The Endurance : Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

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Summary: If you have a sense of adventure, read this one!!
Review: This is a truly amazing story of how much guts these guys had. I doubt that many humans could have endured so much when faced with so little. Once I picked up ENDURANCE, I couldn't put it down. Do yourself a favor and read this book. Everytime I throw leftovers out, I feel guilty knowing how valuable they would have been to the crew of the ENDURANCE. It gave me a whole new appreciation for all we have. That's all. Thanks.

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Summary: Fantastic true story and fantastic true pictures.
Review: This book offers a well balanced text with Frank Hurley's original expedition photographs. It's the best of the four good books I have read about this epic journey of Shakelton's Endurance; a story that is a best by itself.

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Summary: Definitely NOT a rip off of Lansing's book
Review: I couldn't disagree more with those people that say that Caroline Alexander's book is a rip off of Lansing's book. Having read both within a short period of time, I found that Alexander went to great lengths to differentiate her book from Lansing's. The most notable difference is the photos, but one of the best things about Alexander's book is the end. She goes into detail about the aftermath of the book--what happened to the other part of the expedition where 3 men died, where the men of the Endurance ended up after the expedition. Lansing's book is easier to read as it reads more like a novel. Alexander's book is more detailed oriented.

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Summary: Re-defines the meaning of "pageturner".
Review: The author does a masterful job of transporting us from reader to crew member. Caroline Alexander pieced together a complicated mosaic from many sources, including the crew's diaries, to re-construct a human drama rarely seen since Shackelton's ill-fated trip more than 80 years ago. In today's world of GPS navigation and high-tech clothing, it is almost impossible to imagine how the expedition team survived. The parallel story of Shakleton the leader who's men came first, and Shackelton the man outside of his adventures, provides a fascinating counterpoint. Frank Hurley's photos are crisp and rich with detail. They could have been taken yesterday.

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Summary: History comes to life!
Review: This is truly a fantastic work! No it is not an exhaustive and complete blow by blow but it is very readable and a real page turner. Of course the Photos are what grabs you but the text brings the photos to life. It is as close to being in a time machine as we will probably get. As I read this book I could not help but think of Apollo 13 and the book "Lost Moon". The big difference here is that there was no communication with the outside world! I'm glad that the author took the time to bring this adventure back to life for my generation. Mrs. Chippy the cat lives on!

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Summary: Great Adventure but slow moving in the start of the book
Review: This book tells the tale of one of the most amazing survival stories I have every read. The raw courage and capability to beat the odds defies the imagination. The author builds the story in the beginning by helping us to get to know the principal players. However, the build up is slow and I found this part to be a little boring. However, once the ice starts to capture the ship, the adventure begins and so does enjyment in reading the book. The photographs are remarkable and do a nice job of helping prompt the reader's imagination about the terrible conditions these men endured. I found myself trying to imagine what it must have been like to be so far away from help, in extreme conditions with crude (by today's standards) equipment. Great adventure, but a little slow in the start.

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Summary: Great intro book to a great story--photos alone worth it
Review: Authors who sometime's "popularize" an event sometimes are castigated for their efforts as has been done with Alexander's book "Endurance". Given the research on the subject over the years, it's no suprise that Alexander might be criticized for covering little new ground. But that should not prevent you from getting this book. She does an excellent job looking inside the men and not merely recounting events. Furthermore, Alexander's research on material held by the various families, and probably not available to Lansing, does add some detail to this story that is still suprisingly unknown to the world at large. She makes it accesible and enjoyable to readers of all ages. And of course the photos are superb.

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Summary: Man can change and adapt if he has the spirit
Review: This is a story about the spirit of man succeeding against great odds. Antarctica is a harsh place and the photos bring that home. I want to recommend a novel based in the same continent-- ETERNITY BASE which you might find interesting.

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Summary: A rip-off of Lansing's book with a few more pictures
Review: This book is a shameless copycat of the book "Endurance," written by Alfred Lansing and published in 1959. The "deep and methodical research" that other reviews allude to had already been done and written about in excellent fashion by Lansing, who not only read all of the available journals, but personally interviewed many of the surviving crew members. Only the additional, and higher quality, photographs give this book any redeeming value. Read Lansing's account.

Rating:
Summary: Sublime!
Review: After reading Ernst Shackleton's South, this book is much more enjoyable. Caroline Alexander has done a wonderful job of describing the hardships and day to day activities of the Endurance crew without all of the technical data included in Shacklton's memoir. Frank Hurley's photos are incredible and help to add even more life to the text. This is simply an amazing story of perseverance against incredible odds. The story is guaranteed to fascinate you and the gloss print pictures will leave you in awe.