Stuart was chosen to serve as a geologist based at McMurdo starting in 1958, at the end of the IGY.
p. 37—picture of McMurdo library, 1959.
p. 38: Jan. 11, [1959] … Finished reading biography of Dr. Wilson, “Edward Wilson of the Antarctic,” by George Seaver. Book over-praises Wilson but he nevertheless stands out as quite a man. His death was logical result of his extreme idealistic asceticism. In fact, he had so nearly subverted his body to his will that death was the only remaining act of his asceticism left for him to commit on himself.
p. 40: Jan. 21 Also worked on getting LA library stamped and catalogued.
p. 50: March 15 … Late watch tonight. Presemtly taping music of “Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Quite dark at night now and it is still quite dim although it is quite accentuated by the low cloud cover. Read “All Quiet on theWestern Front.”
p. 50: March 17 … Reading “Darwin, Marx, Wagner” by Jacques Barzun. Good meaty reading although don’t follow all of it.
p. 52: March 29 … Reading Shakespeare lately. Have read “Othello” and “Midsummer’s Night Dream” and A. L. Bradley’s criticism of “Othello” and “King Lear.” Also reading “Quest for a Continent.”
p. 52: March 30 … Read most of “Death of a Navy,” about Japanese in WW II.
p. 53: April 4 … Started reading “By Love Possessed.” Finished “The Soviets in the Arctic” last night. It only confirmed my impression that their polar work is very advanced.
April 5: … read more of “By Love Possessed.”
April 6: reading “By Love Possessed” until 4.30 AM.
By April reading seems to give way to evening movies.
p. 57: May 2: Up until 2:00 AM finishing “Tess of the Durbervilles” very depressing—what a chronicle of injustice!
p. 58: May 8 … Reading “The Idiot.”
p. 62: May 30 … Now reading “Anna Karenina.”
p. 71: July 27 … Finished reading Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” tonight.
p. 74: August 13 … Stayed up to 3:30 AM finishing “The Cross of Iron.” As a result, overslept until 10.30.
No readings mentioned during ice traverse in October.
p. 107: Jan 1, 1960 … read “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” by Tennessee Williams.
p. 108: Jan. 8 … Finished reading “The Aeneid” today—translation by C. D. Lewis.
p. 109: Jan. 12 … Finished reading “Madison Avenue, USA by Martin Mayer—more or less factual description of the advertising business.
p. 113: Jan. 21: Started reading Albert Camus’ excellent but difficult “The Rebel.”