Customer Reviews

A Negro Explorer At The North Pole

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Thanks to Widget Magic for taking the time and expense to reproduce this book in all its original glory.

Matt's matter of fact, easy-to-read style and his thorough descriptions immediately pull you into his amazing journey to the Pole.

Those who have questioned his claims, especially in light of his skin color, will find obvious contrast between Matt's simple, clear and honest way of telling this incredible story, and the exaggerated and inconsistent claims of would-be explorers and their backers who are unwilling to accept his place in history.

More kudos to Widget Magic for resisting the tide of those who would prefer to see a white man in Matt's place.

In looking down today's non-fiction best sellers lists, it's sometimes difficult to remember that people have accomplished great things and take the time to write about them. When all you need is a twisted weekend with a politician or a twist on the latest fad diet to qualify for a 7 figure advance on a 300 page masterpiece, readers should feel cheated.

In fact, there's no need to feel that way any longer. Mr. Verne Robinson has faithfully restored and republished a work of substance in Matthew Henson's A Negro Explorer at the North Pole.

A word about the restoration: Mr. Robinson has not "revised" or altered the work to reflect modern terminology, not even spellings (I'm old enough to have learned reading from books where "to-day" was hyphenated). I really appreciate this, not only does it bolster the authenticity of the book, it immerses the reader in the time. This is critical to understanding the enormity of the challenge.

Originally published in 1912, a mere three years after the great journey, Mr. Henson presented what I think of as a lecture series based on his journal entries on the famed Peary Polar Expedition of 1909. Though Dark Companion (from the same publisher.. also an excellent book) provides the whole story of Matt's life and great detail about the Greenland years and earlier polar explorations, this book is based on Mr. Henson's journal of the 1909 assault on the Pole.

No one who reads this book could possibly hold onto the idea that Peary kept Henson for the last drive in order that he could pass off fraudulent readings. No one can read this book and think that. The writing reminds me a great deal of the books I grew up on.

One part of the book that might be overlooked is the appendix. In it, Henson provides a first hand anthropological article on the arctic natives. Along with his brief scientific notes, it's this that makes me wish that there had been a third book detailing the science of the arctic from his perspective. Perhaps the excellent Matthew Henson website will continue to serve as a repository for the science and passion of this story. Mr. Robinson's work there is nothing short of great. It is a true labor of love.