Pilgrims on the Ice

Robert Falcon Scott's 19014 expedition to the Antarctic was a landmark event in the history of Antarctic exploration, creating a sensation comparable to the Arctic efforts of the American Robert E. Peary. Scott's initial expedition was also the first step toward the dramatic race to the South Pole in 1912, which resulted in the tragic deaths of Scott and his companions. Since then Scott's reputation has vacillated between two extremes: Was he a martyred hero, the beau ideal of a brave and selfless explorer, or a bumbling fool whose mistakes killed him and his entire party? Pilgrims on the Icegoes beyond the personality of Scott to remove the first expedition from the shadow of the second, to study objectively its purpose, its composition, and its real accomplishments. This Bison Books edition includes a new preface by the author.

T. H. Baughman is a professor of history at the University of Central Oklahoma and the author of several books, including Shackleton of the Antarctic and Before the Heroes Came: Antarctica in the 1890s, available in a Bison Books edition.

List of Illustrations; Preface ; To the Land of Unsurpassed Desolation ; The Determined Old Man ; Old Men Bicker ; From the East India Docks ; From England to Cape Town; From Cape Town to New Zealand ; May You Always Sail in Open Water ; The Winter ; Summer 1902-1903 ; The Attempt on the Pole ; The Relief Expedition ; Red Sunset of Noon Is Vanishing Fast; The Grand Old Man Falters; From Ice to Champagne; Conclusion; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index Illustrations Drawings: Sir Clements Markham ; Robert Falcon Scott ; Ernest Shackleton; Chinstrap penguin ; Adélie penguin ; Emperor penguinsMaps: Antarctica; Ross Island area