Below the Convergence: Voyages Towards Antarctica, 1699-1839 (Hardcover)

by Alan Gurney (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Today, scientists regularly bivouac for months on end in the vast frozen wastes of Antarctica, and adventurous travelers can even find tours to take them to the bottom of the world. But it was not so long ago that a voyage to the South Pole was a perilous undertaking, one that required tremendous courage, stamina, and skill. Long before explorers actually saw this frozen continent, its existence was posited by geographers, though 18th-century seafarers ventured no further than the ring of cold air and icy water, the Antarctic Convergence, which surrounded it. The discovery and exploitation of Antarctica is the subject of Alan Gurney's book, Below the Convergence.

In addition to chronicling the voyages and adventures of some of history's most colorful explorers, including Captain James Cook, Gurney provides a wealth of information. He details the average sailor's life on-board, the rivalry between seal hunters, and the ingenious solutions that resourceful voyagers devised for knotty problems like shipwreck, scurvy, and even lovesickness. Fascinating, exciting, at times lyrical, Gurney's literary journey is a trip worth taking.

From Publishers Weekly
Long before Admiral Byrd's well-publicized expeditions and the race to the South Pole by Scott and Amundsen, other, now long-forgotten explorers, adventurers and ordinary seal hunters made or tried to make their way to Antarctica. Gurney, a Scots yacht designer and photographer, tells the story of some dozen of those men, beginning with the astronomer Halley (of comet fame) in 1699 and finishes with an 1839 whaling/sealing ship-the Eliza Scott-whose crew discovered boulders imbedded in Antarctic ice, a geological mystery that caught Darwin's interest. But to mention only the detailed accounts of these voyages-and they are very detailed-fails to give a sense of the treasure-trove quality of this unusual book. Along the way are interesting discussions of the history of astronomy, geography, navigation (especially the problems of working out correct longitude), cartography and ornithology (how the penguin got its name), diet (the problem of scurvy) and the economics of the whale-oil trade. And how many of us have seriously considered the question "Is there indeed a 'Southern Ocean' below the Pacific?"? Gurney's somewhat dogged interest in describing exactly which routes various ships took to get from here to there is more than made up for by his curiosity about what they encountered along the way. This book, written for serious sailors, should entertain anyone curious about history's backwater. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393039498
• ISBN-13: 978-0393039498
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,295,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very witty, entertaining read, which will appeal to all., December 31, 1998

By	Eduardo (Barbados) - See all my reviews

As a land-lubber I didn't know whether I would enjoy this book, but after completing it today (31st Dec 1998), I find myself contemplating the Antarctic summer! The book is scientifically very sound on many technical subjects, but will delight all readers. The sailor, naval architect, historian, naturalist, marine surveyor, and navy-man will particularly appreciate the erudition of Mr. Gurney. No-one will feel left-out! Mr.Gurney has taken the cream of perhaps 200-250 books and condensed it into a single superbly written volume. Save yourself the reading and read this one volume; it is very well constructed and will whet the appetite for perhaps further literary exploration or even real exploration (or at least maybe (ahem) "soft exploration" aboard a southern cruise-ship). I particularly liked the hand-drawn maps at the back although I know nothing about land-surveying. Let's hope that Mr. Gurney will produce further works like this one which greatly enhanced my knowledge in many areas. By the way, the title of book was meaningless to me before I read it, and I think the author could have chosen a more "saleable" title, because the book will be loved by many who don't have a clue what this is.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sailing over a cetacean kingdom, March 26, 2000

By	Iain Orr (London, UK) - See all my reviews

The subject-matter may seem a narrow historical theme but the great joy of this book is how well it relates to wider concerns and themes. It is superbly written (as well as being an excellent example of a well-produced book, with apposite text illustrations, maps and a good index). The passage on pp 59 to 61 of the ecology of the Southern Ocean gives a succinct and witty account of the food-chain and ends with a paragraph in celebration of the whales that have survived (just) the whalers which followed in the wake of the great discoverers. There are accounts to appeal to island-lovers of the earliest contacts with the wonderful remote islands of the Southern Ocean. Readers of The Times (London) will find good historial material here about Kerguelen (Desolation) Island to which one of the paper's best columnists (Matthew Parris) has just set off. No surprise to me that the author, Alan Gurney lives on a lovely and historic Scottish island, Islay. Read his book with a fine malt whisky from Islay close to hand. You can then regularly toast the many fine descriptive passages (both his own and in quotations from his sources, which he uses with great skill) and his narrative skill in telling an exciting story.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sailors praise for a sailors worthy work., September 20, 1999

By	Paul L. Bonge (Once again, Biloxi via France & Europe and film school many moons ago...) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My brother, a 20th Century racing sailor extradordinaire, gave me this book while I was home from the sea for a week last Christmas. I have nothing but praise for Mr. Gurney's engaging and effortless prose and thoroughly enjoyed every moment in the frigid southern seas as my ship sailed over the Atlantic. There is something very appropriate in reading this book while ghosting along of an evening under topsails aboard a square rigged ship. Those hard and corageous men (perhaps foolish and motivated more by profit upon the hapless seal) cause a modern throw-back to admire their skill and endurance. Even more, lying comfortable & safe tucked into a climate controled cabin aboard a 350 foot square-rigged ship, I found the romance in Gurney's writing intoxicating. Here is an insight into our own seafaring history, of men long forgot who paved the way for the demystification of our small world.

An engrossing and satisfying read that everyone should devour.