Customer Reviews

True North: Peary, Cook, And The Race To The Pole

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

More like a snow opera - this is the real-life saga of jealousy and professional hatred between Peary, the supposed discoverer of the North Pole in 1909 and his former colleague, Cook who said he discovered it in 1908.

Bruce Henderson ably lays out all the information at hand, including secondary accounts from supporters of both men. The issue seems to lie more in the personal aspects of both men who had once been colleagues but fell out very quickly in their first expedition together. This seemed to set the stage for increasing animosity culminating in Peary's attack on Cook Personally when Cook claimed to have reached the Pole.

Peary treated the Pole as a personal possession and already resented Cook, even before he made his claim. Henderson questions whether this personal dislike and Cook's propensity to hide away when under attack, has meant that Cook has failed to make the history books as the first to reach the North Pole as he should have.

Certainly this issue appears to have been a contentious one in many circles for a while, although perhaps not publically. While Henderson appears to not take sides on it overtly, I get the sense in this book that he strongly believes that Cook did get short changed.

whatever the outcome this was a ripping good read, and highly enjoyable for one who enjoys Arctic and Antarctic accounts.

It's amazing how some aspects of American history become lost through the pasage of time. When I was in grade school and high school, I was always taught that Peary discovered the North Pole, and nothing was ever said about Dr. Cook. Even in college, as a History major, I was taught nothing about that subject. The first time I learned that there was some dispute about the North Pole was when I read the book "The Big Nail", probably in the very early '70s. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement! Over the years since then, I have read other works on this subject, and each one brings its own particular bias with it. The author either favors Peary or Cook, and does his best to villify the other person. This latest book is another in Dr. Cook's corner, but it is free from the vitriol that usually populate this genre of works. He takes us through everything about both men and their respective expeditions, but comes down on the side of Cook. After reading several books, I tend to agree with him, particularly in light of Peary's seemingly amazing distances covered when any witness beside his "body servant" was with him. Also, his absolute refusal to transport Cook's instruments and vital records home on his ship, and then requesting Cook produce them to verify his claim is extremely suspicious. The "establishment", which backed Peary's work, circled the wagons against Cook and proceeded to castigate him unmercifully. No one will ever know exactly which of the two men reached the Pole first, but this well-written book makes an exceptionally good case for Dr. Cook. Read it and form your own conclusions.

True North tells the gripping story of a race to the (North) Pole that almost equals the amazing race for the South Pole of Scott and Amundsen a few years laters, both in excitement and ensuing controversy. The combatants in this contest are Cook and Peary, both claiming to have reached the Pole and, perhaps, both lying. This book makes a good case for Cook having actually achieved the set goal and an even better case for Peary never having stepped on the ever-shifting north pole. Bruce Henderson gets the tale off to a gripping start and keeps the story rolling quickly along. In Peary, the author has one of the true villains of polar exploration and the author milks it out beautifully and powerfully. It was almost hard to read at times as Peary's arrogance grew gigantic after learning that Cook was headed for the Pole. A true tragedy captured nicely in this book.

If you're not acquainted with the writings of Bruce Henderson, you don't know what you're missing. It is no wonder that every reviewer here gives "True North" a five star rating. I'm sure if there were a higher rating, his readers would endow Henderson with it. He is a masterful story teller and his writing skills transport the reader, almost step by step, in the lives of which he writes.

Bruce Henderson's meticulous and comprehensive research brings to light what may be our country's Dreyfus case - how Dr. Frederick Cook was robbed of the credit and fame of being the first man to reach the North Pole. Conventional (and what Henderson establishes as superficial) thinking credits Admiral Perry with being the discoverer of the North Pole but reading Henderson, you accompany both Cook and Perry on their quests to reach the pole. Readers share their elation of their successes and share their disappointments and frustrations at their failings. However, after reading Henderson's well referenced account (sixteen pages of references to source records), one must conclude that modest Dr. Cook was not only was the first to reach the North Pole but that he reached that goal over a year before the flamboyant Admiral Perry!

I didn't know anything about polar exploration before I read this. I was entralled. It's also a deeply insightful book about human motivation, competition and honor. Well written, I especially like how the author would make glimpes into the future with small digressions in his narrative (like when he speaks of the ironic death of Cook's brother, who never set foot in the arctic--I won't spoil that small footnote by saying how in this review). I know the author tried to couch it in neutral terms, but there's no doubt that this is a pro-Cook book. Fine by me!

True North: Peary, Cook, and the Race to the Pole by Bruce Henderson places itself within the longstanding debate of who reached the North Pole first: Dr. Frederick A. Cook or Navy Officer Robert E. Peary. Both claimed to have reached it within one year of each other, Cook in April of 1908 and Peary in April of 1909. Historically, credit for the North Pole discovery has gone to Peary, and much criticism has been aimed at Cook for fabricating his story. Henderson addresses the possibility that Cook may have reached the Pole first and has thus been cheated of his acclamation. A reexamination of evidence, Henderson hopes, will shed more light on the controversy because recent history has charged that Peary lied about the distances he traveled while Cook has gained merit due to his accurate descriptions of the northern regions verified by later explorers. Henderson begins True North when the two are just children, setting up a foundation to help readers understand the two men and what may have motivated their drive to reach the pole. It is not until the middle of the book, in fact, that the race to the North Pole becomes the focus.

Cook and Peary initially worked together to cross and map the Greenland ice cap. Due to conflict during the expedition, Cook decided not to work with Peary again when called upon to do so, instead choosing to lead Greenland expeditions of his own. Peary returned to Greenland to collect iron meteorites sacred to the native people while Cook returned to take up tourist groups of hunters and explorers. Beginning in 1898, Peary made a few failed attempts to reach the North Pole and Cook ventured to the South Pole (1897-1899) and to the summit of Mt. McKinley (1906). During the years in Greenland he spent to achieve his goal, Henderson describes in detail how Peary abused the native people of Greenland, cheated on his wife, and grew increasingly obsessed with fame. Contrasted against this was Cooks modest desire to explore and record. It was not until 1907 that Cook secretly decided to try to reach the North Pole, setting out with two natives and one white man in early 1908, covering the 500 miles in just two months. During the return trip, the Cook explorers got trapped over winter and did not return until 1909. Over the course of this delay, Peary reached the North Pole and claimed the discovery for himself, though he had yet to announce it by the time Cook returned from his expedition. Before Peary was even back from his mission, Cook sent off his own story to a newspaper and proclaimed to the world that he had discovered the North Pole. After Peary declared that he had discovered the North Pole first, it had to be decided who had really done it first, if at all.

Back at home, the controversy began when Cook, challenged to produce his data, could not because Peary refused to bring it home on his ship. Embroiled in a smear campaign against his honor, Cook was soon denied notoriety and credit for the discovery of the North Pole, which was given to Peary despite his own questionable data. Though Henderson never explicitly states who he believes discovered the pole and does not take sides throughout the book, it is clear that he believes the honor of the discovery should go to Cook, since it appears from record that he got the closest to the pole. Evident in his depictions of Cook versus Peary, Henderson's motive is to prove that Cook was indeed cheated out of a victory that was rightfully his. Through Henderson's descriptions, Peary is shown to be an egotistical and hard-handed man concerned only with fame, with a boisterous attitude and little respect for other people. In opposition, Cook is portrayed as being very humble and quiet, an inventive man who is content to share victory. When the events of the contested pole discovery come about, Henderson details how Cook was thwarted his due by Peary's sabotage, and raises suspicion for Peary's claim by pointing out that Peary would not hand over his own notes for inspection before Cook released a statement, insinuating that Peary was getting information from Cook to use in his own dubious notes. As told by Henderson, Cook's evidence, though he produced no notes as proof and with only a diary and the statements of him and his Eskimo companions to back him up, is still more credible than Peary and the incomplete notes he supplies. It is even insinuated that Peary was responsible for Cook later going to prison for mail fraud because the judge trying the case was a friend of the family. Henderson finishes up his assessment by listing all of the ways in which Cook was right or credible in both his pole and Mt McKinley claims. So, despite Henderson never explicitly stating to support Cook, it comes through in his presentation of facts and their evident bias. Whether or not the facts are true as stated, Henderson clearly wants us to see things a certain way.

