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Antarctica Unveiled: Scott's First Expedition and the Quest for the Unknown Continent
 
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Antarctica Unveiled: Scott's First Expedition and the Quest for the Unknown Continent [Hardcover]

David E. Yelverton (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 1, 2000
Based on over fifteen years of research, Antarctica Unveiled tells the story of Robert Falcon ScottÂ’s first Antarctic expedition, and expedition that has largely been erased from public perception by the mass attention devoted to the drama of his last expedition.

David E. Yelverton first recounts the half-century of campaigning that led to a pan European assault on the unknown continent at the dawn of the twentieth century. The book takes the reader along on the Discovery Expedition and into the terrain that faced Scott and his companions they led parties into unknown-and often dauntingly mountainous-territory to bring back the data and specimens that launched a century of research. Moreover. Yelverton analyzes the inexorable factors that governed ScottÂ’s conduct of the expedition and contrasts the poignant erosion of his hopes with the achievement of goals-proof that the Antarctic Continent existed and the location of the South Magnetic Pole-to which the expeditionÂ’s patrons attached their greatest hopes.

The book concludes with an account of the buildup of the race for the Pole that was the almost inevitable aftermath of ScottÂ’s achievement. Illustrated with more than 40 remarkable black-and-white photographs, Antarctica Unveiled is a must for the armchair traveler, historian, and Antarctic enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This meticulously researched book recounts the first Antarctic expedition of Robert Scott, from 1901 to 1904, aboard the British ship Discovery. Yelverton points out that Scott had to improvise under budgetary constraints; a similar German expedition at the time was funded by its government. Yet Scott discovered much about the unknown continent's interior. He brought back evidence that convinced the scientific establishment of the existence of an Antarctic continent rather than a collection of islands. Sledge journeyed into the heart of Victoria Land and Ross's Great Barrier, and he effectively located the "lost" South Magnetic Pole. Basing his account almost entirely on original sources, the author refutes many widely accepted impressions of Scott as a leader, as well as the alleged animosity between Sir Ernest Shackleton and him during and immediately after the expedition. Illustrated with 46 black-and-white photographs, 15 line drawings, and 10 maps, the book is^B a riveting account of Scott's lesser-known expedition to the South Pole. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A book for aficionados of the Antarctic scene, wonderful detail, first-rate appendices..." -- The Naval Review, Autumn 2001. "The most thoroughly researched polar book of the last forty years..." --Colin Bull.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 472 pages
  • Publisher: University Press of Colorado; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0870815822
  • ISBN-13: 978-0870815829
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,999,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly work, July 19, 2001
By 
J. BURGESON (Stratford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Antarctica Unveiled: Scott's First Expedition and the Quest for the Unknown Continent (Hardcover)
Historian David Yelverton takes a long overdue look at Scott's Discovery expedition, the first significant attempt to probe the interior of that great southern continent. He pays great attention to Scott's difficulties in securing funds, crew, supplies and so forth. And, of course, Yelverton writes at length on the Discovery herself, an leaky craft that would have never made it south were it not for the constant struggle at the pumps. There is also a good deal on the cooperative effort with the Germans (!) on making often difficult magnetic observations, one of the principal reasons for the expedition in the first place.

This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the history of the Antartic continent, Scott and, to a lesser degree, Shackleton. It is, without question, the most complete review of the Discovery expedition.

Although Scott's disaster in 1912 overshadows the Discovery effort, it could be said (and this is the point of "Unveiled") that there was much more meaningful work accomplished during this 1901-03 expedition.

Most readers will find "Unveiled" ponderous a times, although that is to be expected in a work of this depth and precision. I was disappointed with the occasional childish snipes at Roland Huntford's monumental "Last Place on Earth," a book that is a sore point with Scott's many fans. It's too bad that writers on Antarctic exploration feel as if they have to be one side of the fence or the other. Scott accomplished more than most other polar explorers -- but he also made many, many blunders.

But, in the main, "Antartic Unveiled" is worth looking into.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A less negative look at Scott's first expedition, March 5, 2001
By 
Frances C. Morrier (North Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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This review is from: Antarctica Unveiled: Scott's First Expedition and the Quest for the Unknown Continent (Hardcover)
Recent writings on Antarctic exploration have not been kind to Scott's leadership. If you're interested in a different look at the man (to some degree) and the first (Discovery) expedition try this book. The author gives one a sense of life on the expedition and takes one along through daily life on the ship, over the winter and on the sledging journies. Heavy on detail and a bit too focused on 'righting the wrongs' of Huntford, etc., the result seems an extremely well-researched view of the scientific goals and results of the expedition. (And, perhaps the author can be forgiven for the emphasis on righting wrongs--previous works have certainly emphasized contrary views.) I've long felt that viewing the turn-of-the-century expeditions through today's 'lens' is problematic. Scott and the others were English men of their time and subject to those values, just as we are products of our time. I recommend the work to those interested in a detailed view of that first expedition, how its course affected the Terra Nova expedition, and a different view of the explorers and the expedition--placed in their time.
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