| Farthest North: The Epic Adventure of a Visionary Explorer Contributor(s): Nansen, Fridtjof (Author), Bjorklund, Ulf (Read by) |
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ISBN: 1538521385 ISBN-13: 9781538521380 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks OUR PRICE: $40.46 Product Type: MP3 CD - Other Formats Published: March 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Polar Regions - History | Expeditions & Discoveries - Travel | Polar Regions |
| Dewey: 919.804 |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Arctic/Antarctic - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In 1893 Norwegian zoologist Fridtjof Nansen set sail for the North Pole in the Fram, a ship specially designed to be frozen into the polar ice cap, withstand its crushing pressures, and travel north with the sea's drift. Experts said that such a ship couldn't be built and that the mission was tantamount to suicide. Farthest North, first published in 1897 to great popular appeal, is the stirring first-person account of the Fram and her historic voyage. Nansen tells of his expedition's struggle against snowdrifts, ice floes, polar bears, scurvy, gnawing hunger, and the seemingly endless polar night that transformed the Fram into a "cold prison of loneliness." Once it became clear that the Fram could drift no farther, Nansen and crew member Hjalmar Johansen set out on a harrowing fifteen-month sledge journey to reach their destination by foot, which required them to share a sleeping bag of rotting reindeer fur and to feed the weaker sled dogs to the stronger ones. In the end, they traveled 146 miles farther north than any westerner had gone before, representing the greatest single gain in polar exploration in four centuries. Farthest North is an unforgettable story that marks the beginning of the modern age of exploration and is a must-read for the armchair adventurer. |
Contributor Bio(s): Bjorklund, Ulf: - Ulf Bjorklund is a global narrator with a passion for storytelling. Elegant, continental, and versatile, he voices audio tours, e-learning with video syncing, audiobooks, video games, and more in Swedish and English. Nansen, Fridtjof: -Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He retired from exploration after his harrowing journey to the north pole, but he continued to study marine life and oceanography. He also turned to politics and was instrumental in Norway's transition to an independent nation. He devoted his late life to the League of Nations and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work on behalf of displaced victims of World War I. |