From a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, a riveting account of the great expeditions of Antarctica's Heroic Age that restores their status as grand scientific enterprises Published to coincide with the centenary of the first expeditions to reach the South Pole, An Empire of Ice presents a fascinating new take on Antarctic exploration. Retold with added information, it's the first book to place the famed voyages of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his British rivals Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and others in a larger scientific, social, and geopolitical context.
Efficient, well prepared, and focused solely on the goal of getting to his destination and back, Amundsen has earned his place in history as the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, meanwhile, has been reduced in the public mind to a dashing incompetent who stands for little more than relentless perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat. An Empire of Ice offers a new perspective on the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century by looking at the British efforts for what they actually were: massive scientific enterprises in which reaching the South Pole was but a spectacular sideshow. By focusing on the larger purpose, Edward Larson deepens our appreciation of the explorers' achievements, shares little-known stories, and shows what the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery was really about.
Edward J. Larson is University Professor of History and holds the Hugh & Hazel Darling Chair in Law at Pepperdine University. His numerous books include Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion, for which he received a Pulitzer Prize in History. Larson splits his time between Georgia and California.
What People are Saying About This
Bernard Lightman
A fascinating account of the extensive and varied scientific research conducted by daring explorers racing to be the first to reach the South Pole. Whether he is discussing the first observations of the life cycle of the Emperor Penguin, the mapping of the ocean floor, or experiments in terrestrial magnetism, Larson’s book sparkles.—Bernard Lightman, author of Popularizers of Victorian Science
Ronald L. Numbers
Science is sometimes dull, but never in An Empire of Ice. Here the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward J. Larson tells the gripping story of the scientific exploration of Antarctica, where intrepid naturalists, often risking their lives, struggled to learn about emperor penguins, massive glaciers, and frozen fossils.—Ronald L. Numbers, Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Peter Bowler
Edward Larson reveals that British exploration of the Antarctic was no mere 'dash to the pole', but an extended effort to conquer the last great wilderness for science.—Peter Bowler, author of The Earth Encompassed and Evolution: The History of an Idea
From the Publisher
"Larson succeeds in [his] approach to the popular subject of polar exploration by wrapping the science in plenty of dangerous drama to keep readers engaged." —-Booklist
Peter Harrison
Larson’s beautifully written narrative takes in the triumph and tragedy of the polar expeditions, and sheds new light on the scientific culture of the age. Entertaining, informative, and based on impeccable research, this book is a wonderful achievement.—Peter Harrison, author of The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science
Daniel Kevles
A riveting account of science, courage, and endurance, revealing that along with dreams of glory the quest for knowledge of Antarctica drove the explorations of the icy, forbidding continent.—Daniel Kevles, Stanley Woodward Professor of History, Yale University
