The South Pole (Vol. I & II)

Features only available in this version:

• 176 carefully scanned images available in no other online version of this text

• Edited to correct errors and inconsistencies in other free versions of the text

• The only complete ebook version of this text

• Only version with Americanized spelling and language compared to the original, British-English version

What does it take to journey to the coldest, most inhospitable, lifeless place on earth? In 1909, no one was quite sure. Should you travel on foot, by car, by horse, or by dogsled? All were serious possibilities, and explorers from at least four different nations were mounting expeditions to conquer Antarctica.

But it was an unlikely team from a fifth nation, Norway, that in 1911 finally solved the puzzle of how to reach the South Pole. While Robert Scott’s English team captured headlines, Roald Amundsen secretly shifted his sights from the North Pole (which had reportedly been reached in 1909 by Robert Peary) to the South Pole.

Not only did Amundsen beat Scott to the Pole, he did it on a completely unexplored route, discovering a new mountain range and showing how a mercilessly-executed plan can conquer the earth’s most daunting geographic challenges.

In The South Pole, Amundsen presents a compelling and engaging account of the journey, with moments of hilarity, triumph, and heart-wrenching grief. Though the book is over 900 pages long, it is a fascinating tale from end to end.

Fully illustrated, complete text

This is, to my knowledge, the first complete English-language e-book version of this text. Other versions available online omit the critical maps and photos from the text, or offer incomplete versions.

I have edited the text to offer consistent, American spelling and style, but otherwise have kept it intact. I have also carefully scanned all 176 images and maps from the original 1913 edition of the text, and presented them in the highest quality possible in a commercial e-book.

The result is an eye-opening insight into what it takes to conquer the most inhospitable part of the world.

--Dave Munger, Editor