Shackleton : by endurance we conquer /Michael Smith.

A biography of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). Shackleton joined the merchant marine at the age of 16. His first polar experience was as third officer on Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition (1901-04). Shackleton went on to lead three further Antarctic expeditions himself: Nimrod, the 1907-09 British Antarctic Expedition, Endurance, the 1914-17 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, and the Shackleton-Rowett expedition (1921) on the Quest, during which he died. Reaching the furthest point south on the Nimrod expedition, Shackleton was knighted for his achievements. The aim of the Endurance expedition had been to cross Antarctica from sea to sea but the Endurance became trapped in pack ice and sank in the Weddell Sea. The crew escaped by camping on the pack ice before having to take to the lifeboats, reaching Elephant Island. With a small crew, Shackleton set off for the whaling stations on South Georgia on the smallest of the lifeboats, the James Caird. Successfully reaching South Georgia, Shackleton returned for the rest of his crew and is recognised for his leadership and the loyalty he inspired in his men. The text is illustrated with photographic plates. The book also includes a bibliography.