New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle tale of polar exploration and survival in the Gilded AgeIn the late nineteenth century, people were obsessed by one of the last unmapped areas of the globe: the North Pole. No one knew what existed beyond the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans, although theories abounded. The foremost cartographer in the world, … foremost cartographer in the world, a German named August Petermann, believed that warm currents sustained a verdant island at the top of the world. National glory would fall to whoever could plant his flag upon its shores.
James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously wealthy owner of The New York Herald, had recently captured the world’s attention by dispatching Stanley to Africa to find Dr. Livingstone. Now he was keen to re-create that sensation on an even more epic scale. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to reach the Pole, choosing as its captain a young officer named George Washington De Long, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. De Long led a team of 32 men deep into uncharted Arctic waters, carrying the aspirations of a young country burning to become a world power. On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds in the grip of “Arctic Fever.”
The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom,and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice—a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival.
With twists and turns worthy of a thriller, In The Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding tale of heroism and determination in the most unforgiving territory on Earth.
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This is not my typical read, but I have this obsession with Greenland and when I ran across this true story of an American crew trying to reach the North Pole in 1879 I couldn’t pass it up. Imagine trying to take this voyage with no cell phones, no GPS, they didn’t even have electric lights!
Anyway, it’s non-fiction, but it’s an adventure that still haunts me. Loved it and I recommend it to anyone fascinated with history or the uncharted icy realms…. 🙂 Fascinating Read!
This is one of those true histories that reads more like fiction. The storyline features incredible turns of events, action, peril, moral dilemmas, leadership, intrigue, and harrowing circumstances that show the toughness, grit, and moral fiber of those involved in this tragic, but heroic, tale.
This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, it’s history at its finest. Prior to reading this, I hadn’t heard of the tragedy of the USS Jeanette. Now, I’ll never forget it. While it is certainly a tragic story, it is also about courage and ingenuity, and is the only non-fiction book I have been reading and found myself unable to put it down. This was fascinating subject material paired perfectly with expert writing.
This story is filled with unique, memorable characters that you grow to genuinely care about. It is more than an action adventure (although it certainly has plenty of action). It is also a love story – both between a husband and wife, and also between a man and the ice.
Impressive will to survive. Agonizing path back to civilization. Family tragedies and sorrow. Still, a reflection on life’s hardships.
A Real Page Turner! Looking forward to reading all of Hampton Sides books
Interesting to learn the history of Antarctic exploration
It gradually but surely draws you deeper into the true story of these glorious men. They chartered unnavigated seas, areas that had no true map. Withstood isolation and harsh environment with fortitude and courage. An environment which 150 years later is changing so drastically . This book is a reminder and a story of very brave men and how our beautiful planet is changing. A very well researched and well written story.
Well written. Most books about arctic exploration have some grimness but this one also gives a sense of the stunning and harsh beauty of the arctic. Humanized with the stories of the Captain, his loyal wife, the quirky crew, and larger than life benefactor of the expedition.
Great book I would recommend it. I may read it again and I just don’t read books twice, but, I’ll read this again sometime.
The first part of the book has a little too much detail and bogs down but the story of the journey is very interesting
you should offer “great history story” as an option
This books is a fascinating look at a ship that broke the ice in the arctic. I couldn’t put it down as the crew gets colder and colder and into a very dangerous situation. It is a page turner.
The mark of a good work of narrative-history is that it keeps one asking “What happened next?” at every step even though we may have a general idea of what the outcome actually was. I found this to be very much that case with this superb book, desperately hoping that as the situation deteriorated (as it does inexorably throughout), and disaster became inevitable, something would happen to change the outcome. The expedition described – an attempt to reach the North Pole by sea after entering the Arctic via the Bering Strait – was doomed from the start as the plan was based on a false premise. This was that the ice on the edge of the Arctic Ocean was only a narrow barrier, with open water beyond, and the premise was based on scant – and misinterpreted – evidence and wild supposition. The background to the events is told brilliantly – the megalomaniac newspaper owner James Gordon-Bennett wanted another epic scoop as a follow-on to his funding of Stanley’s expedition to find Livingstone (who wasn’t lost and didn’t want to be rescued). The officers and crew of the Jeanette, the vessel funded by Gordon-Bennett, were to endure appalling hardships, and to display limitless courage in rescuing themselves – which not all did. It’s an inspiring story of valour and resourcefulness, but also one of greed and callousness on the side of the ruthless press-baron. An unexpected heroine proved to be the wife of the expedition commander, a splendid women who never gave up hope, and whose letters (which never reached her husband) are movingly quoted at intervals through the book. All in all a splendid read – I couldn’t put it down and found it more exciting than most novels of action and adventure.
5 stars
James Gordon Bennett is newspaper owner who specializes in the outrageous and not altogether true stories.
Captain George Washington DeLong made his name for a daring attempt made to reach survivors of a ship that was destroyed by ice in the Arctic when he was still a Lieutenant in the US Navy. The Arctic got into his blood, something that surprised him, and he spent several years studying and plotting to get back there – but as the captain of his own expedition this time.
Bennett becomes very interested in the Arctic and agrees to fund DeLong’s expedition to the North Pole. They consult the latest maps and scientific data. They meet with the eminent scientists of the day and gather data that is suspect by today’s standards. (From our point of view we can see that some of the ideas put forth at the time were outrageous at best and some of them were downright dangerous. )
Before they set sail on July 8, 1879, DeLong is ordered by his superiors at the US Navy to check on a fellow explorer at Bennett’s behest. DeLong is furious for he knows the other explorer is not yet overdue and most likely is fine. But he must follow orders, so he takes the time to look for the other man’s party. He misses him by a mere week, but of course doesn’t know it. He finally gets the work from some native Alaskans that they have seen him and he had sailed away already. DeLong has lost some time and fears the worst.
As they head north through the Bering Strait, they find their first trouble. DeLong and the rest of the crew (for the most part), take their difficulties in their stride. The thirty-two men seem to get along fine aside from some petty jealousies and rivalries.
The Jeanette was to spend several months trapped in the ice pack. The men kept up their spirits though, and there was some game – polar bears, seals and such – that came close enough to the ship that the crew was served occasional fresh meat. An island was spotted that caused much excitement. Some of the crew came down with lead poisoning. (How they kept up their spirits in all this is beyond me. It was a sure testament to the human drive to thrive.)
With the breaking up and sinking of the Jeannette, all thirty-three men took to the ice along with their dogs. DeLong had been anticipating it for some time, so they had sufficient time to offload the most important items for the long trek ahead of them.
What follows is a story filled with horror, hardship and severe privation. My heart goes out to the brave men who undertook this expedition knowing very well what might lay in store for them.
This book is excellently written. Mr. Sides gives a detailed explanation of the search for and refurbishing of the Pandora, soon to become the Jeannette. He fully describes and illustrates all of the main characters, Delong, Bennett, Petermann and several men of the crew and officers. His research must have been exhaustive. Very well done and I recommend this book to anyone interested in arctic exploration, adventure or just for a very good read.
Almost unbelievable true story of men’s determination to reach the North Pole in a ship that though strong and well equipped for its day, late 1800’s,, was no match for the journey it undertook. The courage of the men was remarkable, equal to any story of exploration I have ever read. Chilling, no pun intended, but fascinating.
This would be five stars for me if the author had edited the first 130 pages down to about 30 or 40. But once DeLong and his men got going on their expedition, I couldn’t put it down. How would you keep your spirits up, stuck in the ice for years? I seem to be fascinated/horrified/irresistibly attracted to these ice and wilderness tales! For great ice tales in fiction, To the Bright Edge of the World and The Snow Child are the best!