A Very Gallant Gentleman.

Bernacchi, Louis Charles. London: Thornton Butterworth, 1935 [first published 1933] See supra, p. 174.
  • 1910-14 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott on Terra Nova).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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Bull, Colin. Email message to David Stam, August 31, 2005:

Voyage of His Majesty’s Ship Rosamond to Newfoundland and the Southern Coast of Labrador.

Chappell, Edward. London: J. Mawman, 1818.
  • Arctic Reading: Canada
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p. 70-71, recounting Chappell’s conversation with an Indian hunter: whilst with the other he laid down his musket upon the trunk of a fallen tree. We offered him rum, which, to our utter astonishment, he refused; but he accepted of some biscuit and boiled pork. The following conversation then ensued between us. We first inquired, where he was going, and at what he had fired. “Me go get salmon gut, for bait, for catchee cod. Me fire for play, at litteel bird.” Observing the word Tower marked on the lock of his musket, we said, "This is an English gun." "May be. Me no get um "of Ingeles; me get um of Scotchee ship: me "givee de Captain one carabou(deer)for um."—" Do you go to-morrow to catch cod?" "Ees: me go to-morrow catchee cod: next day, catchee cod: next day comeseven day (Sunday); me no catchee cod; "me takee *, look upGOD." [Footnote p. 71: * None of the Indians in St. George's Bay are able to read; but they have been taught almost to adore the Bible, by some French Missionary.] We asked if the savage Red Indians, inhabiting the interior of the country, also looked up toGOD: when, with a sneer of the most ineffable contempt, he replied, "<i>No; no lookee upGOD: killee all men dat dem see, "Red Indian no good."—Do you understand the talk of the Red Indians?" "Oh, no; me no talkee likee dem: dem talkee all same dog, 'Bow, wow, wow!'"This last speech was pronounced with a peculiar degree of acrimony: at the same time, he appeared so much offended at our last question, that we did not think it prudent to renew the dialogue.

Dr John Rae.

Richards, Robert L. Whitby, Yorkshire: Caedmon of Whitby Publishers, 1985.
  • Arctic Reading: General
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p. 35: Rae happily spent the winter [1845] at York Factory. He built a ‘laboratory’ and occupied himself with meteorological observations and he taught some of his men to assist him. The company [HBC] maintained a small library at York and Rae used it to continue his study of natural history, botany, geology and other subjects.

The Yankee Tar. An Authentic Narrative of the Voyages and Hardships of John Hoxse, and the cruises of the U.S. Frigate Constellation, …

Hoxse, John. Written by Himself. With an Extract from the Writings of Rev. John Flavel. Northampton: MA: John Metcalf, for the Author, 1840.
  • Arctic Reading: United States
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p. 7, introducing what must have been one of the first author publicity tours: Having got this work up in a handsome style, and at a great expense, I have concluded to make a tour through the principal towns in this and the adjoining states, and to call personally upon every individual who may wish to purchase one of the books, that all who do this, may rest assured there is no imposition; for it would be a hard task for aany person to counterfeit my

Writing the New World: Imaginary Voyages….

Fausset, David. (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1993).
  • Maritime Reading
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p. 3: the exotic literature of Europe “was most clearly manifested in fiction about the regions that remained unknown the longest….their works, too, would finally be overtaken by history and supplanted by scientific descriptions of the material and social worlds.” (his examples are Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver, Poe, Lovecraft)

The Cruise of the Cachalot.

Bullen, Frank (Franklin) Thomas. Foreword by Curtis Dahl. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1947.
  • Whalemen's Reading
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This fictional description of the whaling life, written in the later 19th-century, should rank with Melville but devoid of Melville’s allegorical meanings. It is arguably a work of fiction by a fairly prolific novelist, though that is not certain. Although Cachalot was a maritime pseudonym, the work seems to be an accurate account of the trials and occasional pleasures of whaling. It was published in 1898, probably 25 years after his whaling journeys. Scattered references do show his fairly wide reading, but these likely did not stem from his youthful shipboard reading.

A Yachting Cruise in the South Seas.

Wood, C. F. London: H. S. King and Co., 1875.
  • 1872- Private British Voyage to Sandwich Islands (Cunard Line).
  • Maritime Reading
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p. 6-7, Chapter I: The weather now was intensely hot and fine, and that feeling of drowsiness and languor came over me, which I have always experienced on first reaching the tropics. Reading becomes a delusion and a snare, and to take up a book means to be asleep in a few minutes. On Sunday, May 11th, we sighted Rotumah. This was the first island I intended visiting, my object here being to ship some of the natives, to strengthen my present crew. No one ought to attempt a voyage through the South Sea Islands without carrying an extra crew of this kind. For in the first place there are so many islands where there is no anchorage or perhaps a very precarious one, that it is better to keep the vessel standing off and on, worked by the white crew, while those who wish to visit the island go away in the boat manned by the South Sea Islanders. A coloured crew, too, are better able to row about all day in the hot sun; they are cheery, light-hearted companions, and are always ready, and enjoy the fun of diving into the water after any shell or piece of coral that one may fancy whilst rowing over the reefs.

An Arctic Boat Journey, in the Autumn of 1854

Hayes, Isaac I. New Edition. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1871.
  • 1854 US North Pole Mission of Charles Francis Hall.
  • Arctic Reading: United States
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Hayes participated in Charles Hall’s 1854 attempt to reach the North Pole, and contributed a couple of versions of his account before completing this 1860 version, closely following publication of Hayes’s The Open Polar Sea.

Observations on a Work, Entitled “Voyages of Discovery and Research within the Arctic Regions,” by Sir John Barrow, Bart. Ætat. 82: Being a Refutation of the Numerous Misrepresentations Contained in that Volume.

Ross, Sir John. By Sir John Ross, C.B. &c Captain in the Royal Navy. “Oh! That mine enemy would write a book!” (Edinburgh, London: Published for the Author, by William Blackwood and Son, 1846).
  • 1829-33 British Private Second Voyage to the Northwest Passage (John Ross aboard Victory).
  • Arctic Reading: Great Britain
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Ross’s heated personal defense against Barrow’s attacks on his reputation: when I looked for an historian I found a calumniator.

Journal of a Voyage to Greenland, in the Year 1821.

Manby, George William. London: G. and W.B. Whittaker, 1822.
  • Whalemen's Reading
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Description of an interesting if unsuccessful experiment to adapt a life-saving device to a “gun-harpoon to attack whales.” This was during a summer voyage of Scoresby aboard the Baffin. As often in whaling journals, especially during summer months, there is nothing here about leisure or professional reading by the men other than Scriptural readings, accompanied by standard invocations of providence.

Shackleton Discovery Diaries. Vol. 1 Dec. 1901-1902.

Shackleton, Ernest. SPRI Ms 1537/3/4/1 and 2.
  • 1901-04 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott aboard Discovery).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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p. 5, Thursday [Dec] 26th: One of the officers of the “Ringarooraa” sent me Swinburne’s “Songs before Sunrise” and two volumes of the Poems and Ballads, but I don’t think there will be much time to read these during the summer; during the long winter far away from the teeming life of the great world one may calmly criticize his rather erotic lines.

With Scott: The Silver Lining.

Taylor, Griffith. Banham, UK: Bluntisham Books, 1997. Reprint of 1916 edition, intro by David Walton.
  • 1910-14 British National Antarctic Expedition (Scott on Terra Nova).
  • Antarctic Reading: Expeditions
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Griffith Taylor led the Western Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition, scientifically constituting perhaps the most successful part of Scott’s fatal journey.