Near Death in the Arctic (Vintage Departures Original) [Paperback]

Cecil Kuhne (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Vintage Departures Original | Publication Date: February 10, 2009

“The fine snow choked his eyes, ears, and throat, and he did not hear his own smothered death cry. Down in cold blackness, 150 feet down, his falling body smashed into a projecting ledge of ironclad ice. With the shattered remains of his sledge, with the doomed dogs, Belgrave Ninnis plunged deeper and deeper into the abyss.” —Lennard Bickel's Mawson's Will. In Near Death in the Arctic, editor Cecil Kuhne gathers astonishing tales of man versus nature, all set against the bleakly beautiful backdrop of the poles of the earth. On foot, by ship, or by dog-powered sledge, these adventurers brave the most savage and desolate environment on earth, their instinct for self-preservation and survival exceeded only by their desire for excitement and discovery. Also featuring: Captain Roald Amundsen's The South Pole—The heart-pounding story of Amundsen's race to be the first man to reach both Poles despite driving snow, exhausted dogs, and towering glaciers. Ernest Shackleton's South—A riveting memoir of the doomed Endurance, which became trapped in dangerous pack ice that eventually tore the ship apart.Mike Stroud's Shadows on the Wasteland—The unbelievable account of a two-man, ninety-day trek across the Antarctic continent through temperatures as low as minus eighty-five degrees Celsius.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Frostbite, hunger, infection, and death plague the explorers in this collection of 12 harrowing adventures. The stories range from the familiar epic of Shackleton's 1914 voyage to the amazing two-man trek in 1992 by Mike Stroud and Ranulph Fiennes across the Antarctic. Primarily written in the first person, some of the accounts are diary excerpts and others are selections from previously published memoirs. In some cases the writing is stark and mundane, making some of the accounts more accessible than others. However, readers who enjoy feeling like they are part of the moment will appreciate the effort and discipline it must have taken to meticulously record the expedition while enduring such harsh and threatening conditions. Whether the explorers are facing surprise storms, nursing injuries from falls into crevasses, or eating their sled dogs to stay alive, they all fight the urge to abandon their expeditions. In the end, some are rewarded with immense personal accomplishment, fame, and prestige while others are lucky to survive and get the chance to apply the lessons of failure to future attempts. Teens interested in survival stories will find several inspiring examples here. In addition, teachers may find value in using selections from this collection to illustrate and compare different types of nonfiction writing styles.—Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD
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About the Author

Cecil Kuhne is the editor of two previous anthologies on adventure travel, On the Edge and The Armchair Paddler. A former whitewater rafting guide, he has also written nine books about rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. He lives in Dallas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Original edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307279375
• ISBN-13: 978-0307279378
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,211,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)