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Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration Paperback – Illustrated, March 3, 2014
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"Gripping and superb. This book will steal the night from you." ―Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival
On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.
Mawson was sometimes reduced to crawling, and one night he discovered that the soles of his feet had completely detached from the flesh beneath. On February 8, when he staggered back to base, his features unrecognizably skeletal, the first teammate to reach him blurted out, "Which one are you?"
This thrilling and almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers and expedition leaders. It is illustrated by a trove of Frank Hurley’s famous Antarctic photographs, many never before published in the United States.
24 pages of illustrations- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateMarch 3, 2014
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
- ISBN-100393347788
- ISBN-13978-0393347784
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Editorial Reviews
Review
― Chuck Leddy, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Impressively seamless and straightforward."
― Christina Thompson, Boston Globe
"A chilling story…You feel the freezing temperatures, the fear, the desperation, along with the loyalty of the other Australasian Antarctic Expedition members."
― Sandra Dallas, Denver Post
"In Alone on the Ice, Roberts, a veteran mountain climber and chronicler of adventures, admirably succeeds in restoring the luster that the Australian Antarctic Expedition and its leader deserve."
― Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post
"A fresh and thoroughly researched account of Doulas Mawson's epic journey of self-rescue across one of the most inhospitable regions known to man. Roberts takes the reader alongside the men of the 1912 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, and the desperation of Mawson s sledge journey can be well imagined step by frigid step."
― Ed Viesturs, author of K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain
"Others have written the loose outlines of Douglas Mawson's astonishing survival against the worst conditions that Antarctica can deliver a lesser-known but equally compelling epic as that of Ernest Shackleton but Roberts's telling trumps them all."
― Gordon Wiltsie, author of To the Ends of the Earth
"This is Roberts at his best, telling a little-known tale of adventure, tragedy, and endurance. Mawson may be the most famous Australian explorer, and Alone on the Ice is an admirable introduction of him to American readers."
― Greg Child, author of Over the Edge
"An accurate and enthralling account of the greatest story of polar exploration and survival. Roberts takes the reader back to a time of hardship, collective friendship, and a level of determination unknown in todays culture. This book will make you cherish every meal and the joys of a warm bed."
― Conrad Anker, coauthor of The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mt. Everest
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
- Publication date : March 3, 2014
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- Print length : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393347788
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393347784
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #79,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Antarctica Travel Guides
- #18 in Arctic & Antarctica History
- #157 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies
About the author

David Roberts (born 1943) is a climber, mountaineer, and author of books and articles about climbing. He is particularly noted for his books The Mountain of My Fear and Deborah: A Wilderness Narrative, chronicling major ascents in Alaska in the 1960s, which had a major impact on the form of mountaineering literature. In thirteen seasons spent in the Alaskan wilderness, Roberts is well known for many first ascents, including the Wickersham Wall on Mount McKinley, the West rib of Mount Huntington, climbing in the Western Brooks Range and the Kichatna Spires, and on the East Face of Mount Dickey.
Roberts is the son of Walter Orr Roberts and mentor to Jon Krakauer.
David Roberts attended Harvard University, where he received a mathematics degree in 1965. He was a member of and former president of the Harvard Mountaineering Club. He also received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver in 1970.
From 1970 to 1979 Roberts was a professor of literature at Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, as well as designing the college's Outdoors Program.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.






