Antarctic, Arctic, Polar

(South) Polar Operations – Edwin MacDonald

First edition published by The US Naval Institute, Maryland in 1969.

A square octavo format, 239 pages illustrated throughout with images from photographs, amps and charts.

The author was a Deputy Commander of the US Naval Support Force in Antarctica in 1962. He was in charge of the exploration of coastline of Marie Byrd Land on the USS Glacier.

A boo focused, naturally on the ocean and coastline with chapters covering … the Environment; Polar Icebreakers and Icebreaking; the Convoy.. Procedures on Iceworking Vessels; Polar Navigation, Seamanship and Wintering Over… Safety and (importantly) Survival.

More than an Operation Manual – South with the US

$25.00

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Some Songs of the South Pole [From Operation Deep Freeze] – Edward Bacon

Published privately, first and only, by the author, Washington DC in 1960. Landscape presentation, 72 pages. A trifle marked to covers … still a very good copy.

Edward Bacon participated in the US “Operation Deep Freeze I” in 1955 when the Americans established their permanent base on the Antarctic. Here he documents his cold climate experiences, songs and poetry. A really interesting companion to the “Songs of the Morning” … see our separate listing

Curious South Polar Item from Operation Deep Freeze.

$70.00

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Letters From High Latitudes – Earl of Dufferin Governor General of India – From the Library of The Novar of Raith, Ronald Munro Ferguson, to be 6th Governor General of Australia and, who had married the daughter of Lord Dufferin, Lady Helen Hermoine in the year that Ferguson signed the inside of this book 1889.

Being some account of a Voyage in 1856 in the Schooner Yacht “Foam” to Iceland, Jan Meyen, and Spitzbergen.

Eighth edition published by John Murray in 1887, London, having been published a number of times since the first of 1857. New editions continued on well into the 20th Century.

Octavo, 248 pages, with frontispiece of the “First Glimpse of Jan Mayen”, and numerous illustrations throughout. Original blude cloth covered boards with gilt device to front, gilt titles to spine. Original jet black endpapers with Ronald Munro Ferguson, Novar of Raith’s bookplate on the front paste down. Also, signed and dated by Ferguson on a blank page before the half title July 27″ 89, the year he married Duffrein’s daughter … a wedding gift from the father-in-law?

Written as if a series of lengthy letters. Some unusual introductory content … poem “To The Figure=Head of the “Foam””; list of Dramatis Personae … Protesilaus stumbles on the threshold; the Icelander – a modern Sir Patrick Spens; Loch Goil – the Saga of Clan Campbell; through the Sounds – Stornaway; Out into the North Atlantic and gales and sea sickness – first sight of Iceland, landing at Thule; Reykjavik and buying horses … the lava plateau, mystical mountains, crossing the Arctic Circle; On to Jan Mayen and the volcanic Mount Berrenberg; Sailing for Bear Island and Cherie Island, the Freer Sea, landing at Spitzbergen, English Bay and Lady Edith’s Glacier …

Despite the popularity of the expedition and the book of events this was the only published work of the rather busy Frederick Hamilton-Temple -Blackwood, the First Marquess of Dufferin and Ava of Northern Ireland. Dufferin (1826-1902) was variously .. 3rd Governor of Canada, Viceroy and Governor General of India, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster etc he also held senior positions in the Middle East. Born into wealth he was educated at Oxford. Late in life he became involved in a major financial scandal resulting in the loss of most of his own fortune. He was exonerated of any blame , seemingly.

Ronald Munro Ferguson (1860-1934) was born at Kirkcaldy, Scotland. He attended Sandhurst an after a military career was elected to the House of Commons in 1884. In 1914 he was appointed Governor-General of Australia, forming a close bond with Prime Minister Billy Hughes during the difficult years of WWI. He held office until 1920, the six year term then being a record. Returned to Scotland to become 1st Viscount Novar and Secretary for Scotland. After politics he held Board and Management position in a number of Insurance and banking companies and, was knighted in 1926.

Price $180.00

Dufferin in the “Foam” in the cold North … unusual descriptive writing. Exceptional provenance

$180.00

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The Year of the Quiet Sun – Adrian Hayter – Quality Book Issue

Adrian Hayter was chosen as the leader of the New Zealand Antarctic expedition of 1964-65.

This is his record of experiences at and around the Scott Base in the Ross Sea Dependency.

Published by the Quality Book Club following the Hodder and Stoughton first the same year 1968. We also have the Hodder version … see separate write up.

Octavo,191 pages, illustrated from original photographs, diagrams etc. A very good copy apart from light soiling front jacket

A well written and readable account from the previously published author. As well as the trips, experience, difficulties etc we have a honest account of the personnel issues that arise out of the extended close contact and isolation.

Reference Renard 680

Good cold weather account on the industrious NZ Antarctic team

$25.00

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The Iceland Journals of Henry Holland 1810 – Edited Andrew Wawn

The British had visited Iceland for many years, but little was written about it before this expedition.

Led by Sir George Mackenzie accompanied by a party of young Edinburgh scientists. Among them was Henry Hall, who later became a physician to Queen Victoria in London. Hall was 22 at the time of the expedition.

The object of the exercise was to explore and investigate several volcanic regions to contribute to the important and controversial mineralogical debate that was then taking place in Europe. There are three fundamental journeys … to Gullbringusfsala; the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and Rangarvallasyla.

On return Mackenzie published the first good account on Iceland for over forty years … “Travels in the Island of Iceland etc”. Henry Hall had kept a detailed diary which, never published was retained in family hands until gifted by them to a Reykjavik institution.

The author of this work, Andrew Wawn, carried out the sort of research expected of a Hakluyt contributor concluded that Mackenzie’s published work relied heavily on Hall’s manuscript without acknowledgement. Furthermore, Hall’s more detailed and in the moment account contained much missed by his illustrious leader … so here we have it.

Published by Hakluyt in 1987. Octavo, 342 pages after preliminaries. The extent of Wawn’s work in bringing this account to life is clear from the 70-page introduction. Then we have 200 pages of the text of the journals illustrated by numerous sketches made by Hall. Followed by several useful appendices. A very good copy.

Hall’s missing journals on Iceland 1810.

$50.00

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Antarctic Odyssey – In the Footsteps of the South Polar Explorers – Graham and Patricia Collier

A very good modern book published in 1999 by Robinson. London.

Small folio, 194 illustrated throughout with new charts (nicely done) and fresh photographs taken by the authors talented wife. The narrative by Graham Collier, ex RFAT WWII and later a Professor at the university of Georgia.

Collier made several trips south and this book was the result … not only the Antarctic Continent wand the recounting pf Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen et al and, also onto South Georgia, Peter and Elephant Islands.

A nice book with relevant and well delivered and illustrated content.

$30.00

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(South) Polar Operations – Edwin MacDonald

Some Songs of the South Pole [From Operation Deep Freeze] – Edward Bacon

The Year of the Quiet Sun – Adrian Hayter – Quality Book Issue

The Iceland Journals of Henry Holland 1810 – Edited Andrew Wawn

Antarctic Odyssey – In the Footsteps of the South Polar Explorers – Graham and Patricia Collier

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