Race for the South Pole: The Expedition Diaries of Scott and Amundsen

This was a very informative way to present this story, and I got a lot out of the side by side look at the daily details, having been familiar with the overall tale of one inexperienced amateur versus one well-prepared professional. From his diary, I was surprised that expedition leader Scott kept saying how healthy & fit everyone looked once they were on the polar plateau, even suggesting they could get by on less food ! But the South Pole group photos tells a different story; these look like human wrecks. Their frostbitten faces show pure despair, in the face of great pain and suffering. Those poor man-haulers did the work and made the distance but it took too long and all were soon exhausted & 'caught out', too late in the season. Scurvy, frostbite, a starvation diet, and leaky fuel cans all played a part. Like so many good books on the Amundsen-Scott expeditions, it is hard to put this book down, once engaged with the story.

I, like many of you, had refused to buy the edited version of Robert F. Scott's expedition diary. The unedited version may have been available somewhere, but I discontinued searching for it a long time ago. Finally, we have Scott's unedited expedition diary {edited words are bold and italicized} as well as Roald Amundsen's and Olav Bjaaland's expedition diaries competently translated into English. For those less familiar, Bjaaland was the ski champion on Amundsen's team of five that went to the South Pole. He was also the only one of Amundsen's group that was not specifically a trained navigator, yet expertly proved his 'intuitive mountain sense' throughout the journey. This is a personality revealing book as well as for logistics. For those interested in logistics, all latitude/longitude, temperatures, nautical miles, etc. are covered on a day to day basis. For those interested in personalities, have at it. Just read the expedition diaries alone, and you can decide for yourself. I'll not cover the specifics in this review, let it suffice that there are some formidable players in both parties. The diaries for each day and for each man are side by side. If you have accumulated a small library on the discovery of the South Pole, this book will answer many questions and ensure a solid knowledge about specific characters, time line of events, and of events on a day to day basis. Each depot, location, contents, many useful maps of different scales, illustrations and dozens of photograghs are also here. For the casual reader on this subject, possibly for the first time, a clear chronological story will evolve full of facts and curiously intricate characters. In their own words, ofcoarse.

good book. I grew up in Minnesota and can relate to Amundsen and the way he accomplished his goal. Scott complains and complains about people, horses, snow, wind, food, fuel and eye problems. It was his responsibility to prepare for all. It is like someone from the southern US coming to Minnesota to camp for the winter. Best way to prepare is to ask the people who live in cold climate on the best way to do things. Was he smarter than the Eskimo.

Just returned from Norway and visited a museum regarding these explorations and adventurers. Good book.

For quite a few years the story of the brave noble Scott has been pushed relentlessly. The facts show that the best man won by better planning and leadership.

For me, the diaries were the best part. Yes, we all know that Scott was ill-prepared and sometimes almost delusional. Still, the author's constant bashing of Scott (and of Britain) wore thin quickly. I began to skip his nagging commentary and just read the diaries. I mean, how many times do we have to hear that Scott was stupid?

Great book on the simultaneous effort of Scott and Edmunson to reach the South Pole 100 years ago. Well written insight and background but neatest is the side by side journal entries and efforts. Well done, worthwhile read for any Pole exploring readers.

This book contain original diaries of great explorers Amundsen, his assistant Bjaaland and Scott, that conveniently listed in parallel dates. They show why one expedition ended in full success and other in loss of lives of all members of Polar party.

