A sanitized, somewhat saccharine autobiography which delves shallowly into the IPY expedition of 1881-84 ( p. 120-51), and doesn’t even mention his one-time friend Henry W. Howgate, without whom the expedition never would have happened. Although descended from British settlers from 1623, Greely was a working-class boy, educated through high school (including Latin). He enlisted as a private in 1861, served in a number of battles (incl. Antietam) before being promoted to lieutenant at age 18 to command a black infantry regiment. For the Greely Arctic expedition he emphasizes the scientific purposes of the IPY over pole-seeking adventure. At Fort Conger (p. 122) “needful relief from scientific labors was had by the celebration of festive occasions, the issue of a newspaper, the training and coddling of our dogs, the devising of contests and games. So, work and play marked our lives in the comfortable home, where well-cooked meals, warm quarters and plentiful reading matter were duly enjoyed.” Such was not the case at Camp Clay at Cape Sabine at the end of their retreat. Greely does deal with the execution of Private Henry but not the cannibalism allegations, nor with his bad relations with officers and men.
Reminiscences of Adventure and Service. A Record of Sixty-Five Years.
- Arctic Reading: United States
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 Polar Regions.
- Arctic Reading: General
p. 32ff. Chapter III on Polar Travel is a brief history of polar exploration, citing Frobisher, Hudson, Barents, Spitsbergen Dutch whalers, Franklin, “Parry, McClintock, Kane, Greely, Nansen, Peary, and Koch, while the Antarctic has its own list including the names of Ross, Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen, Mawson, and Nordenskiöld” (p. 36).
Nimrod in the North, Or Hunting and Fishing Adventures in the Arctic Regions.
- Arctic Reading: United States
A general account of hunting and fishing in the Arctic, by the eminent explorer who later rescued what was left of Adolphus Greenly’s expedition. Schwatka’s brief Introduction summarizes his intent:
A Voyage to the South Seas in His Majesty’s Ship the Wager in the Years 1740-1741.
- 1740-41 English Naval Voyage to the South Seas (aboard Wager).
- Global Circumnavigations and Cape Horn Transits.
- Maritime Reading
Fascinating account of a shipwreck, a potential mutiny, and a Warrant Officer who took it on himself to advise incompetent officers in how to save the lives of the crew. His advice was dependent upon one volume he borrowed from the ship’s Captain.
A Summer Search for Sir John Franklin, with a Peep into the Polar Basin.
- 1848-59 The Franklin Search.
- Arctic Reading: Great Britain
This expedition took place in the summer of 1852, sponsored by Lady Franklin.
Miscellaneous notes, etc. from diaries.
- 1914-16 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (Shackleton on Endurance).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
Includes a list of books that seems to serve as something of a circulation record as well, indicating the person who had the book and in some cases gives a date of Jan 31which may have indicated a loan period. It does not include everything known to have made it to Elephant Island, such as 5 vols. of the Britannica. In fact few of the items on this list did make it beyond Dump Camp.
The Voyages of the ‘Morning’
- 1901-04 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott aboard Discovery).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
The Morning was a relief ship for Scott’s Discovery expedition. Notable for its piano, given by Clements Markham (the carpenter cut it in half to get it into the wardroom), for the song texts given in the book, apparently composed by Doorly, and the key role of the piano. Doorly was a close friend of Teddy Evans and it was Evans’s influence on Clements Markham that helped get him posted to the Morning and involved in freeing Discovery from the heavy ice of McMurdo sound. Doorly wrote a readable autobiography called In the Wake, which devotes a couple of chapters to his Discovery experience.
The Night Side of Dickens.
- Arctic Reading: Great Britain
p. 544, Dickens library contained many volumes on Arctic voyages and several on Franklin.
The First Crossing of Spitzbergen, Being an Account of an Inland Journey of Exploration and Survey… and of an Almost Complete Circumnavigation of the Main Island…. With Contributions by J. W. Gregory, D.Sc. A. Trevor-Battye, and E. J. Garwood.
- 1896 and 1897 British Exploring Expeditions Crossing Spitzbergen and its Interior (led by Sir William Martin Conway).
- Arctic Reading: Europe including Scandinavia
p. 36-37, describing some passengers on this tour boat: There was a crow's-nest to be fitted up. All sorts of people came to say good-bye—consuls, agents, dealers, and relatives or acquaintances of passengers. The deck was crowded. Glasses clinked. Every one was in the way of every one else, but the sun shone brightly and all were gay. In the midst of the shindy, Gregory digested geological papers from various journals, cross-questioned any one that came handy about Spitsbergen birds or the Norwegian vocabulary, and went on piling up information generally. “You read always,” said the French gentleman to him. “Yes,” was the merry reply; “you see I am young and have a lot to learn.” Garwood was also busy. He started from England with some work on hand still requiring a preface. With this he had been labouring in the intervals of sea-sickness, negative developing, baggage overhauling, and the rest, at odd moments during the voyage. The hour appointed for sailing came, but the preface lingered. Furiously the author worked on amongst teacups and the debris of food. At last the work was done. A wild rush on shore, and the precious document was consigned to the post and all the printer's devils.
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe, from the Year 1833 to 1836.
- Whalemen's Reading
Volume I:
Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard.
- 1910-14 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott on Terra Nova).
- Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
A splendid biography of one of the most valuable members of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition.
Naval Stories.
- Maritime Reading
I have loved thee, Ocean! and my joy
Arctic Ordeal: The Journal of John Richardson Surgeon-Naturalist with Franklin, 1820-1822.
- 1819-22 and 1825-27 John Franklin Overland Journeys with John Richardson.
- Arctic Reading: Great Britain
This journal joins those of Back and Franklin as records of their first overland journey.
The Franz Josef Land Archipelago. E. B. Baldwin’s Journal of the Wellman Polar Expedition.
- 1905-07 Private US Wellman Polar Expedition to North Pole.
- Arctic Reading: United States
An early attempt to reach the North Pole by airship from Dane’s Island, Svalbard. It failed while the engines were being tested.