Dear Historians, please recommend some great resources on polar exploration/expeditions to a fellow historian.

by jazdingo

Can be books or articles (I can access most scholarly databases in my current position.) Fascinated by the topic, for starters, and the Jeopardy! test is coming up, as well - one of their favorites!

vegasgal

Yes! There are two nonfiction 'travelogues.' Modern day Arctic Explorer, Henry Worsley, (distant cousin of Frank Worsley, navigator for Ernest Shackleton) published "In Shackleton's Footsteps" in 2011. H. Worsley is known today as the last Explorer. As a young man in Britain, he got his hands on a copy of Ernest Shackleton's, "The Heart of the Antarctic," which was his account of his 1907-1909 voyage on the 'Nimrod' to the Arctic Circle (imaginary place, actually), in an effort to become the first man (and crew) to walk across the continent of Antarctica on foot. Worsley became fascinated by everything Shackleton and vowed to recreate Shackleton's expedition(s). Yes more than one, more than two...both men both attempted three polar expeditions to Antarctica.
Funny that you posted this request; I'm presently working on a write-up to post on Reddit about both of these explorers.

I'm also fascinated by Polar Expeditions, both fiction and nonfiction. I bought a novel about polar exploration "Black Ice," By Matt Dickinson. It has these elements in it: Show-off explorer who takes credit for his companions' accomplishments, a plane crash, a scientific station, grueling treks by all scientists whose camp is burned down by the scummy show-off who is trying to kill them to hide his self serving lies and his murderous actions. Excellent portrayal of the utter despair that the Arctic cold ALWAYS brings those who dare to trespass on it. In real life and in fiction. If there exists a vengeful god, the polar ice the physical manifestation of it.