Veteran polar expert Roland Huntford's idea of putting the expedition diaries of Scott and Amundsen side by side is, quite simply, inspired. Here for the first time we have the two men's accounts juxtaposed, day by day. Huntford's commentary is sparse but always to the point, interpolating expert knowledge to explain when necessary what the entries actually reveal. The true reasons for Amundsen's success and Scott's failure become, by the end, almost self-evident. Amundsen executed his task with meticulous planning, leaving nothing to chance. Scott on the other hand is woefully unprepared. His failure is not so much a tragedy caused by the elements and bad luck, but his poor organisation. Had he and his men learned to ski before setting off for the Antarctic, and had they had adequate clothing (Huntford quotes an old saying 'there is no bad weather, only bad clothing') they would almost certainly have survived. Had they used dogs instead of attempting to man haul their supply sledges, they might even have given Amundsen a run for his money. Scott ran out of food because he failed to plan adequately or give clear orders to those left at base camp to top up his food depots along the route home. The other thing that shines through the diary entries is the difference in character of the two men. Scott is autocratic, pessimistic and illogical, constantly looking to blame the weather, bad luck and his men. Amundsen on the other hand is relaxed, involves his team in all his decisions, and does not believe in luck. Facing the same conditions as Scott with equilibrium, he triumphs over difficulties with weather and terrain. Once the two journeys for the Pole are actually underway, the book becomes increasingly gripping, and unputdownable for the last 100 pages or so. For the first part I was willing Amundsen to win and, when he had, hoping against hope Scott would survive, quite something considering I was well aware of both outcomes! Can't recommend this book highly enough - and even if you don't think you're interested in polar exploration, believe me, by the time you're halfway through this book, you will be.

I have read Mr. Hunterford's earlier books, and have always been impressed by the fact he had researched original source material, even in Norwegian. This is THE book I've been waiting for. Having worked and lived in the Arctic, I know exactly how unforgiving an environment it is, and how much forethought and careful preparation is required just to survive. This book sets down the exact words of the diaries of both Amundsen and Scott's South Pole Expeditions. It is valuable, but not necessary, to read the 2nd edition of Hunterford's earlier book, "Scott and Amundsen: The Race to the South Pole" as well as his "Scott and Amundsen: The Last Place on Earth." If you have to pick just one, I think the former is a great way to familiarize yourself. The Expedition Diaries demonstrates, once and for all, just how painstaking and profession were Amundsen's preparations, and how disorganized and inept were those of Scott. Hunterford also shows, in stark contrast, the difference in thinking and leadership between the two. He also, once again, demonstrates the heart-stopping audacity and courage of Amundsen's choice of route, and lays to rest British suggestion that Amundsen "had it easy" when the reverse is in fact the exact truth. Amundsen's route, unbeknownst to him, was one of the most difficult that could have been used. Scott shows, in his own words, just how ill-fitted he was, both in preparing for and leading his journey. Scott has been portrayed as "heroic", notably by modern-day British polar voyagers who have had to be rescued from the Arctic ice by the expertise of Canadian arctic bush pilots. Amundsen's name is today all but forgotten, while Scott is celebrated, This book shows exactly why the reverse should be true: Amundsen is the superb example to which all others may be compared; Scott should be remembered not only for his own death, but for causing the deaths of his companions. He is not heroic, although his journals make clear that he thought very highly of himself, regardless of his actions. There have been other polar explorers, but none as careful, well-prepared, and as audacious as Amundsen, shown here in his own words and those of Olav Bjaland, another of Amundsen's polar team. Indeed, Amundsen is very reticent to "blow his own horn." - he minimizes his descriptions of the astonishing difficulties he encountered. Scott in his diaries complains bitterly and at length, and blames everyone except himself for his misfortunes. I feel no pity for Scott, and I think no heroic memorials should be made of his name. Pity, if any, should go to those he dragged with him to his death. Nowhere is this made clearer than in the side-by-side comparison of the diaries of these two explorers - one a painstaking, courageous expert who prepared in every possible way for every possible contingency , and the other a man who was egotistical and self-absorbed to the point that his preparations were totally insufficient and astoundingly inept. Neither the Antarctic nor the High Arctic are places for self-delusion and ill-preparedness - there are no places on Earth where death can as