The South Pole: Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram," 1910–1912

Recent years have seen a re-examination of the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration. Roland Huntford in his excellent books "The Last Place on Earth" and "Shackleton" helped to debunk the myth of the glorious failure (Scott the Martyr) as an example to follow.The greatest tale of this age was surrounded by no great tales of hardship, no honeyed or sanitised versions of the deed. In this book we hear in the words of the greatest exponent of the art of polar travel, the story of that rarest of plans - the perfectly executed coup.For a coup it was. When Amundsen turned from the North Pole to the South after the question of "the great nail" had been settled by Cook & Peary, his decision was treated in many sectors (most notably an unbalanced and jingoistic British Press) as underhanded and double dealing. Amundens account of the reasoning behind it makes clear that any deceit was necessary to ensure no forestalling of his plans by others - not only Scott. To ensure the future of his extended plan (the drift across the Arctic which was eventually carried out in the "Maud") he knew the Press Barons would need an exclusive and juicy story. The South Pole would give him this currency.The book is written in an honest and clean style - an extension of the Man and his nature. The hardships faced are almost disguised by the simple tale of their telling. To strike up an unknown glacier and forge his way over virgin ground on the way to the polar plateau and the Pole itself displays fortitude and grit we can only marvel at in todays world. But his description of the task is hidden behind a work-a-day narrative. To truly appreciate the splendour of the achievement is difficult in our modern era.One cannot help but admire the total outcome of the plan. There are few tales in history and few great men who can truly say they accomplished exactly what they set out to do in the manner in which they planned. Those who can are Masters of their field. Amundsen is such a man - and master.A feature of this book is the credit given by Amundsen to those who went with him. Where others claimed responsibility for the great deeds of their men, Amundsen retreats to the background and gives the credit to those who did the act. Natural humility is a trait of the Norwegian nature and Amundsen shows this in the writing of the book. There is no playing to the crowd but deeds are allowed to speak for themselves.To appreciate the tale, read the book and marvel.

An excellent account, written with insight, warmth, and even poetic whimsy; not what one might expect from a man who has been called "the last viking". I had expected an almost dry account and found myself drawn into a narrative of which any novelist could be proud. I definitely recommend this book, not only to aficionados of polar exploration (a MUST read for them), but for anyone interested in the human spirit, human nature, and the wonders of nature.

The Journal of Roald Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole. This book provides mostly logistics. But as they say getting there is half the fun. In this case its all the fun! Amundsen and his team set out on a large ship and get deposited on Antarctica where they set up a base camp to overwinter to try to reach the south pole the following spring. They dig a huge snow cave in which to live and maintain their dog teams, the key to their eventual success at reaching their destination. A well written adventure journal that you will enjoy if you like polar exploration.

The expedition which took Amundsen and his crew to the south pole was a remarkable accomplishment. Others tried. Some died. Others barely survived. Considering the time and the technology it is amazing to read about it. Unfortunately this book is less interesting than it could have been. The story is fascinating despite the description. Most distressing to me is the way the expedition treated the hard working, faithful dogs who were butchered along the way. I know that is how things had to happen and that the reluctance of Scott to use dogs and then slaughter them led to his death. This is a hard book to read.

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Love Roald's literary style.. I was able to vicariously join their journey. What an accomplishment. My hat is off to him and all who preceeded that story. Sir Earnest Shackleton, et al. I recommend this book for those who enjoy early "earthly" exploration.

Good book about Amundsen and the discovery of the south pole

Everyone talks about Scotts fate, I enjoyed to read about the successful side of the exploration / discovery of the South Pole.

My partner has said this was a very good read.

Great read for either education or leisure purposes

'The South Pole' is an account by Roald Amundsen of his expedition to the Antarctic in 1910-12. In fact, it is 4 books (or more) in one, for it includes an introductory history of polar exploration, an account of Amundsen's own overland journey to the Pole, a further account of the parallel part of the the expedition - an exploratory sledge journey - and a narration of the full journey of his ship the 'Fram', which sailed an incredible 54,400 nautical miles taking the main party to and from the Pole and conducting scientific research. In addition there are several detailed appendices.The book is written in an incredibly easy-flowing and eminently readable style.Three aspects in particular made a deep impression on me. First was the man himself - Amundsen. Incredibly brave and courageous; incredibly competent, and a much loved leader of his men. In terms of leadership, he was quite different from Captain Scott - his rival. Whereas Scott organised his expeditions on naval disciplinary lines, with officers and ordinary expedition members strictly separate, Amundsen, though as much if not more a leader, regarded his men as his equals - and shared everything.Secondly, the expedition was professionally driven. Prior to this 2+ year undertaking, Amundsen had not visited the Antarctic before. Yet his preparation was meticulous, foreseeing almost every eventuality. In particular, he knew that his only way to achieve success was by reliance on dog-hauled sledges and his use of over 100 dogs is described beautifully.Thirdly, the book demonstrates the remarkable levels of skills which men possessed a century ago, before the modern technological innovations which proceeded apace in the 20th century. Sailing skills were exceptional. Long before GPS, with relatively primitive instruments, latitude, longitude and altitude were calculated with unerring accuracy both at sea and on the ice bound land-mass. The ability to survive in an unrelenting climate, for many days and months on end, by careful planning, prodigious knowledge and an aptitude for innovation when circumstances dictated, were second-to-none.This is a superb book. Highly recommended.

Roald Amundsen's account of his South Polar dash reveals how modest the man really was. He, alone (with the help of brother Leon), collected funds, found a suitable vessel, recruited professional polar travelers, bought dogs, food, materials of every kind, fought against incredible odds just to leave port with the expedition...all the while keeping it a secret!Yes he was deceptive, but he was succesful! His only concern was to get to the Pole and back. He never suggest otherwise. But woudn't you agree that there is a serious contradiction when the Scott expedition is concern? How can you brag going to Antarctica with an extensive program for the sake of "science", and still travel like cavemen over the ice man-hauling in terrible condition?The only thing missing from Amundsen's story is his relation with Johanssen, most specifically the tension between those two that endangered Amundsen's leadership when he started too early in september.I advise you to read both "Scott's journals" and "The South Pole" before going into all the others major books who analyses both men's work. That way, you'll be able to make your mind more freely about both explorers.

This story has no embellishments. The narrative is factual and doesn't gloss over the treatment of the dogs which were both loved and expendable.