The drama of Scott’s demise soon ascended into myth and imagination, their failure glorified into a national achievement. The fatal expedition passed into polar legend. Initially lionised by the public as a figure of selfless heroism, chivalry and scientific endeavour, Scott’s reputation has gone on many journeys in the century after his death.
In Search of the South Pole is a visual history of a cultural phenomenon, a biography not of Captain Scott but of the South Pole itself. Examining a number of expeditions to Antarctica – alongside Amundsen’s triumph and the tragedy of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition – enables us to discover the Pole as an enduring cultural icon. A century on from these epics of the 'Heroic Age', this book questions the value of Scott's polar achievement and considers why people are still drawn to this bleak and inhospitable blank on the map – it remains an international stage for ambition and adventure, dreams and desire.
This volume brings forward a range of rare materials: unpublished Herbert Ponting photographs, stunning artworks, ephemera and manuscripts from public and private collections.
There are also evocative excerpts from the expedition narratives of our great polar heroes, and modern conributions from authors, scientists and travellers exploring the ongoing geographic and imaginative meaning of the South Pole.
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