Polar Pioneers: John Ross and James Clark Ross [Hardcover]

M. J. Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

During the first half of the 19th century British explorers eagerly sought the Northwest Passage, making great advances in exploring and charting polar regions. "Polar pioneers" is the story of John Ross and his nephew James Clark Ross, British naval officers who made important contributions to world exploration. In 1818 John Ross led an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage. He got as far as Baffin Bay, but when he reached the only practicable entrance to the passage he declared it to be no more than a bay enclosed by mountains. In subsequent years he was widely derided for that error and carried the scars of public and professional humiliation for the rest of his life. In 1829 he mounted a private expedition to search for the passage, during which he became trapped in the Canadian Arctic and survived a four-year ordeal of isolation and hardship. He proved that whatever his shortcomings as an explorer, he could never be accused of lacking courage. James Clark Ross was one of the most experienced and respected explorers of his day. He led or took part in eight expeditions to the Arctic, including John Ross' 1818 and 1829 expeditions and three with the great explorer William Edward Parry. He also led a highly successful scientific expedition to the Antarctic in 1839-43. His many important discoveries included locating the North Magnetic Pole, and he ensured the presence of the Ross family name throughout both polar regions: Ross Island, Ross Ice Shelf, and Ross Sea in the Antarctic; James Ross Strait, Ross Bay, Ross Point, and Rosso/ya in the Arctic. Drawing on family papers and extensive research, M. J. Ross traces the careers of these two very different men, highlighting their achievements and defeats, and presents a detailed picture of their private lives. M.J. Ross is a retired rear admiral in the British navy and great-grandson of James Clark Ross.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A pleasure to read. This superior biography reveals the personalities behind the exceptional geographic, scientific, and literary accomplishments of John Ross and James Clark Ross, two unsung and forgotten heroes. Polar Pioneers will stand as the definitive work on the Rosses for all time." C. Stuart Houston, author of Arctic Artist, Arctic Ordeal, and To the Arctic by Canoe.

About the Author

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773512349
• ISBN-13: 978-0773512344
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,810,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sympathetic -- but sharp-sighted -- bio of polar greats, May 4, 2000

By 

Susan R. Matthews (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Polar Pioneers: John Ross and James Clark Ross (Hardcover)

Sir James Clark Ross went from end of the world to the other in a little wooden ship (or so it seems to me, comparing the expedition craft of the early nineteenth century with the supertankers and aircraft carriers of today).

His uncle, Captain John Ross, managed some of the most successful Arctic winterings-over of his time, as well as suffering some of the most appalling privations. (Captain John Ross' operant procedure for the prevention of scurvy deserves respect and praise.) At the same time neither of these gents was perfect in every respect, and Captain John Ross' career may be said never to have recovered from a premature decision he made to abandon a search for the Northwest Passage based on a disputed sighting of a mountain chain (later found to be non-existant) that would have made northerly progress impossible.

This book presents the accomplishments, and errors, of uncle and nephew in full recognition of their human failings and failures of judgment; but appropriately credits them for their accomplishments -- which are unexpectedly significant when seen as a whole.

It also traces the history of the animosity that existed between Captain John Ross and Secretary of the Admiralty John Barrow -- a relationship characterized by sometimes truly puzzling venom. It seems pretty funny now to read about the violence and vitriol with which the two of them spoke of each other in print, and there is probably something to be said about the cultural environment then versus now; but the conflict was very real, and had very real -- sometimes tragic -- repercussions.

This book may be very profitably read either by itself -- for the entertainment and interest it provides -- or in conjunction with Fergus Fleming's "Barrow's Boys," which also provides a window on the tension between Barrow and Captain John Ross (one is tempted to say, sometimes between Captain John Ross and the world).

It is a biography that covers a remarkable span of Polar exploration during the glory years of Royal Navy expeditions. A readable and intriguing study of the careers of two of the English-speaking world's more influential Polar explorers!

4.0 out of 5 stars Very comprehensive present for my father; John Ross !, November 2, 2010

By 

Jude - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Polar Pioneers: John Ross and James Clark Ross (Hardcover)

Following a visit to Greenwich Maritime Museum I was inspired to find a book and picture for my father. He is John Ross Staintin and he believes that there is a family link to John Ross and James Clarke Ross. I am really pleased with this comprehensive account of them both ! A considerable effort must have taken place to generate this book