Voyages of Discovery in the Arctic and Antarctic Seas, and Round the World: being personal narratives of attempts to reach the North and South Poles; and of an open-boat expedition up the Wellington Channel in search of Sir John Franklin and Her Majesty’s ships “Erebus” and “Terror,” in Her Majesty’s boat “Forlorn Hope,” under the command of the author. To which are added an Autobiography….
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
A Relic of Ross.
- 1839-42 British Antarctic Expedition (James Clark Ross/Terror and Erebus).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Identifies a book which James Clark Ross had with him on both Arctic and Antarctic voyages and which inscribed indicated so. The book is The Economy of HumanLlife, 1808, variously attributed to Lord Chesterfield, Robert Dodsley (Johnson’s publisher), John Hill, or even unascribed as a volume from the library of the Grand Lama of Tartary. It is a small book of homilies on the conduct of life, often published; this copy first belonged to Isabella Ross, sister of James Clark. He had it with him as first lieutenant to Captain Edward Parry in H.M.S. Hecla in the high Arctic when he inscribed it: “Written on board the Endeavour [a sledge boat detailed from the Hecla] in Latitude 82 3/4˚ N. 27th July, 1827. Jas. C. Ross.” (p. 355)
A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, during the Year 1839-43.
- 1839-42 British Antarctic Expedition (James Clark Ross/Terror and Erebus).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
The author, who discovered the north magnetic pole on an earlier expedition, here describes his Antarctic voyages, in part in search for the south magnetic pole, in the ships Erebus and Terror. 'Ross' experience, daring and good luck combined to provide the first detailed, close-up and prolonged examination of Antarctica. . . He penetrated 7 degrees further south than Cook and 4 degrees further south than Weddell. Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and Byrd all followed in his large footsteps. . . These men were heroes.' Joseph Hooker was aboard as naturalist and John Edward Davis was responsible for many of the illustrations.
Ross in the Antarctic: The Voyages of James Clark Ross in Her Majesty’s Ships Erebus and Terror, 1839-1843.
- 1839-42 British Antarctic Expedition (James Clark Ross/Terror and Erebus).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
An entire volume devoted to the Ross expedition with substantial chapters on each of the three Antarctic summer voyages, as well as material on each of the antipodean winter sojourns in Hobart, Tasmania, Sydney and New Zealand, and the Falklands.
Papers Relating to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), Director of Kew Gardens (1865-1885)
- 1839-42 British Antarctic Expedition (James Clark Ross/Terror and Erebus).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
This bound, indexed volume contains the following documents: papers and correspondence dated c.1887-1903 relating the National Antarctic Expedition of the HMS Discovery (1901-04) including a photograph of the ship; correspondence dated c.1842-43 by J. Davies, J. Savage and C. J. Sullivan whilst on HMS Erebus and HMS Terror (1839-1843) including some poetry by Sullivan; and a lecture (original manuscript and typed transcript) given by J.D. Hooker on this expedition at the Royal Institution of South Wales, Swansea on 17 June 1846.
Narrative of the Wreck of the ‘Favorite’ on the Island of Desolation [Kerguelen Island]
- 1849? Kerguélen Island Sealing Voyage and Shipwreck.
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
A youthful sailor’s account of his voyage to the Kerguélen Islands on a sealing expedition, and its various crises and shipwrecks. Sometimes attributed to W. B. Clarke.
Life on a Whaler; or, Antarctic Adventures in the Isle of Desolation.
- 1851-53 Kerguélen Whaling Voyage (aboard Julius Caesar).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Narrative of a whaling voyage from New London, Connecticut to the South Indian Ocean aboard the ship Julius Caesar, August 18, 1851 to June 4, 1853. Taylor was a 28-year-old doctor and the medical officer of the voyage. The manuscript had been prepared for publication in long hand by the author in 1858--including a title page, table of contents, foreword, and chapter headings--but had never been published until this edition, limited to 900 copies, was printed by the New London County Historical Society in 1929. Illustrations by William T. Peters of the U. S. Japan Expedition. Bound in tan cloth over boards with dark brown cloth spine, gilt-stamped spine and upper board, illustrated endpapers. (from ABEBOOKS)
Four Years aboard the Whaleship. Embracing Cruises in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Antarctic Oceans, in the year 1855, ‘6, ‘7, ‘8, ‘9.
- 1855-59 US Whaling Voyage aboard Pacific.
