THE ICE BALLOON S.A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration

The search for the North Pole in the nineteenth century was risky business; expedition stories are dramatic, cold, and usually deadly. Lesser known and more unusual is Swedish Salomon Andrée’s attempt in 1897, along with two colleagues, to reach the pole by hot-air balloon. Despite careful preparations, the balloon couldn’t be steered; it bumped along the ice and finally landed having traveled only half the distance. John Pruden’s sensitive reading of the diaries of Andrée and Nils Stringberg’s three-month sledge trip south looking for safety is compelling and tragic. However, the descriptions of other polar expeditions are read too slowly. More variation of tone and timing to match the drama would have breathed more life into the narration of these deadly trips. A.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2012]