easily result from either. Roland Hunterford has done a great thing - he has laid out, for all to see, the difference between the mindset and attention to detail of the two men. He lays to rest, once and for all, any idea that Scott's death was the result of misfortune. Scott's death, in his own words, was caused by Scott - by his poor preparation, his unwillingness to face the facts of the hostile environment he entered, and by a monumental ego coupled with blaming others for his own ineptness. Amundsen is shown, by thought and deed, to have earned his victory honestly and well. He was a man of few words but many actions; someone who learned from his own mistakes and took infinite pains to ensure the success and safety of himself and his companions, a fact too long overlooked. Amundsen was a complex man, and one who had a goodly share of human shortcomings. He was in some circumstances painfully shy, but in other ways vain. One example of his vanity was a refusal to wear spectacles, in spite of his physical short-sightedness. He was subject to episodes of self-doubt, and at times secretive in ways which later gave ammunition to his detractors. He was, however, astonishingly skilled when assessing the skills and personalities of the men he chose to accompany him, and persuasive in obtaining willing and expert companions. He likewise could, and did, obtain the best possible equipment and materials for his expedition, whether sled dogs, specialized rations and clothing, or one of the very first Diesel engines for his ship, Fram. He set out on his South Pole expedition not only broke, but departed without fanfare, divulging his goal to only a handful of men and leaving later-outraged creditors behind. He was extraordinarily secretive about his goal of being first to reach the South Pole, while simultaneously researching and obtaining the very best possible resources to accomplish his goal. He was far from a saint, and was well aware that making his goal public could prevent him from even starting his voyage. He knew this, but consciously prepared and set out while saying nothing publcly of his goal. Scott, who departed with great fanfare even though ill-equipped and with a very large crew of inexpert companions, was both unnerved and outraged when he finally learned of Amundsen`s intentions. Scott`s feeling were not shared by all of his companions. Captain Oates wrote in a letter that there was nothing wrong with ``keeping your mouth shut`` while others noted that Amundsen`s small expedition party was not only well equipped, but composed of ``hard men`` well accustomed to the outdoors. Amundsen knew from experience that Scurvy could bring disaster, and made every possible preparation to prevent it. Scott, although an officer of the Royal Navy - the navy in which Captain James Cook had identified not only the cause, but the means of preventing Scurvy - ignored the problem entirely, directly causing not only his own death, but the deaths or near-fatal illness of members of his expedition. Given that Scurvy, its effects, and means of preventing it were well-documented, Scott`s totally ignoring it seems inexplicable. The same lack of forethought and preparation was likewise evident with many other expedition necessities, notably clothing, rations, fuel and transport. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone who has ever had an interest in polar exploration, or who has lived and worked in that most unforgiving of all environments. Buy this book, and see, in their own words, the differences between the bungler whose un-heroic death was caused, in the final analysis, by his own stupidity, and of the painstaking expert who success came from thought and care in every aspect of his preparations - however minute, of flexibility in planning, of focus and determination, and of outstanding leadership.

Il libro ha due gravi errori di stampa. Mancano le prime due mappe. Map 1 del viaggio di Scott per il polo sud. Map 2 del viaggio di Amundsen per il polo sud. Quindi proprio le mappe dei viaggi che il libro mette a confronto. Il venditore mi ha mandato una seconda copia del libro, ma anch'essa presenta lo stesso errore di stampa.

I thought that his book: "Scott and Amundsen" was superb. It blew apart nearly a century of rubbish about Scott, and placed Amundsen in his proper place, as the better Antarctic Explorer. Huntford's newer work: "The Race For The Pole", reinforces this message. Through the medium of their journals, Amundsen is presented as a master planner. He is a man who is determined to be first to the South Pole, but not through the exposure of his men to unnecessary risk. Scott is shown to be a "chancer". He is lacking in the vital skills, prone to changing the plan, at short notice, and unable to rid himself of the shadow of Shackleton, and his achievements. They were all brave men, but Amundsen knew what he was up against, and equipped for it. Scott thought that the exaggerated concept of the British Amateur would seem him through. Tragically, for Scott and his men, he was wrong ! Huntford's book, fully maintains the standards expected of him.

Putting three diaries together is a great Author has the final word on it all, clearly biased, but with good reason.