Mawson

And the Ice Men of the Heroic Age: Scott, Shackleton and Amundsen

Peter FitzSimons

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English

Ebury Press
01 December 2014

Biography: general; Adventure; Biography - Australian

History comes to life with Peter FitzSimons in the story of Australia's most famous polar explorer and the giants from the heroic age of polar exploration- Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton.

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Sir Douglas Mawson, born in 1882 and knighted in 1914, remains Australia's greatest Antarctic explorer. On 2 December 1911, his Australasian Antarctic Expedition left Hobart to explore the virgin frozen coastline below Australia, 2000 miles of which had never felt the tread of a human foot. He was on his way to fulfil a national dream he had first conceived three years earlier, while on his first trip to the frozen continent on the Nimrod expedition under the leadership of the charismatic Anglo-Irishman Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Even as Mawson and his men were approaching Antarctica, two other famous Antarctic explorers were already engaged in nothing less than a race to become the first men to reach the South Pole. While Roald Amundsen of Norway, with his small team, was racing with dogs along one route, England's legendary Scott of the Antarctic, with his far larger team, was relying primarily on ponies and 'man-hauling' to get there along another.

As Mawson and his men make their home on the windiest place on earth and prepare for their own record-breaking treks, with devastating drama to be their constant companion, the stories of Amundsen and Scott similarly play out.

With his trademark in-depth research, FitzSimons provides a compelling portrait of these great Antarctic explorers. For the first time, he weaves together their legendary feats into one thrilling account, bringing the jaw-dropping events of this bygone era dazzlingly back to life.

PRAISE FOR PETER FITZSIMONS

'Peter FitzSimons is an Australian phenomenon.' The Canberra Times

' FitzSimons

knows how to make words race like eager sled dogs on their homeward run.' Newcastle Herald

'Meticulously researched, well-written and incredibly presented.' Weekend Notes

By: Peter FitzSimons
Imprint: Ebury Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 202mm, Width: 131mm, Spine: 49mm
Weight: 550g
ISBN: 9780857987204
ISBN 10: 0857987208
Pages: 768
Publication Date: 01 December 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Peter FitzSimons is a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-Herald. He is also a regular TV commentator, a former radio presenter (very successfully, with Mike Carlton on Radio 2UE) and is also a former national representative rugby union player. Peter is the author of over 20 books - including Tobruk, Kokoda, Batavia, Mawson and the Ice Men of the Heroic Age and biographies of Nancy Wakee Kim Beazleye Nick Farr-Jonese Les Darcy, Steve Waugh and John Eales. Peter is Australia's biggest-selling non-fiction author of the last ten years. Peter was named a Member of the Order of Australia for service to literature as a biographer, sports journalist and commentator, and to the community through contributions to conservation, disability care, social welfare and sporting organisations. He lives with his wife, Lisa Wilkinson, and their three children in Sydney. His latest bestseller is Ned Kelly: The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend. His forthcoming book, to be published in November 2014, is Gallipoli.