- Hardcover: 327 pages
- Publisher: Phyllis Bruce Books; 1st ed edition (Mar 22 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0002000547
- ISBN-13: 978-0002000543
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.7 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 590 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #241,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In the spring of 1854, John Rae, a Scottish immigrant to Canada, led a small party of explorers across the Boothia Peninsula to map the missing link in the fabled Northwest Passage. That signal accomplishment, along with Rae's other contributions to Canadian and world geography, should have earned him glory. Instead, Ken McGoogan tells us, Rae faded from the record.
Rae's trouble, McGoogan writes, came from unpleasant reports that he filed about the fate of an earlier expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, whose remains he discovered along the way. Lost "in a hummocky wasteland of yawning crevasses and ten-foot pressure ridges assailed by blizzards and blowing snow," the unfortunate party--or so Inuit hunters reported to Rae--resorted to eating the dead. The news scandalized Victorian society, drawing vigorous objections from none other than Charles Dickens, who argued that proper British heroes were incapable of such acts and had to have been done in by the Inuit themselves. Rae, the messenger, was effectively killed by the tidings he brought, and written out of the history books. In this insightful and adventure-packed book, McGoogan restores Rae's name to the long roster of heroes of Arctic exploration. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Book Description
The true story of the remarkable John Rae - Arctic traveller and Hudson's Bay Company doctor - a tale of imperial ambition and high adventure. In 1854 Rae solved the two great Arctic mysteries: the fate of the doomed Franklin expedition and the location of the last navigable link in the Northwest Passage. But Rae was to be denied the recognition he so richly deserved. On returning to London, he faced a campaign of denial and vilification led by two of the most powerful people in Victorian England: Lady Jane Franklin, the widow of the lost Sir John, and Charles Dickens, the most influential writer of the age. With this is story of courage and determination, McGoogan aims to capture the essence of one man's indomitable spirit. It is his redemption of Rae's rightful place in history.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Reading,
By A Customer
This review is from: Fatal Passage (Paperback)
Just a quick review ... this was a wonderful book. It really should be essential reading in Canadian schools as it was well researched & so well written that you just can't stop! So much has been written about the North West Passage & who 'discovered' it ... but, this gives a much clearer picture. Read the book & you'll never regret it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Righting a historic injustice,
By
This review is from: Fatal Passage (Hardcover)
Rae has been shabbily treated by history, whereas he stood head and shoulders above the explorers of his age. Only 1 freak death in about 5 missions to the Arctic, and starvation was not a problem. Considering Franklin and the other disastrously bumbling explorers of the age, Rae was essentially ahead of his time. Rae has been twice robbed by history - as the first discoverer of the final link in the Northwest Passage and the first discoverer of the fate of Franklin. He received rightful recognition for neither. And frankly, there's virtually no reason to doubt his achievement in either regard - the robbery was quite transparent. If you need a villain, Lady Jane Franklin will do.If you have any interest in the exploration of the Arctic, and you don't mind reading about trips that don't involve near-starvation and catastrophe, this book is a must-read.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Reading,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fatal Passage (Paperback)
Just a quick review ... this was a wonderful book. It really should be essential reading in Canadian schools as it was well researched & so well written that you just can't stop! So much has been written about the North West Passage & who 'discovered' it ... but, this gives a much clearer picture. Read the book & you'll never regret it!
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