SHACKLETON, Sir Ernest Henry. Shackleton in the Antarctic. Being the Story of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1907–1909.

London: William Heinemann, 1911. Crown octavo. pp. x, 255, [1]. With a frontispiece portrait of Shackleton and numerous illustrations and maps throughout, including the Antarctic route map as the front endpaper. Publisher’s original red cloth, titled in black, with vignette of the Nimrod within circular border on upper cover. Slight sunning to spine, some minor wear and foxing to prelims, otherwise a bright and tight copy in original pictorial cloth.

First edition thus, issued as the popular single–volume adaptation of Shackleton’s The Heart of the Antarctic (1909), recounting the dramatic British Antarctic Expedition (1907–09). During this heroic endeavour Shackleton led his men aboard the Nimrod further south than any previous expedition, reaching 88°23′S—less than 100 miles from the South Pole. The narrative details the immense physical trials endured by Shackleton, Adams, Marshall and Wild, their near-fatal return, and the scientific achievements of the expedition, which included the first ascent of Mount Erebus and the discovery of the Beardmore Glacier.

One of the most important accounts of early twentieth-century polar exploration, reflecting Shackleton’s extraordinary leadership, endurance and humanity.

[WR Shackleton]