Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage [Paperback]

Anyone about to read Lansing's account of the Shackleton Trans-Antarctica expedition of 1914-1916 is in for a real treat. The collection of Frank Hurley's original photos of the journey have now been published to serve as a useful companion in helping the reader visualize the many daunting challenges that these brave men faced. The actual written version of this adventure has many things to commend it. For instance, Lansing pulls no punches when describing the torturous landscape of this ice-bound continent. The description is so graphic throughout that, even without the pictures, the reader should have no problem understanding the monstrous task facing Shackleton and his men as they tried to sledge across its upheaved surface. Based on fairly detailed diaries kept by certain members of the team, Lansing pieces together a chronology of events that stretches from the original outfitting of the expedition to its ultimate rescue two years later. A lot of facts are provided as to how the men fared along the way, what their interpersonal relations were like, and what the circumstance were that doomed the completion of the original mission. Each of the key members of the crew was assessed as to how they contributed to the overall morale of the ship. Some had a positive role in terms of raising spirits, performing critical duties, and participating in various rescue outings, while several got in the way with their selfish attitudes. Shackleton is especially singled out as a man of experience and enormous courage who often kept his own counsels but never failed in his unswerving loyalty to his men. While the original goal of making it across the continent never happened because of some unfortunate mishaps along the way, the story does have a terrific ending: a rescue like none ever seen before or since. Shackleton, with the help of some of his trusted officers and a small boat rescued from the badly crushed "Endurance", sailed across a thousand miles of open seas to South Georgia to get help for his stranded men at Elephant Island. Lansing chooses to cover this part of the voyage because it shows how dedicated and determined Sir Ernest was to a challenge at hand: huge swells; ice floes; extreme cold: vast stretches of open sea; lack of food and potable water. Their eventual arrival at South Georgia is seen as a miracle akin to hitting a target with the crudest of reckoning. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grasp the true meaning of teamwork in overcoming some impossible odds of survival.

Clearly lots of background research, but not so much detail as to compromise good story telling. Would have liked a bit more "epilogue" - what happened to the major characters on return to England, etc?

Wow. The strength, courage and capacity to stay alive in the most extreme conditions of weather and mental toughness. An excellent book written from primary documents and interviews that give the reader an insight into the lives and conditions that these men endured throughout this voyage.