South · The Race to the Pole

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. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale…

Extract from Scott's 'message to the public', March 1912.

The late 1890s saw the start of a 'heroic age' in polar exploration. This book tells the story of three men who were to embody the spirit of the time – driven by courage, determination and ambition, to be the first to discover the South Pole – Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundsen and Ernest Shackleton.

South: The Race to the Pole describes the extraordinary challenges faced and hardships endured in their attempts:

Scott's first British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-04

The exploits of Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition, 1907-09

The success of Amundsen's team in reaching the Pole in 1911 and the tragic events surrounding Scott's British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13

Shackleton's dramatic journey to seek rescue after the destruction of his ship Endurance on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-17

Illustrated throughout, the book contains a map depicting the routes of the various expeditions, crew lists, a selected bibliography and suggested reading, and recommended websites. This new revised edition will be thoroughly revised throughout and contain a new introduction to reflect new research and discoveries regarding these expeditions as well as more recent attempts in travelling to the Pole, in addition to containing new images from the Royal Museums Greenwich Collection.