of these dauntless aviators and their (to present-day eyes) sadly low-tech equipment. All help to reinforce the swashbuckling aura of venturing "over the edge" of the arctic ice pack by any mode. This book could be combined with readings from works written during this period of exploration, such as Ellsberg's Hell on Ice: The Saga of the Jeanette (Dodd, 1938; o.p.) or Grenfell's Adrift on an Ice Pan (Creative Publications, 1992), or such recent material as Owen Beattie's Frozen in Time (Dutton, 1987; o.p.) to spur interest in early polar exploration.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

An entertaining history of brave souls who sought to conquer the north pole via air travel. Tessendorf's fact-filled and exciting narrative recounts the various expeditions, starting with Salomon Andre's ill-fated 1897 balloon attempt, followed by US newspaperman Walter Wellman's motor dirigible America, which also didn't succeed. While these first journeys were met with failure and death, some success came to Roald Amundsen, who was within 150 miles of the pole. Victory ultimately went to Richard Byrd, who claimed in 1926 to fly over the pole in a mission supported by the US Navy and funded by Edsel Ford of the automotive empire and John D. Rockefeller Jr. An afterword reveals the ultimate fates of the rest of the explorers mentioned. Numerous black-and-white prints and photographs provide further realism. (notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12) -- Copyright �1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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