Nansen [Paperback]

Roland Huntford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

Behind the great polar explorers of the early twentieth century—Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott in the South, and Peary in the North—looms the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen, the mentor of them all. He was the father of modern polar exploration, the last act of territorial discovery before the leap into space began. A restless, unquiet Faustian spirit, Nansen was a Renaissance Man born out of his time in Norway. He was an adventurer, an artist and historian, and a diplomat who had dealings with Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, and played a part in the Versailles Peace Conference.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Huntford is masterly at weaving Nansen’s life into his times.” -- The New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

Behind the great polar explorers of the early twentieth century — Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott in the South, and Peary in the North — looms the spirit of Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930), the father of modern polar exploration. Roland Huntford’s remarkable biography draws on a wealth of new material, including diaries and hitherto untapped documents. It uncovers a restless, Faustian spirit, a Renaissance man born out of his time, a pioneer in oceanography and skiing, one of the founders of neurology, an artist, historian, and diplomat. Above all, Nansen illustrates Carlyle’s dictum that "the history of the world is but the biography “of great men.²

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Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349114927
• ISBN-13: 978-0349114927
• Product Dimensions: 2 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > History > Europe > Norway

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your usual explorer, August 6, 2003

By 

Robert R. Briggs "robroyb" (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Nansen (Paperback)

Roland Huntford is, without a doubt, one of our greatest biographers on Polar explorers. His writings on Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton are among the very best. It is no less the case in NANSEN In this story of a very unusual, complex and troubled man, Huntford pictures Nansen as he really was, not some trumped up hero of his own making. Nansen was not a great leader of men, nor was he easy to be around. Yet, he had incredible drive and determination in all he did. His scientific research in his early days was ahead of its time and sadly, much of what he accomplished he was never given credit for. When he turned his life to Arctic pursuits, his drive was no less intense, as he perfected the art of Cross country skiing, was the first to cross Greenland and eventually ended up on one of the greatest epics of our time with his quest for the North Pole. Nansen's own account of the North Pole adventure was his book "Farthest North". Huntford, in his biography, covers this story in depth, drawing from Nansen's diaries as well as those of the other men involved. The result is that we have a deeper insight into what really happened rather than just relying on Nansen's own account. Whatever the case, this adventure was one of the most remarkable of all polar explorations and this alone is worth reading.
The story of Nansen's life after this great episode, seems to bog down a bit. Nansen lived off his North Pole quest which made him a household name worldwide. This result was to put him into the political world in a way he never dreamed. Throughout the remainder of his life one has the feeling he really wanted to be exporing again and just get away from people and fame. He was a troubled and often unhappy man. Nonetheless, he certainly deserves his place as the father of Polar Exploration and many of those who followed owe much to him. An interesting story well worth the time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Most Comprehensive Nansen Biography, November 17, 2008

By 

Ben J Korgen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nansen (Paperback)

I am familiar with seven Nansen biographies and Huntford's is the most comprehensive, realistic and detailed. I believe that every thinking adult should learn something about Fridtjof Nansen, largely because his way of solving problems would help us to face our uncertain future. Huntford's book is impressive. It emphasizes exploration, which should make mass-audience readers happy, but does so at the expense of Nansen's other accomplishments. In particular, Nansen's overwhelmingly important role in orchestrating the transition of oceanography from a descriptive enterprise resembling exploration to part of true science is underdone.

Many readers will find a 610-page book too big to digest. Others might find the many references to Nansen's personal life too intrusive or deflating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatwork for a Greatman, July 10, 2011

By 

John Feesey "fees" (British Columbia,Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nansen (Paperback)

Compelling, balanced, well written and complete story of the original Norweigan explorer.As a Canuck guy I was brought up during the 1950s on the Scott/Shacklteton expeditions.That was a study of death, loss, miscommunication, misdirection, misappropriation frustration and incomprehensibly bad luck.

Nansen's life was a study of intelligent scientific observation application, preparation and a dose of what has to be insanely good luck was a joy to read from cover to cover.The fact that I have never heard of his life or work before tells a great deal about my native land,which calls itself an Arctic based country.