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Shackleton's Boat Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: Frank Arthur Worsley
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 431330
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 220
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0393318648
Dewey Decimal Number: 919.89040924
EAN: 9780393318647
ASIN: 0393318648
Publication Date: August 1998
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Book Description
The firsthand account of an incredible Antarctic adventure. Frank A. Worsley was the captain of the H.M.S. Endurance, the ship used by the legendary explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in his 1914-16 expedition to the Antarctic. On its way to the Antarctic continent the Endurance became trapped and then crushed by ice, and the ship's party of twenty-eight drifted on an ice floe for five months. Finally reaching an uninhabited island, Shackleton, Worsley, and four others sailed eight hundred miles in a small boat to the island of South Georgia, an astounding feat of navigation and courage. All hands survived this ill-fated expedition; as Worsley writes, "By self-sacrifice and throwing his own life into the balance, [Shackleton] saved every one of his men . . . although at times it had looked unlikely that one could be saved." This book is the astounding and inspiring true story behind the forthcoming Wolfgang Petersen film Endurance. A native New Zealander, Frank A. Worsley served as a reserve officer in the Royal Navy before becoming captain of the Endurance. He commanded two ships in World War I, for which he was decorated, and sailed with Shackleton again in 1921. In 1925 he was the joint leader of the British Arctic Expedition. He died in 1943.
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Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition is trapped when their ship gets stuck in pack ice. Worsley was the ship's captain, and narrates the story of this remarkable journey, in which not a single man was lost, despite the unspeakable hardships.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Powerful story December 12, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is an interesting first hand account of the Shackleton expedition and their journey by small boat to South Georgia Island. As a narrative by the captain of the Endurance, it can make for laborious reading, as it is not written as a spell-binding novel. As well, it requires some basic foreknowledge of the Shackleton expedition; their mission and the result. The Endurance sinks on the first page of this book, so there is really no background information about the expedition. If you know nothing about Shackleton, you probably should read a more comprehensive history before you read this book. If you already know a bit about it, though, this narrative provides an interesting look at their boat journey from the perspective of the captain. The details of the journey are clearly understated, but you can still gain a glimpse of the horrors of the voyage by reading between the lines. This was a nearly impossible journey, completed by tough and capable men who triumphed against the odds. The story is awe-inspiring and powerful, just make sure you have some background knowledge before you read it.
 Incredible Survival Tale, Beautifully and Humbly Told June 15, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
In the summer of 1914 Ernest Schackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in Antarctic ice in 53 degree below zero weather. The following winter, the ship was crushed and sank, leaving the crew to camp on the ice while eking out subsistence under unimaginable conditions. In April of 1916, the ice broke apart beneath their feet, and twenty eight men piled into the lifeboats they had rescued from the wreck of the Endurance.
These hair raising events are not part of the story of Shackleton's Boat Journey, but simply the preamble, described in less than a page, that sets the stage for the real action that is to follow.
The tale is told by F.A. Worsley, the Captain of the Endurance. And what a saga it is, as the entire crew barely makes it to Elephant Island and from there an advance party navigates across the raging, freezing ocean in a tiny boat, all the way to South Georgia Island, from which the balance of the crew are eventually rescued, without one man being lost.
What these men endured is beyond belief, yet Worsley recounts it humbly, with understatement, and with considerable grace. Here is an example of his prose:
"Squall by squall the wind grew fiercer and the sea heavier. Through a rift in the clouds the moon shone out on the stormy sea and for two minutes revealed the ghostly white uplands and glaciers of the island. Another squall blotted everything out. We heard whales blow right alongside. They may have been killers, but, whatever they were, a push from one of them would have capsized us. If they were killers we would have had a quicker end. Soon to our great relief they left us for some nobler quarry than dirty smelly little men in Burberry overalls".
It is amazing that in the midst of a Herculean struggle for survival the author was able to take note of beauty in what must have been a living hell, and to describe it so elegantly. Here for example, is his description of icebergs, "All the strange fantastic shapes rose and fell in a stately cadence, with a rustling, whispering sound and hollow echoes to the thudding seas, clear green at the water line, shading to a deep dark blue far below, all snowy purity and cool blue shadows above".
This combination of gripping action and poetic insight makes for a richly rewarding read.
Highly recommended.
Brrrrr! December 5, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
If you want to imagine cold -- real bone-numbing cold -- read Worsley's memoir of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated voyage to the south polar regions during 1914-15. I first learned about Shackleton in the 2000 documentary The Endurance (narrated by Liam Neeson and quite a fine film), and I found I wanted to know more. And what better account than one written by Shackleton's friend, and the captain of the Endurance, Frank Worsley?
The real surprise is just how good Worsley's writing is! Despite the harrowing ordeal, the adventure really comes through — what it is that would make Shackleton want to venture into the south polar regions in the first place. And the truly amazing thing is that Shackleton managed to save every single last man from that star-crossed journey. They may have had to live on rotten seal meat, but they all lived to tell the tale.
Worsley's praise of Shackleton is at times almost ridiculously hyperbolic, but I suppose we can forgive him that, under the circumstances. And his writing is lively and entertaining at every turn. A wonderful ocean adventure tale.
Great read December 6, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is an outstanding little book. Worsley, who was part of the adventure, writes in the first person and keeps the reader on the hook. Of course, Shackleton's adventure is well known and well covered by authors. However, Worsley's being there and telling stories of the crew is unique. If you are into Polar adventures, this book is a must read.
Fascinating first hand account February 18, 2004
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book is well written. I've read a great deal about Shackleton and seen videos, movies, DVDs and Hurley film. But this book provides detail where the second hand accounts do not. If you like sailing, you will especially love this book. The testament also highlights some areas of disagreement between Sir Ernst and Worsley, not of much import, but also not often discussed. Overall a required addition to any Expidetion library. But most of all, perhaps of the the greatest adventures ever told.
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