Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the North Pole [Hardcover]

Fergus Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Fergus Fleming's captivating histories have taken us to the Alps, to the high seas, and to the heights of human endeavor. Now the acclaimed author of Barrow's Boys and Killing Dragons -- a New York Times Notable Book -- relates the epic story of the men who stopped at nothing to unravel the mysteries of the North Pole. In the nineteenth century, theories about the North Pole ran rampant. Was it an open sea? Was it a portal to new worlds within the globe? Or was it just a wilderness of ice? When Sir John Franklin disappeared in the Arctic in 1845, explorers decided it was time to find out. In scintillating detail, Ninety Degrees North tells of the vying governments (including America, Britain, Germany, and Austria-Hungary) and fantastic eccentrics (from Swedish balloonists to Italian aristocrats) who, despite their heroic failures, often achieved massive celebrity as they battled shipwreck, starvation, and sickness to reach the top of the world. Drawing on unpublished archives, and with pages of photographs and drawings, and long-forgotten journals, Fleming tells this story with consummate craftsmanship and wit. Ninety Degrees North is a riveting saga of humankind's search for the ultimate goal. "This is the sort of book you want to read in front of a blazing fire. It is immensely enjoyable." -- Daily Telegraph "A vivid, witty history ... We are in the hands of a born storyteller." -- Bookseller "

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Whether it was believed to be surrounded by a vast, temperate sea that would facilitate speedy trade between the West and the Orient or, by one fanciful account, the gateway to a subterranean universe of wonder, there is no doubt that the North Pole exercised a powerful pull on the 19th-century imagination. Fleming (Barrow's Boys; Killing Dragons), whose first book outlined the ambitious program of British exploration set in motion by John Barrow, begins this exceptional account roughly where that one left off, recounting the major expeditions sent in search of the top of the world from 1845 to 1969. The book is fascinating for how Fleming renders the haughty, post-Enlightenment brio of the principal adventurers and the extreme, often fatal ends toward which it pushed them. Fleming beautifully weaves together intriguing journal excerpts and exhaustive expedition details to form an unforgettable impression of both the characters involved and the hardships they faced. And the hardships here are gruesome. Scarcely one of the many glory seekers from Britain, the U.S., Germany, Russia, Italy and elsewhere return from their quests wholly intact, either physically or mentally. They ate their dogs, they ate moss and, sometimes, they ate each other, but even when it became clear that nothing but a wasteland awaited them at the pole, they pressed on. Stoires like this make for a captivating look at the best and worst possibilities of the human spirit, told by an author who has established himself as one of the best adventure writers today.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

It was once believed that the North Pole was surrounded by an open polar sea. Some of the attempts to prove this theory and to reach the pole itself once the theory was abandoned are the subject of this book. Fleming, author of the critically acclaimed Barrow's Boys, provides an entertaining history of the many failed attempts to reach the North Pole, from the hardship of the Kane expedition of 1853 through the Amundsen-Ellsworth North Pole sighting via airship in 1926. Though not all polar attempts in this time period are covered, many of the major attempts are recounted and analyzed, providing a story that is both awe-inspiring and humorous. Drawing on research from published and unpublished accounts, Fleming tells the stories of the failed land/sea attempts by such polar adventurers as Edward Nares, Fridtjof Nanson, Charles Francis Hall, August Petermann, and George Washington de Long, as well as the fatal attempt by Sweden's Salomon August Andr‚e by balloon. The controversial topic of who first stood at 90-degrees North is not answered here; only through the investigation of Frederick Cook's and Robert Peary's expeditions does the reader learn that neither can conclusively claim this achievement. Suitable for both public and academic library collections. Sheila Kasperek, Mansfield Univ., PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; 1ST edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802117252
• ISBN-13: 978-0802117250
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,314,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A singular account, December 7, 2003

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninety Degrees North (Paperback)

Simply one of the best books on the quest for the North Pole. Fleming has done it again. Following success with `Barrows Boys' and `Killing Dragons' Fleming has written the epic compilation of the quest for the North Pole. Although `Arctic Grail did a good job on this subject it had one mighty failing, it concluded with Peary's march to the Pole. Mr. Fleming uses new evidence to show that Pearys and Cooks march to the pole were both illusions and probably outright frauds. Simple analysis of their log books makes this clear. Fleming goes on to write about the many airborne attempts at the pole and the actual successful walking attempt in 1968. Simply the most up to date and wonderful book on the Pole attempts, it covers everything from Franklins doomed expedition for the passage to the Jeannete, Nansans Farthest North and Mr. Peary's illusion. A must read for arctic enthusiasts, extreme adventure readers and anyone interested in diverse topics.

Seth J. Frantzman

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To the North Pole!, January 13, 2003

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the North Pole (Hardcover)

I have read Mr. Fleming's other two published works and enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to this new book, since I have always had a fascination with explorations both to the North and South Poles. Happily, this book lived up to my high expectations, and reading it was very interesting and enlightening. Some of the stories in this book I had known from reading other works, but the author presented them very well, so I was not bored with going over something I knew. He has a light touch and it makes the reading go well and the pages turn fairly swiftly. He covers the Peary-Cook controversy quite well, without a lot of nonessential detail, and concludes (rightly, as I feel) that neither man actually made it to the Pole. This is a good book to read before a roaring fire during a snowstorm in winter, and then the reader should go outside for a few minutes into a howling wind and feel, if only for a few frozen seconds, what these hardy men must have endured for months on end. Their accomplishments must astonish us, in a much more sedentary age, and this book helps us to acknowledge their tremendous achievements.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage, Folly, and Deceit, February 26, 2003

By 

K. Floy (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the North Pole (Hardcover)

Another winner by Fergus Fleming. This work traces the exploration of the arctic during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While no one expedition is examined in detail, Fleming does a great job of presenting a survey of the numerous efforts to explore the arctic or, more correctly, to reach the north pole.

With seriousness, wit, and sometimes sarcasm, Fleming not only traces the geographical wanderings and experiences of the various expeditions, he also presents the motivations and schemes behind the expeditions. Fleming is not afraid to expose fools or to reveal dishonesty where it appears. He is also not afraid to acknowledge courage and ambition.

A wonderful read that I highly recommend.