Henderson's source usage raises concerns over his presentation of facts and how they support his central purpose. True North is rich in detail and follows the separate and intertwining paths of Cook and Peary closely, even to minute detail. Yet the background provided, including an array of personal stories and emotions too intimate to be part of common knowledge, is given no footnoted documentation, which calls into question the validity of the information, its truthfulness, and whether or not Henderson is being true to the facts and portraying them accurately. A reader would have a difficult time verifying many of the things said and claimed to have happened by Henderson. Henderson does provide a selection of source notes at the end of the book, which serve the purpose of explaining where some of the specific personal statements come from. These are actually very informative and valuable to the credibility of the story because they are all primary sources, sources that come direct from people involved or in the time- they are the words of Cook, of Peary, of people witness to the events in question. There is included a bibliography at the back, but without the aid of footnotes, one cannot tell if the books listed at the end are indeed used and where.

True North is a very well written and engaging book, not at all difficult to read and follow. Bruce Henderson is a writer by career with over 20 nonfiction books in his catalog, and he instructs writing classes at Stanford University. Though very skilled at writing, capable of writing a book that is as informative as it is entertaining, it is important to keep in mind that Henderson is not a trained historian and therefore may have approached his subjects with an eye for writing a good story rather than telling balanced fact based history, which would explain his treatment of sources and clear bias. Even with Henderson's notable favoritism, however, the book does present a complete story and sequence of events for both camps. Additionally, the book is full of information about ice travel, geography, and Eskimo culture. For anyone interested in the lives of Cook and Peary, in Arctic travel, or in exploration in general, True North would be well worth the read.

I am so angry after reading this book I could punch a brick wall with my bare hand! Bruce Henderson presented a compelling body of research, complete with a gripping narrative, to describe the 1908-09 race to the North Pole--the "Big Nail," on which the world turned on its axis, as described by Eskimos--and sheds light on the ruthless jealousy of Peary.

Admiral Peary, an employee of the Navy, but who hadn't really worked for the Navy in many years, was an early darling of the U.S. Armed Forces at the beginning of the 20th Century. Dr. Cook, a friend of Peary's on an early attempt to solve the North Pole dilemma, is years later demonized and totally discredited by Peary with his smear campaign to destroy Cook's claim to be the first person to attain Top of the World Status. Henderson presents a detailed and engaging account of their nearly parallel attempts at the feat with amazing research done on the topic, tracking journals, news articles from all over the world, telegrams, and other personal accounts, anecdotes, and public statements that brings this intriguing story of death-defying adventure to its fullest potential.

Peary ultimately discredits Cook, effectively sabotauging his place in the history books. But, Peary is also largely ignored by the scientific community because of his questionable scientific evidence tracing his actual journey; indeed, his day by day logs of his own, last quest are impossible to rectify and Perry, perhaps ironically, leaves his own self hung out to dry as well.

There were no winners in this race, as expertly laid out by author Bruce Henderson. While the rival "sides" in this debate may never settle, it's tragic to read how two strong men ended their arctic adventures (and friendship) in such rancor and misery. In the end, there's so much confusion to it that history will probably never give either the "prize."

One thing that caught me off guard was the despicable lengths to which Peary went to discredit Cook, even going so far as to coerce the eskimoes into confused statements and ensure the 'disappearance' of Cook's instruments. The whole story was summed up for me in the words of the two men themselves:

PERRY:
"I shall not be satisfied until my name is known from one end of the world to the other. I MUST have fame."

COOK (in dedicating his own book):
"To the Indian who invented pemmican and snowshoes;
To the Eskimo who gave the art of sled traveling;
To this twin family of wild folk who have no flag
Goes the first credit."

by the author of The Swan: Tales of the Sacramento Valley

This is a must for fans of arctic exploration. A terrific story, well told. The account is not an attempt to boost the claims of either Peary or Cook. Rather it is a riveting account of the facts as best we can know them, leaving the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. If you are familiar with the book or TV series "The Last Place on Earth" recounting the race to the South Pole by Scott and Amundsen, you will want to read this book. There are some obvious comparisons of the two men's personalities, but the overall story of "True North" is even more rich. One of the best nonfiction reads you are likely to encounter.

If you are a lover of Arctic adventure and history this is a must read!
Bruce Henderson does a great job comparing the two men who claimed to be first to the North Pole. Was it Peary? Was it Cook? This is so well written and interesting you'll find it hard to put down. I have always had my opinion as to who can rightfully claim the title of "First", but after this book, I changed my mind. You may do the same. Each explorers journey is detailed along with a close look at thier personality and inter-action with others. I guarantee you will love this book!