THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC: Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909.
by SHACKLETON, Ernest H.:
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
York, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: William Heinemann. 1909. First edition, first printing. First edition, first printing. Two volumes. Publisher's original blue cloth with titles and illustration in silver to the upper board and titles in gilt to the spine, in original dustwrappers. Top edges gilt, the others untrimmed. Illustrated with a photogravure frontispiece to each volume; 12 colour plates after paintings by George Marston, all with captioned tissue guards; four double-page photographic plates, 271 photographic illustrations on 195 plates; diagrams, maps, plans and graphs in the text, including nine full-page. Also three folding maps and one folding plate containing two panoramic views in end-pocket of vol. II. A near fine set, the bindings square, firm and bright with a hint of fading to the very tips of the spine and board edges. The contents, with a touch of tanning to the endpapers, are otherwise remarkably clean and fresh throughout and remain free from inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the very near fine dustwrappers which have some minor wear to the extremities, volume one with a small nick to the foot of the spine panel. A superb set, rare thus. The first trade edition of Shackleton's account of the 'Nimrod' expedition, which he led to the Antarctic in 1907-9. The expedition set a record for the farthest southward reach, making it to the magnetic pole. It also undertook the first ascent of Mount Erebus, discovered the Beardmore Glacier passage (named after Shackleton's patron), and was the first to cross the Trans-Antarctic mountain range, as well as to set foot on the South Polar Plateau. Owing to a lack of rations, the expedition did not ultimately make it to the pole itself, although did come within 100 nautical miles; as Shackleton famously later remarked to his wife: "Better a live donkey than a dead lion". It would be three more years before Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to actually reach the South Pole, followed shortly by Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition. Following the Nimrod expedition, Shackleton returned to Britain a hero, and was knighted for reaching the furthest south of any person to date. An indication of the esteem in which he was held by both colleagues and the public alike is demonstrated by the assertion of Raymond Priestly, the Nimrod expedition's geologist: "For scientific leadership, give me Scott, for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen. But when you are in a hopeless situation, when you are seeing no way out, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton". An outstanding set of one of the greatest literary embodiments of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Lucius Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 24073
- Title
- THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC: Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-1909.
- Author
- SHACKLETON, Ernest H.:
- Book Condition
- Used
- Edition
- First edition, first printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- London: William Heinemann. 1909
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Lucius Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Lucius Books
Biblio member since 2015
York, North Yorkshire
About Lucius Books
Our shop is located in central York within a stones throw of the historic Micklegate Bar and walls. We are open seven days a week and carry a high quality stock specialising in but not limited to first editions, signed copies, bound sets and childrens / illustrated books and original art. Our opening times are 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sundays.Lucius Books is proud to be a full member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) trade associations. If you are unable to make it to the shop then our stock is available to view on our website at www.luciusbooks.com
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...