1912
The Year the World Discovered Antarctica
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- $26.99
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
Chris Turney's 1912 is an entertaining and beautifully illustrated history of an awe-inspiring subject.
The rivalry between Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen is a familiar story; what fewer people know is that, in 1912, five separate teams were exploring beyond the limits of the known world: Scott for Britain, Amundsen for Norway, Mawson for Australasia, Filchner for Germany and Shirase for Japan. The Antarctic discoveries made by these brave explorers enthralled the world and forever changed the way we understand our planet.
Chris Turney tells the story of the frozen continent, the heroic trials endured by its explorers and the lasting legacy for future scientific endeavour. Devoting a chapter to each of the five expeditions, he draws on previously unpublished archival material, framing the narrative with the broader idea of the spirit and excitement of scientific discovery.
Professor Chris Turney is a British geologist who has recently been awarded a prestigious Australian Research Laureate Fellowship with the University of New South Wales. He is the author of the popular science books Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of When Things Happened and Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons From Climates Past, as well as numerous scientific papers and magazine articles. www.christurney.com
textpublishing.com.au
'The new David Livingstone.' Saturday Times
'This is a fascinating book, full of interest and detail but never sinking into gloomy depths of ice-bound depression. Events are placed in their historical and political contexts. It's a joy to read history this well presented.' Courier Mail
'...a ripping yarn.' Done Burke
'Turney's enthusiasm translates to the page and the book is very readable, but, like David Attenborough's BBC series or the Cousteau / National Geographic collaborations, the amalgamation of disciplines (entertainment, history, science and geography) is the real success.' Sunday Star Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Turney, an Australian paleoclimatologist (Ice, Mud and Blood), describes the early 20th-century exploratory expeditions to Antarctica. Using a variety of sources including previously unpublished documents, Turney reproduces the drama of the race to reach the South Pole as well as the subsequent efforts of the original pathfinders and new expeditions to unlock the secrets of the continent. The two best-known explorers, Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the pole, and Robert Scott the leader of the ill-fated British expedition, are covered in detail, with evidence-based speculation on why and how Scott's expedition ended tragically. In addition, Turney describes in depth the 1911 1912 German expedition of Wilhem Filchner and the 1911 1913 Australian expedition of Douglas Mawson. Filchner's expedition is rife with misadventure, feuds, dangers, and death. Nonetheless the expedition made a substantial contribution to scientific knowledge of the Antarctic Convergence and the Atlantic Ocean's circulation system. Mawson's expedition is another harrowing tale, visited by death, omnipresent in the ruthlessly frigid environment, and by madness as well. Yet Mawson's team managed to map much of Antarctica's geology, and to describe its otherworldly flora and fauna. Turney successfully conveys the heroism and flaws of the early explorers as they challenged the preternatural dangers of Antarctica. Illus., maps.
