Antarctic, Arctic, Polar

Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

Produced to commemorate the Antarctic achievements of Swedish explorer Otto Nordenskiöld (1869-1928) who led a Heroic Era expedition to the Antarctic in 1901-1904. A fine image of the man decked out in heavy polar furs.

Nordenskiold arrived in the Antarctic in 1901 and wintered on Snow Hill Island. Unfortunately, their ship the ‘Antarctica” got trapped in ice and sank in 1903. His back up Larsen eventually met up with the stranded team but was unable to get them away. They were eventually rescued by the Uruguayan Navy. Despite all this their visit was hailed a scientific success as they explored and researched much of Graham Land.

Nordenskiöld was made Professor of Geography at Gothenburg University in 1905 the same year this commemorative was struck. He later went on to explore northern Greenland and in the 1920’s certain parts of South America. He was killed by a bus in Gothenburg crossing the road.

80mm by 57mm weighing 170gm. The artist medallist Hugo Taglang (1874-1944) was born in Vienna. An example of this item is shown in the National Maritime Museum Collection, London ID MEC 2149.

Otto Nordenskiöld an unusual Antarctic commemorative
.

$180.00

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In the Footsteps of [Captain Robert Falcon] Scott – Mear and Swan

Large octavo, 306 pages, published by Jonathan Cape, London in 1987. Nicely illustrated and with end paper maps.

Robert Swan had an ambition to walk to the South Pole in honour of Robert Scott and his party. He enlisted Mear and another. They were supported by Peter Scott and Lord Shackleton. There were many challenges and they accomplished a number of firsts in their preparation – first up Erebus in the Winter. A really great account.

Swan always an adventurer cycled from Cape Town to Cairo and circumnavigated (if that’s the correct term) the Vatnajokull Ice Cap in Iceland on skis. What fun he had.

Swan all the way to the Pole

$25.00

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In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

Adventure book in the Antarctic for the young and young at heart.

Published by Blackie London but really Glasgow in the early 1930’s.

Octavo, 288 pages thick spongy paper and despite the spongy quite clean with some marks to the extreme per edge. Coloured frontispiece and three full page illustrations. Prize label on front end papers. Rare in the illustrated dust jacket.

Three stories and despite the subtitle starts with … “Far Away in the Frozen North” an Arctic adventure on the good barque Walrus and the oft frozen Captain Mayne Brace (great pun). Story two “Under the Southern Cross” requires no clue as to the general location with many icy encounters. Finally “On the Great Antarctic Continent” and the beauty and marvel of the Ice-Cave. The sledging journey across the tableland and the dash for the pole takes its lead from the great Heroic Era accounts.

Young at heart adventure with a nod to Polar reality.

$80.00

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Pilot Pete [An Antarctic Adventure] – Alan Villiers

Published by Angus and Robertson a 1963 edition of Villiers’s delightful book with a “save the whales message” and he saved some ships as well .

Drawing of maritime adventurer Villiers’s experience whaling in the Antarctic and the knowledge and superstitions that surround encounters with a porpoise. Porpoise Pete lived around Perseverance Harbour, Campbell Island .. which is south-east of the Enderby Islands, in turn south of New Zealand.

Nicely illustrated by H.T. Cauldwell. Octavo, 64 pages. A very good gift worthy copy.

Villiers could write for all ages about the coldest of seas. .

$25.00

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The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer – Weird and Tragic Shores – Chauncey Loomis 1972

The writer a Professor and arctic adventurer himself was well qualified to pen this thorough biography of the great and somewhat unusual American Polar explorer, Charles Francis Hall. His research included access to key papers at the Scott Polar Institute; the Stefansson Collection and unique documents held by descendants of Paul Fenimore Cooper.

Published by MacMillan, London in 1972 a first UK edition. Octavo, 367 pages, plus index etc. Illustrations from early images and a useful map. A very good copy.

Hall was a successful printer who out of the blue had a urge to become an explorer. His first venture was in the path of Eliza Kane to search for evidence of the lost Franklin expedition. He essentially set off by himself having tagged along on a whaling expedition. Fame a support followed and he was to go back several time before succumbing himself possibly like Franklin from food poisoning of sorts. He is said to be the first to live with the Eskimo and had good and bad vies on their approach to life.

Charles Francis Hall devoted a large part of and his life to Arctic exploration.

$40.00

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High Latitudes – A History of Swedish Polar Travels and Research – Gosta Liljequist

Published in 1993 a monumental book by Polar Participant Professor Gosta Liljequist who was metrologist in the Norwegian-British-Swedish expedition to the Antarctic in 1949-52 and also leader of the 1957-58 expedition to Svalbard … so he is in here.

Weighting nearly 3 kgs so pricey to mail Overseas, cannot be found elsewhere in Australia. Largo quarto, 606 pages, with many illustrations from expedition photographs, maps, charts etc a worthy production. Very good copy in a very good dust jacket.

Hard to summarise but we start with the Pioneers 1758-1863 including Anton Martin, the first scientist to go truly North. Involvement with the French Le Recherche Expedition; then Otto Torell and Spitzbergen and his later expeditions to the Aeolus Group north of Svalbard. Quennerstedt’s zoological studies in the west Ice in 1863.

Then we have the Nordenskiold Epoch between 1863-1883 and here for sure too much to write about at both ends of the World. If you haven’t got the book on the Vega this covers it with many other ventures.

We move through some interesting low budget expeditions that did much for the dollar spent and on to Andree and the ill-fated balloon attempt … the searching for him and his companions was a lengthy event and a good Noir movie was made out of it.

We are only a third through and too many highlights to record here. Interesting side stories – the Arctic flight of the German Graf Zeppelin in 1931 – then the attempt from Stockholm to New York.

The Many Swedish Polar Achievements all in one place. Never again.

$280.00

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Bronze Plaque Swedish Polar Explorer Otto Nordenskiöld by Austrian Artist Hugo Taglang – 1905

In the Footsteps of [Captain Robert Falcon] Scott – Mear and Swan

In the Great White Land (A Tale of the Antarctic Ocean) – Gordan Stables

Pilot Pete [An Antarctic Adventure] – Alan Villiers

The Story of Charles Francis Hall, Explorer – Weird and Tragic Shores – Chauncey Loomis 1972

High Latitudes – A History of Swedish Polar Travels and Research – Gosta Liljequist

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