Subject: hielo

Jun

2016

An empire of ice: Scott, Shackleton and the heroic age of antarctic Science

Ficha Técnica

Título: An empire of ice: Scott, Shackleton and the heroic age of antarctic Science
Autor: Edward Larson
Edita: Yale University Press, 2013
Encuadernación: Tapa dura
Número de páginas: 326 p.
ISBN: 9780300188219

Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, «An Empire of Ice» presents a fascinating new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it’s the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context. Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. «An Empire of Ice» offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers’ achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.

Genero: ensayo
Subjects: Amundsen, Antártida, ciencia, hielo, polo, Scott

Jun

2016

Scott of the Antarctic: A biography

Ficha Técnica

Título: Scott of the Antarctic: A biography
Autor: David Crane
Edita: Vintage, 2007
Encuadernación: Tapa dura
Número de páginas: 608 p.
ISBN: 1400031419

If ever a man needed saving from the enthusiasm of his admirers,» Crane begins, «it was Scott.» But although this hefty biography strips away much of the legend and mystique surrounding the polar expeditions of Robert Falcon Scott, it’s still infused with hero worship. In addition to his leadership skills, Crane claims Scott was the only polar explorer to possess significant literary talent, and his writings—especially the final message scrawled as he lay dying in the Antarctic wastelands—»extend our sense of what it is to be human.» The twin centerpieces of Scott’s story are, of course, his two expeditions to Antarctica, both of which are recreated here with meticulous detail. Crane understands, however, that Scott’s accomplishments in the polar region were shaped by his earlier experiences in the Royal Navy; thus the narrative is equally strong in recounting how Scott was able to overcome fierce opposition to his leadership of the first trip and how the rivalry with former crewmate Ernest Shackleton spurred the second. «Personality and character went on playing a decisive role in polar exploration long after it had been relegated to the margins of other history,» Crane writes, and for all the dramatic action, it is Scott the man who most captivates the author—and readers.

Genero: ensayo
Subjects: Antártida, aventura, biografía, hielo, polo, Scott

Jun

2016

The Coldest March: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition

Ficha Técnica

Título: The Coldest March: Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition
Autor: Susan Solomon
Edita: Yale University Press, 2002
Encuadernación: Tapa dura
Número de páginas: 416 p.
ISBN: 0300099215

The icy deaths of Robert Falcon Scott and his companions on their return from the South Pole in 1912 made them English icons of courage and sacrifice. Soon, however, Scott’s judgments and decisions were questioned, and his reputation became one of inept bungler rather than heroic pioneer. Susan Solomon, senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Colorado, approaches Scott’s story from a meteorologist’s point of view. She shows that the three weeks from February 27 to March 19, during which the explorers fell further and further behind the daily distances they had to cover in order to survive, were far colder than normal. Unusual blizzards of wet snow had already slowed the party and depleted their provisions and strength. Without these once-in-a-decade phenomena, Solomon believes the party would have returned to its base on the Ross Sea–second after Roald Amundsen in the race to the Pole, but safely. She opens each chapter with comments from a hypothetical modern visitor to Antarctica, presumably to give a wider context to the human drama of the last century, though this reviewer finds them inappropriate. She enriches her narratives of Scott’s two Antarctic expeditions with vintage photographs and tables of meteorological data that highlight the explorers’ achievements. Their determination was pitted against the worst weather in the world. Scott’s story has been told many times before, but its weather information makes The Coldest March a useful addition to the literature.

Genero: ensayo
Subjects: Amundsen, aventura, expedición, hielo, polo, Scott