Antarctica by the Book
Recommended books, travel guides, wildlife guides, and movies for planning a trip to Antarctica
BOOKS
 Bradt Antarctica 4TH Edition Guide To the Wildlife, by Tony Soper - In this superbly illustrated and attractive new edition of this traveler’s companion to the wildlife of the Antarctic wilderness, Dafila Scott’s illustrations provide the perfect accompaniment to naturalist Tony Soper’s immaculate text. This guide provides full coverage of plumage and identification, breeding and nesting, feeding, and the best locations to observe the varied species to be found in Antarctica.
 Endurance, by Alfred Lansing - Days before the outbreak of World War One renowned explorer Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven set sail to attempt the first crossing on foot of the Antarctic continent. More than eighty miles from their destination, however, their ship Endurance was trapped and then crushed by ice. The crew were left stranded on ice blocks, set adrift as castaways for the next five months in the most savage of climates and terrain. After five months in open boats on freezing seas, tackling overland treks across savage glaciers the crew made it to safety, astonishingly without one single life lost. First published in 1959, and a bestseller ever since, Alfred Lansing's Endurance is not only the best of the many books about Shackleton's famous 1915 expedition, it is also one of the best - and most popular - adventure books ever written. Lansing consulted with ten of the surviving members and gained access to diaries and personal accounts by eight others to produce this remarkable account of a daily struggle just to stay alive. This is a tale of human courage, inspirational leadership and one of the most riveting stories ever told. The Crystal Desert: Summers in Antarctica, by David Campbell - The Crystal Desert: Summers in Antarctica is the story of life's tenacity on the coldest of Earth's continents. It tells of the explorers who discovered Antarctica, of the whalers and sealers who despoiled it, and of the scientists who are deciphering its mysteries. In beautiful, lucid prose, David G. Campbell chronicles the desperately short summers on the Antarctic Peninsula. He presents a fascinating portrait of the evolution of life in Antarctica and also of the evolution of the continent itself.
 Scott of the Antarctic, by David Crane - A richly illuminating biography of Robert Falcon Scott, and the first to transcend the myths that have taken root in the story of his life. Since Scott’s death in 1912, he has been the subject of innumerable books—some declaring him a hero, others dismissing him as an irresponsible fool. But in all the pages that have been written about him, the man behind the legend has been forgotten or distorted beyond all recognition. Now, with full access to all family papers and to the voluminous diaries and records of key participants in the Antarctic expeditions, and with the inclusion in the book of excerpts from Scott’s own letters and diaries, David Crane gives us a portrait of the explorer that is more nuanced and balanced than any we have had before. In reassessing Scott’s life, Crane is able to provide a fresh perspective on both the Discovery expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova expedition of 1910–13, making clear that although Scott’s dramatic journeys are the most compelling parts of his story, they are only part of a larger narrative that includes remarkable scientific achievement and the challenges of a tumultuous private life. Scott’s own voice echoes through the pages. His descriptions of the monumental landscape of Antarctica and its fatal and icy beauty are breathtaking. And his honest, heartfelt letters and diaries give the reader an unforgettable account of the challenges he faced both in his personal life and as a superlative leader of men in possibly the world’s harshest environment. The result is an absolutely convincing portrait of a complicated hero. |
DVDs
 Nature: Antarctica - Nature Takes You to the End of the Earth - and Below! - Program 1: The End of the Earth - Prepare yourself for a full blast of this fierce, remote, and astonishingly beautiful part of the Earth. You'll look into the face of the Katabatic, the downward-sloping wind that decimates life and dictates the weather. Marvel as scientists and explorers brave the conditions to uncover "the end of the earth." Program 2: Under Antarctic Ice - Beneath the surface of stunningly cold water are an abundance of life forms and ice scapes. Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank narrates encounters with jellyfish with 30-foot tentacles, sponges the size of large mammals, killer whales and more in this fascinating look under the deep blue sea with humankind.
 Shackleton - Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Hamlet) stars as the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton in this true story of one of the 20th century's greatest adventures. Bound for Antarctica in 1915, Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. Ten months later, the ship sank, stranding Shackleton and his crew of 27 in one of the most hostile environments on earth. Based on the detailed diaries and first-person accounts of expedition members, "Shackleton" tells the true story of their extraordinary ordeal, and the death-defying, 800-mile journey in an open boat across the world's worst seas that made their rescue possible. -- Based on actual expedition logs, diaries and the crew's accounts of their ordeal. |
Lonely Planet Antarctica 3RD Edition, by Jeff Rubin
March of the Penguins
Happy Feet
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This article was last updated in January 2007 All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998–2010 by Reid Bramblett. Author: Reid Bramblett.
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