A succinct and well-illustrated account of the epic voyage, though not without faults (e.g. she doesn’t have Cherry in Scott’s SP journey, there is no index, and citations are wholly inadequate). But she does use Hurley photographs to good effect.
p. 42—boredom addressed by football games, scientists reading aloud, singsongs, etc.
p. 50-51—good pictures of Hurley reading and of Shackleton’s cabin with book shelves.
p. 56: Walter How and William Bakewell, both lowly able seamen but avid readers, could look forward to discussing the books they had been reading from the excellent ship’s library one-on-one with Ernest Shackleton. Blackborow, the stowaway, was made to attend to his schooling, Sir Ernest having taken a personal interest in the bright, conscientious young man.
p. 76: On preparing to abandon the ship carpenter McNish said “I have placed my Loved ones fotos inside Bible we got presented with from Queen Alexandra & put them in my bag.”
p. 86: no
p. 93, Alexandra Bible inscription, May 31, 1914: May the Lord help you to do your duty & guide you through all dangers by land and sea. “May you see the Works of the Lord & all his wonders in the Deep.”
[Shackleton felt compelled to dispose of the book but ripped out the flyleaf and the 23rd Psalm and verses from Job (p. 95). Nevertheless, it was reclaimed by one of the crew who felt throwing a Bible away, if not a sacrilege, would bring bad luck.]
p. 137: The charts were those Worsley had ripped from books in the library of the Endurance before she was abandoned.
p. 145, Worsley’s almanac and logarithm charts had become dangerously pulpy: My navigation books had to be half opened page by page till the right one was reached, then opened carefully to prevent utter destruction.
p. 176-77, on Elephant Island: Everyone spent the day rotting in their bags with blubber and tobacco smoke…. “So passes another goddam rotten day.” [Greenstreet] In addition to various nautical books and copies of Walter Scott and Browning, five volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica had been saved from the Endurance library. The most entertainment per page was afforded by Marston’s Penny Cookbook, which inspired many imaginary meals.