Ernest Shackleton is one of history`s great explorers, an extraordinary character who pioneered the path to the South Pole over 100 years ago & became a dominant figure in Antarctic discovery. A charismatic personality, his incredible adventures on four expeditions have captivated generations & inspired a dynamic, modern following in business leadership. None more so than the Endurance mission, where Shackleton`s commanding presence saved the lives of his crew when their ship was crushed by ice & they were turned out on to the savage frozen landscape. But Shackleton was a flawed character whose chaotic private life, marked by romantic affairs, unfulfilled ambitions, overwhelming debts & failed business ventures, contrasted with his celebrity status as a leading explorer. Drawing on extensive research of original diaries & personal correspondence, Michael Smith`s definitive biography brings a fresh perspective to our understanding of this complex man & the heroic age of polar exploration. ...

On August 1, 1914, on the eve of World War I, Sir Ernest Shackleton & his h&-picked crew embarked in HMS Endurance from London`s West India Dock, for an expedition to the Antarctic. It was to turn into one of the most breathtaking survival stories of all time. Even as they coasted down the channel, Shackleton wired back to London to offer his ship to the war effort. The reply came from the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston Churchill: ” Proceed.” & proceed they did. When the Endurance was trapped & finally crushed to splinters by pack ice in late 1915, they drifted on an ice floe for five months, before getting to open sea & launching three tiny boats as far as the inhospitable, storm-lashed Elephant Isl&. They drank seal oil & ate baby albatross (delicious, apparently). From there Shackelton himself & seven others
- the author among them
- went on, in a 22-foot open boat, for an unbelievable 800 miles, through the Antarctic seas in winter, to South Georgia & rescue. It is an extraordinary story of courage & even good-humour among men who must have felt certain, secretly, that they were going to die. Worsley`s account, first published in 1940, captures that bulldog spirit exactly: uncomplaining, tough, competent, modest & deeply loyal. It`s gripping, & strangely moving.

...

The James Caird is an unlikely hero, a 23-foot lifeboat that completed the most desperate & celebrated open boat voyage in history. On board were Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean & Frank Worsley, now some of the most recognised names in Antarctic & Polar literature/history. This is the story of that little boat from its commissioning by Worsley to its dramatic escape from Antarctica to its final resting place at Dulwich College in the UK. Shackleton`s Boat is a worthy memorial to a vessel famous in maritime history, & a story whose heroism has inspired generations. ...

In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton embarked on what he called ` The last great polar journey`
- the crossing of Antarctica. His expedition
...

After his ship Endurance was crushed by Antarctic ice & now trapped on a small inhospitable isl&, cut off from all hope of help, with winter approaching, Sir Ernest Shackleton made the fateful decision to attempt a risky, almost foolhardy voyage across the wild Southern Ocean to South Georgia with five of his men. From there, he would attempt to trek over unmapped & treacherous glaciers to reach safety. Neither journey had ever been attempted before. Showing the courage & leadership which would become synonymous with his name, Shackleton prevailed, & returned to rescue the entire crew of his ill-fated ship. His feat was dubbed the greatest survival journey of all time. In 2003, Using the same equipment as Shackleton, eating the same food, sailing a replica of the small, keel-less boat, author, explorer & environmental scientist Tim Jarvis led a six-man crew in an attempt to recreate Shackleton`s epic journey for the first time.A veteran of Antarctica`s frozen wastes, Tim found himself facing his greatest challenge yet
- a never ending struggle against conditions which fought him all the way. Shackleton`s Epic tells the stories of these two expeditions, separated by nearly one hundred years, but unified by the struggle to survive the timeless savagery of the Southern Hemisphere.
...

Shackleton`s Heroes is a genuine treasure of Antarctic history, & an almost unbelievable tale of real heroes who risked themselves for the lives of others. It tells the extraordinary story of how a small party of men, against almost insurmountable obstacles, put down vital food depots on the Great Ice Barrier for Sir Ernest Shackleton`s 1914
- 1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Their efforts to help each other survive comprise some of the most incredible feats of heroism in the history of polar exploration, which until now have been entirely overshadowed by the legendary feat of Shackleton on the other side of the continent after the sinking of the Endurance. The complete story is revealed here for the first time, through the diaries of these forgotten men, written out on the ice & at their base camp. We can experience their pain & suffering through their own words, 100 years after the original expedition began. With a foreword by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Shackleton`s Heroes is an adventure story of the highest calibre, told through the voices of the men who completed an almost impossible task in horrific conditions.
...

In October 1914, the explorer, Ernest Shakleton & a team of men, set out on the ship, Endurance, to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. A few months into their voyage, the ship became trapped in ice, eventually sinking. With little hope of rescue, Shakleton`s crew lived on the ice, enduring freezing temperatures & with only the food they could catch from the sea. When the ice floes began to crack beneath them, the men undertook a treacherous journey in three small lifeboats across the icy, stormy sea, eventually landing on Elephant Island
- a place where no-one lived or was ever likely to visit... Retold in vivid detail & illustrated with contemporary photographs & artefacts, this story recounts one of the most astonishing feats of exploration & human endeavor ever recorded.
...

2015 marks the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctica Expedition, & this wonderful activity book is a fantastic & funpacked introduction to the great explorer’s adventures on the ice. William Grill’s original book Shackleton’s Journey won all sorts of prizes for its inventive retelling of the story of the Endurance & its crew, including the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. This interactive take on it proves not only delightfully engaging but just as beautiful & unique. With 35 games, creative drawing & writing activities ideal for any young adventurer. ...

Sir Ernest Shackleton could never have imagined his name being closely associated with whisky, certainly not in the title of a book. Rarely did he consume strong drink. On his expeditions, he tolerated a `mild spree` at times of celebration. But that was all. Drinking to excess appalled him. From an early age, growing up in a teetotal home, he was wary of alcohol. How, then, must he have felt about signing an order for twenty-five cases of whisky -- 300 bottles -- for his 1907-09 British Antarctic Expedition? Shackleton`s Whisky follows the story of the Rare Old Highland Whisky taken south on his Nimrod expedition. It celebrates the extraordinary achievements of men exploring an extraordinary place. It dips into the human-interest stories of polar life in the `heroic era` of Antarctic exploration. Shackleton once wrote of his interest in documenting `the little incidents that go to make up the sum of the day`s work, the humour & the weariness, the inside view of men on an expedition`. Here is one such account, based largely on what he wrote & said about the expedition & also on what the members of his expedition wrote, for most participants kept a diary or journal. Antarctic exploration & whisky, in their own way, are both steeped in history, maturity, endurance, character, & technology. Both have a worldwide following, millions of fans. Their pathways coincided on the British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09. With the recovery 100 years later of three cases of Scotch from icy entombment under the hut at Cape Royds & the subsequent return of three bottles to Scotland for sampling, analysis & a near-magical replication, the relationship of whisky & Antarctic exploration came sharply into focus, making a unique odyssey to the end of the Earth & back. ...

Published for the first time in flipback
- the new, portable, stylish format that`s taken Europe by storm. Hundreds of years
...