Nordenskiöld’s Voyage Round Asia and Europe. A Popular Account of the North-East Passage of the “Vega,” 1878-80.

Hovgaard, Andreas Peter. Translated from the Danish by H. L. Brækstad. London: Sampson Low, 1882.
  • 1878-80 Swedish Northeast Passage Expedition (Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld aboard Vega).
  • Arctic Reading: Europe including Scandinavia
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p. 192: The life on board the “Vega” was consequently somewhat monotonous, but owing to the anything but pleasant watches in the observatory, the time passed swiftly by. A great deal of our time was occupied with studies of different kinds. Nordenskiöld brought with him an excellent library, consisting of course mostly of books of Arctic travels and scientific works. Every morning a new number of the Gothenburg Commercial and Maritime News, of which we had brought a set of last year’s numbers. Was placed upon the table, and we read again, with the greatest interest, about the war between Russia and Turkey, and discussed other well-known topics and events.

Playing Dead: A Contemplation Concerning the Arctic.

Wiebe, Rudy. Edmonton, ALB: NeWest, 1989.
  • Arctic Reading: General
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p. 21: Young Midshipman Robert Hood is unaccustomed to both the nightly ‘dismal serenade’ of the ‘cowardly, stupid and ravenous’ sled dogs and to the lazy winter lives of the traders, ‘few of [whom] have books, and the incidents of their lives do not furnish much subject for thought.’ Hood decides: ‘in such a state one might be disposed to envy the half year’s slumber of the bears.’

War, Ice & Piracy: The Remarkable Career of a Victorian Sailor. The Journals and Letters of Samuel Gurney Cresswell.

Cresswell, Samuel Gurney. Edited by Dominick Harrod. (London: Chatham Publishing, 2000).
  • 1848-59 The Franklin Search.
  • Arctic Reading: Great Britain
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Cresswell was a Royal naval officer aboard both the James Clark Ross and Robert McClure expeditions of the Franklin Search, and can claim to be the first to cover the entire Northwest Passage. He was also a notable water-colourist of these expeditions. The letters reproduced here are primarily to his Parents.

Salt Water Bubbles; Or, Life on the Wave.

Sleeper, John Sherburne. [Hawser Martingale, pseud.]. Boston, MA: W.M.J. Reynolds, 1854.
  • Arctic Reading: United States
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Stories which originally appeared in the Boston Journal, all dealing with all aspects of nautical life in the American merchant service in the early part of the nineteenth century

The Voyages of William Baffin, 1612-1622.

Baffin, William. Edited with Notes and an Introduction by Clements R. Markham. London: Hakluyt Society, 1881.
  • 1612-22 British Voyages of William Baffin.
  • Arctic Reading: Great Britain
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p. 150: Wherefore I cannot but much admire the worke of the Almightie, when I consider how vaine the best and chiefest hopes of men are in thinges vncertaine ; and to speake of no other then of the hopeful passage to the North-West. How many of the best sort of men haue set their whole endeauoures to prooue a passage that ways? not onely in conference, but also in writing and publishing to the world. Yea, what great summes of money haue been spent about that action, as your worship hath costly experience of. Neither would the vain-glorious Spaniard haue scattered abroad so many false maps and journals, if they had not beene confident of a passage this way; that if it had pleased God a passage had beene found, they might haue eclipsed the worthy prayse of the adventurers and true discouerers. And for my owne part I would hardly haue beleeued the contrary vntill my eyes became witnesse of what I desired not to haue found; still taking occasion of hope on euery likelihood, till such time as we had coasted almost all the circumference of this great bay.

Master Mariner: Capt. James Cook and the Peoples of the Pacific.

Connor, Daniel and Lorraine Miller. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1978.
  • 1768–79 British Naval Expeditions of Captain James Cook.
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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p. 51: On all three voyages, Cook carried with him the Earl of Morton’s Hints offered to the consideration of Captain Cook…on what to make note of when encountering new nations. Religion, morals, order, government, distinctions of power, police and tokens for commerce were prominent subjects for inquiry. [Footnote on p. 162 identifies this as: Douglas, James, 14th Earl of Morton. Hints Offered to the Consideration of Captain Cooke, Mr Banke, Doctor Solander and the other Gentlemen who go upon the Expedition on Board the Endeavour. Manuscript. Commonwealth National Library, Canberra, dated Chiswick Wednesday 10th August 1768.]