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
[From a bookseller’s catalogue on ABEBooks]: Whitecar, an intelligent observer, sailed from New Bedford aboard the Pacific, on a whaling voyage which took him to Antarctic waters, Australia & New Zealand. His narrative gives good details of the whaler's life on ship and ashore from 1855-59, one of the best for the time, including observations & comparisons of whaling equipment and practices. Whitecar includes much on the West Australian coast, visiting the Vasse & Cape Leeuwin a number of times. He spends time in Albany (King Georges Sound), visits Geraldton (Champion Bay), Esperence (the Recherche Archipelago) and the Houtmans Abrolhas. In observing W.A., he comments “I didn't see a glass of spirits drank. ale and beer were however swallowed without regard to quality or quantity.” The majority of the book relates to West Australian waters & anecdotes. A very readable & informative account, one of the best we've read on West Australia. Bookseller Inventory # 8363. [This annotation is partly plagiarized in a Bartfield listing for the same book. Whitecar’s account is quite a charming account of the whaling life, somewhat sanitized for the domestic reader, pointing out the foibles and peccadilloes of sailors on other ships but seeing his ship as something of a model of discipline and benign leadership.]
The Captain’s Best Mate. The Journal of Mary Chipman Lawrence on the Whaler Addison 1856-1860.
- 1856-60 US Whaling Expedition (Captain Lawrence aboard Addison).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Maritime Reading
Whalemen's Reading
Not strictly polar; the Addison rounded Cape Horn in 1856 and returned in May 1860.
The Journal of Annie Holes Ricketson on the Whaleship A. R. Tucker, 1871-1874.
- 1871-74 American Whaling Expedition to Indian Ocean (aboard A. R. Tucker).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
A good example of the so-called petticoat whaler, the Captain’s wife. This is a fairly calm memoir with some observations about the business of whaling, and frequent reference to books, newspapers, and letters but seldom with any reading details.
Master of Desolation: The Reminiscences of Capt. Joseph J. Fuller.
- 1873-75 American Kerguélen Sealing Expeditions.
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
An informal account of a whaleman and two of his sealing voyages to the Kerguélen Islands, the first fairly routine [aboard Roswell King, 1873-75], the second a shipwreck [Pilot’s Bride, 1880-83] and a difficult period of survival there. He clearly was not a great reader but there are a few references.
From Edinburgh to the Antarctic: An Artist’s Notes and Sketches during the Dundee Antarctic Expedition 1892-93, with a Chapter by W. S. Bruce.
- 1892-93 British Whaling Expedition(Alexander Fairweather aboard Balæna et al).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
One of the most delightful, witty, sardonic, and intelligent of early Antarctic accounts. Burn Murdoch shipped aboard the Balæna with his friend William Speirs Bruce in 1892. This is an account of that journey. Bruce, later well-known for the Scotia expedition, was the ship’s surgeon and naturalist and Murdoch assistant surgeon and ship’s artist. This expedition recorded the first photographs of Antarctica. Murdoch has a good deal of respect for the intelligence of the foc’sle men.
The Cruise of the ‘Antarctic’ to the South Polar Regions.
- 1893-95 Norwegian Whaling Expedition (Henrik Bull aboard Antarctic).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Essentially a Norwegian/English whaling and sealing expedition in which the crew suffered no major deprivations or hardships other than hurricanes around the Kerguélens where the ship chiefly spent the ‘summer’ of 1893-94 before returning to Melbourne. The first part of the expedition made catches of £3000 pounds in value, but an intermediate voyage during the winter to the Campbell Islands almost wrecked the ship [Bull was back in Australia] and repairs ate up all the profits.
Roald Amundsen’s Belgica Diary: The first Scientific Expedition to the Antarctic.
- 1897-99 Belgian Antarctic Expedition (Gerlache de Gomery aboard Belgica).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
This first English publication of Amundsen’s daybook from the Belgica trip, together with connective commentary by the editor about each segment of the trip, is a surprising volume for a number of reasons. It presents a rather different picture of Amundsen than the more affectless hero of his later works. Here is the second mate, concerned about the welfare of ship and crew, even-headed except when learning of Gerlache’s deceit excluding him of the potential captaincy of the expedition. Much of the book goes along monotonously with routine weather reports that are interspersed with moments of real excitement and danger. His friendship with Doctor Cook comes across very clearly, but his rather frequent acknowledgment of God and his benign guidance is unexpected. There appears to be nothing about any reading he may have done during the trip, but he does describe briefly the pinup contest that Gerlache makes much of. The book gives some excerpts from diaries of other officers, including this from Henryk Arctowski:
Through the First Antarctic Night, 1898-1899.
- 1897-99 Belgian Antarctic Expedition (Gerlache de Gomery aboard Belgica).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Some of this book, such as the description of the pinup contest and an obvious double entendre or two, is rather childish, but the book does give a different and quite positive perspective on Cook, though rejected by his enemies like Skelton or Peary.