A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole Tapa blanda - 1999

"This stirring account demonstrates how a thrice-told tale can acquire arresting immediacy... Preston's vibrant biographical passages reveal the [men] in a human context ... [and] the solitude of the Antarctic,[and] the diminutive shapes of intruders filing across immense wastes, is vividly rendered..." Boston Globe

"...[an] absorbing and moving story.... One of the virtues of Preston's account is her clear-sightedness about the fatal amateurishness of the British effort. " The New York Times

"Preston illuminates Scott's occasional bad luck, inexperience and even ineptitude without diminishing his unquestionable courage, honor and humanity ... Preston's balanced look at Scott's life ... sets this apart from many other works on the subject." Publishers Weekly, Starred

"[Diana Preston] reminds us that his is a thrilling story of endurance, perseverance and courage under the most appalling conditions. She dresses Scott once more in the robes of a hero-but thanks to her marvelous vividness, a hero who is also human." Newsday

"Almost 90 years on, the tragic tale retains its allure. Preston's account is at once simple, elegant and compelling..." Boston Herald