SOUTH The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917

This is not one of the books that made Shackleton famous to recent generations. This is Shackleton’s original account, cobbled together from the journals of his failed but heroic expedition in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea and the equally heroic and more disastrous expedition in the Ross Sea—two parts of one attempt to cross the Antarctic continent. The account embodies the sensibilities of its time, when explorers prized penguins and seals for food. Steven Crossley offers a measured narration with a positive tone and an Oxbridge accent that make Shackleton come alive. However, the identities of various speakers are sometimes difficult to follow as the author draws material from different first-person accounts. The scientific appendices add to this greatest of Antarctic stories. F.C. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2011]