1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica
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1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica by Chris Turney
1912 was an incredible year, marking the height of the Heroic Age of Exploration. Curiosity about Antarctica was at fever pitch, and between 1910 and 1914 five teams of intrepid explorers embarked on the greatest race of the era, to travel beyond the edges of the known world and conquer this last great frontier. Pitted against each other were Captain Robert Falcon Scott for Britain, Roald Amundsen for Norway, Sir Douglas Mawson for Australasia, Wilhelm Filchner for Germany and Nobu Shirase for Japan. 'Conquest of the South Pole!' trumpeted the world's newspapers in March 1912. Amundsen had won. But behind all the headlines, there was a much bigger story. The exploits of these larger-than-life explorers, often narrated in their own words, thrilled and enthralled the world; the limits of our planet were pushed all the way to the South Pole and the door to Antarctica flung wide open. Drawing on his own polar experiences, Chris Turney reveals why 1912 witnessed the dawn of a new age in our understanding of the natural world. The tales of endurance, self-sacrifice and technological innovation that marked 1912 laid the foundation for modern scientific exploration and have continued to inspire future generations. 1912 is an awe-inspiring journey - part nail-biting adventure, part scientific history - through an ancient and fascinating land.
A gripping account of the race to the South Pole, 1912 is a celebration of pioneering explorers and their awe-inspiring achievementsTurney brings the Antarctic adventure to life -- Sir Ranulph Fiennes
1912 is a great achievement – an insightful, fascinating and rigorously researched page-turner. Even seasoned Antarctic enthusiasts will find something new here. Fluent throughout, the passages on Antarctic science are beautifully clear. It reveals much not only about the way our planet works, but the debt that scientists like Turney owe each of the six expeditions of a century ago -- Gavin Francis, author of Empire Antarctica
In this highly informative and fitting account Chris Turney reminds us of the legacy left by the polar giants of the Edwardian age – not tracks in the snow heading South, but a body of scientific discovery, analysis and reports that opened up the continent for the first time and continues to inform scientists today -- Henry Worsley
As well as casting the Scott–Amundsen rivalry in a completely new light...Turney also unearths documents that appear to show a cover-up in the way the demise of Scott's Polar party was reported... It is perhaps for this single historical discovery that [Turney] will be best remembered * The Scotsman *
Alongside the science, Turney weaves the human story of that year, and in a fascinating appendix he uncovers new evidence * Literary Review *
1912 is a great achievement – an insightful, fascinating and rigorously researched page-turner. Even seasoned Antarctic enthusiasts will find something new here. Fluent throughout, the passages on Antarctic science are beautifully clear. It reveals much not only about the way our planet works, but the debt that scientists like Turney owe each of the six expeditions of a century ago -- Gavin Francis, author of Empire Antarctica
In this highly informative and fitting account Chris Turney reminds us of the legacy left by the polar giants of the Edwardian age – not tracks in the snow heading South, but a body of scientific discovery, analysis and reports that opened up the continent for the first time and continues to inform scientists today -- Henry Worsley
As well as casting the Scott–Amundsen rivalry in a completely new light...Turney also unearths documents that appear to show a cover-up in the way the demise of Scott's Polar party was reported... It is perhaps for this single historical discovery that [Turney] will be best remembered * The Scotsman *
Alongside the science, Turney weaves the human story of that year, and in a fascinating appendix he uncovers new evidence * Literary Review *
CHRIS TURNEY is an Australian and British geologist, described by the Saturday Times as ‘the new David Livingstone’. He is Professor of Climate Change at the University of New South Wales and the author of Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past and Bones, Rocks and Stars: The Science of when Things Happened. In 2007 he was awarded the Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal for outstanding young scientist for pioneering research into past climate change and dating the past and in 2009 received the Geological Society of London’s Bigsby Medal for services to geology.
Twitter: @ProfChrisTurney / www.christurney.com
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781847921741 |
| ISBN 10 | 1847921744 |
| Title | 1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica |
| Author | Chris Turney |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Vintage Publishing |
| Year published | 2012-09-06 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |