In the past decade, David Wilson has helped to bring alive the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration in a manner both delightful and extremely valuable. The lavishly illustrated books that he has co-authored, and for which he pulled together vast numbers of original photographs and other noteworthy artwork (Wilson and Elder Reference Wilson and Elder2000; Skelton and Wilson Reference Skelton and Wilson2001; Wilson and Wilson Reference Wilson and Wilson2004), have allowed an excellent insight into the explorers, their work, the conditions they faced, and what life was like in the Antarctic – both at base and in the field – a century or more ago. Certainly there have been other photograph treatments of Antarctic exploration, and the remarkable abilities of Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting have been highlighted numerous times. But Wilson has developed projects that have seen beyond the talents of that famous pair. His books have featured the photography and artwork from expeditions and individuals that have perhaps not received the attention that their artistic results suggest they should have.
Wilson's latest volume, Nimrod Illustrated, celebrates another expedition that has tended to be overlooked by all but the true polar aficionados. Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition (BAE) of 1907–09 has paled in comparison to his later Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in the number of times its story has been retold in books, film, and the press, and in the fascination held for it by the public. However, it was the BAE – the first expedition that he led – on which Shackleton achieved his most significant geographical feats, made his most momentous decisions, and accomplished some of his greatest deeds.
It was on this expedition that, sailing in the tiny former sealer Nimrod and then wintering in a small hut at Cape Royds on Ross Island, Shackleton and his men conducted a series of operations that resulted in them not only obtaining an impressive wealth of scientific data but recording three major geographical accomplishments. The first of these occurred in March 1908, when, immediately after setting up their base, a party of six Antarctic novices left to make the first ascent of the active volcano Mount Erebus (with five actually reaching the summit). The next October – after the long, dark winter – a pair of small parties set out on two of the most remarkable journeys in Antarctic history, either of which would have established the expedition as one of the most successful exploratory efforts ever in the far south.
The Northern Party – consisting of the famous Australian geologist T.W. Edgeworth David, his protégé Douglas Mawson, and the Scottish surgeon Alistair Mackay – man-hauled more than 1250 miles (counting relaying) along the coastal ice of Victoria Land, across the Nordenskjöld and Drygalski Ice Barriers, up a heavily crevassed series of glaciers to the Antarctic Plateau, and then across that barren plain, to become the first men to reach the vicinity of the South Magnetic Pole. Meanwhile, the Southern Party of Shackleton, second-in-command Jameson Adams, surgeon Eric Marshall, and Frank Wild – accompanied initially by four Manchurian ponies – headed towards the southernmost place on Earth. They crossed the Great Ice Barrier, discovered and ascended the Beardmore Glacier, and continued across the heart of the Antarctic Plateau until, running out of food, they had to turn back when only 97 geographical miles from the South Pole. Like the Northern Party, they somehow overcame all the obstacles that promised disaster on the way back, and managed – pushed by the indomitable will of Shackleton – to arrive back just in time to catch Nimrod before she abandoned them and sailed north.
This reviewer's own work, Nimrod (Riffenburgh Reference Riffenburgh2004), was the first book in almost a century (since Shackleton's The heart of the Antarctic in Reference Shackleton1909) to tell the full tale of the BAE, from its haphazard organisation to its incredible feats of endurance. But Wilson's new book brings a whole new dimension to the story by compiling a stunning set of photographs detailing every aspect of the expedition, from when Nimrod first sailed up the Thames for an overhaul that would make her sea- and ice-worthy, until, suddenly world-famous, she returned to England to serve as a floating exhibition highlighting one of the greatest adventures of the era. In between, accompanied by a succinct but thorough text, is a feast of photography and artwork that adds immeasurably to the understanding of many aspects of the expedition: the voyage to the south, the establishment of the base, the ascent of Erebus, the confined winter, and the struggles and triumphs of the sledging parties.
Some readers will be familiar with a number of the photographs – a large selection coming, of course, from the picture library of the Scott Polar Research Institute. But many of the images have never been published before, Wilson having painstakingly tracked down numerous photos, sketches, paintings, and maps from different archives or from the descendents of the members of the expedition. Not the least significant of these are a series of full-colour paintings by George Marston, the expedition artist, showing, amongst other things, Nimrod exploring in the ice, scenes from Cape Royds, and the beauty and mystery of the Antarctic winter. Wilson also spent many laborious hours identifying photos and illustrations that either had no information supplied with them or, when there was more than one copy, had conflicting information; this was a scholarly contribution that is much appreciated.
Both Wilson and his long-time publisher, Nick Reardon, should be congratulated on such an informative, well-produced book. It is a valuable and greatly enjoyable addition to the literature about the exploration of the Antarctic, and should find a place on the bookshelf of every polar enthusiast.
