AMUNDSEN, Roald.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The South Pole. First edition in English of Amundsen's account of his dash to the pole, with plates not included in the Norwegian edition of earlier the same year. News of Scott's death came three months after publication.Amundsen's triumph over Scott "was due to highly disciplined dogsled teams, more accomplished skiers, a shorter distance to the Pole, better clothing and equipment, well-planned supply depots en route, including more nutritious food with plenty of B vitamins, fortunate weather, and a modicum of luck … Amundsen and four of his colleagues reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, carefully plotted their location, left messages for Scott and King Haakon VII, and then returned to their Framhein base on January 25, 1912, only nine days after the disheartened Scott party reached the Pole" (Books on Ice).Returning to Norway a hero, Amundsen wrote his account quickly, and it was issued in Norwegian in 40 parts by Jacob Dybwads between May and September 1912. For English-language readers, "John Murray produced a two volume set of real quality, incorporating the Norwegian flag, despite realising that British disappointment at being beaten to the Pole would ensure that it was not a publishing success in the United Kingdom" (Taurus).

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