On Antarctica

Rating:
Summary: Foreword
Review: On Antarctica is a very private book yet a very open revelation of a man who lived his dream for a while. Len Airey yearns to following in the wake of early Antarctic explorers. "I had been determined to stand where Ernest Shackleton had once stood in Antarctica," he writes. And when he stood on South Georgia, the final resting place for Shackleton, he makes the commentary, "I recalled what Shackleton had said when he received the news that Scott had died attempting to be the first man to reach the South Pole. "He did not mean to die in Europe. He wanted (some day) to die away on one of his expeditions and I shall go on going, old man, 'till one day I shall not come back.""

But On Antarctica is not concerning history. The author endures the very best and the very worst imaginable during four long years. It is a frank, sometimes agonizing account of his interaction with the continent and comrades. "The landscape slowly took on its winter coat as sea and land became one. . . .", and "He loomed up at me like a Rottweiler. The others backed away. He put his face close to mine. . . ." Each of his three winters living on remote research stations is very different. Fear, excitement, debauchery, camaraderie, the joy of isolation, and above all the wonder of the place are all well covered in this fascinating story, which is well served by the excellent illustrations of artist John Elliot.

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes Bt OBE

Rating:
Summary: Foreword
Review: On Antarctica is a very private book yet a very open revelation of a man who lived his dream for a while. Len Airey yearns to following in the wake of early Antarctic explorers. "I had been determined to stand where Ernest Shackleton had once stood in Antarctica," he writes. And when he stood on South Georgia, the final resting place for Shackleton, he makes the commentary, "I recalled what Shackleton had said when he received the news that Scott had died attempting to be the first man to reach the South Pole. "He did not mean to die in Europe. He wanted (some day) to die away on one of his expeditions and I shall go on going, old man, 'till one day I shall not come back.""

But On Antarctica is not concerning history. The author endures the very best and the very worst imaginable during four long years. It is a frank, sometimes agonizing account of his interaction with the continent and comrades. "The landscape slowly took on its winter coat as sea and land became one. . . .", and "He loomed up at me like a Rottweiler. The others backed away. He put his face close to mine. . . ." Each of his three winters living on remote research stations is very different. Fear, excitement, debauchery, camaraderie, the joy of isolation, and above all the wonder of the place are all well covered in this fascinating story, which is well served by the excellent illustrations of artist John Elliot.

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes Bt OBE

Rating:
Summary: Author's Note
Review: On Antarctica is filled with anecdotes of humour, tragedy, fire, war, wildlife, tourism, mountaineering, celebration, base-life, yachting, travel, science, sex and even spies! The book is an extraordinary but true account of life on remote Antarctic bases where people live with few companions; no neighbours, no shops, no help, no hospitals and no way out. Read how Antarctica was affected by the Falkland Island war with new, original material never before released. Read about the Petermann tragedy and the desperation of isolation in Antarctica. Read what they do in Antarctica to survive those winter nights and celebrate those special occasions. Read about life On Antarctica, mesmerising, a book outstandingly written with scores of illustrations and photographs.
Len Airey