First on the Antarctic Continent, Being an Account of the British Antarctic Expedition 1898-1900

Borchgrevink, Carsten E. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1980 [Reprint 1901].
  • 1898–1900 British Antarctic Expedition (Carsten Borchgrevink on Southern Cross).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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Borchgrevink comes across as a sanctimonious sycophant, at least at the beginning, full of himself and his role in “the world’s history.” For contrast from an antagonist, see Louis Charles Bernacchi who detested Borchgrevink. Pretty clear that this is one of those self-serving travel accounts which conceals the depths of animosity that developed within his staff.

The Three Voyages of Edmond Halley in the Paramore 1698-1701.

Halley, Edmond. Edited by Norman J. W. Thrower. London: The Hakluyt Society, 1981. [Vol. II is a Portfolio of Maps].
  • 1699-1701 English Naval Expedition (Edmond Halley aboard Paramore).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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[Note]: Halley retained the confidence of the Admiralty, and his second cruise from September 1699 to September 1700 was successful. He went south as far as 52° into the ice field north of the site of the modern Halley Bay Geophysical Observatory and was in considerable danger, as he was later from a storm off the coast of Africa. (ODNB)

Adventurous Life.

Mountevans, Edward Racdcliffe, Admiral Lord. London: Hutchison, 1946.
  • Antarctic Reading: General
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Mountevans was involved in relief expeditions for both of the Scott journeys. He writes with good humor and amusing anecdotes. He tells one involving a salvage expert, Commodore Sir Frederick Young, about the Magellan Straits and a salvage ship on which the Commodore happened to see a notice from the Independent Press Association offering a £500 reward for anyone who could “discover and forward to them the Bible of the explorer Louis de Rougemont which was lost in the steamer, Ananias, wrecked in Magellan Straits. The Bible can well be identified, since the explorer’s name is written on the fly-leaf in his own blood.” The Commodore and fellow sailors decided to create one, found a Bible, soaked it in sea water, found de Rougemont’s signature in a signed article in Wide World Magazine, and used the Commodore’s blood (he was chosen by lot) to forge Rougemont’s signature on the fly-leaf. They then sent the Bible off to the Press Association and claimed the reward. After two months they received this reply: …I am also directed to state that although the sea has worked many marvels, the Directors of the Independent Press Association cannot believe that it has succeeded in translating completely a French Bible into English!” (p. 134-36)

The Ice Child.

McGregor, Elizabeth. [Novel]. (New York, Dutton, 2001).
  • 1848-59 The Franklin Search.
  • Arctic Reading: Great Britain
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Fictional account of the Franklin search and an obsessive Franklin searcher.

Discovery: The Story of the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition.

Byrd, Richard Evelyn. New York: Putnam’s, 1935.
  • 1933-35 Byrd Second Antarctic Expedition.
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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Byrd’ second expedition (1933-1935), again settled at the still usable Little America, emphasizing science and technology at considerable expense for a wholly private expedition. The technology included four airplanes, various tractors, and snowmobiles. The trip included Byrd’s near-fatal solitary period at Bolling Advanced Weather Base recounted in Alone.

Operation Tabarin: Britain’s Secret Wartime Expedition to Antarctica 1944-46.

Haddelsey, Stephen. By Stephen Haddelsey, with Alan Carroll. Stroud, UK: History Press, 2014.
  • 1944-46 British Covert FIDS Expedition (leaders James Marr and Andrew Taylor).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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A thorough account of the British Secret Operation Tabarin by FIDS attempting to preempt any American or Argentine territorial claims in the Antarctic Peninsula region.This description has only a few indications of reading experiences during a hastily prepared and accident-prone mission.