The Endurance; Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. First Edition, Later Printing. Near Fine/Near Fine. [9.25x8.25in]; 211 pp., frontispiece of Endurance trapped in ice and heeled over, many images from Frank Hurley of the 150 that were saved with the rescue; Black cloth covers with silver lettering on spine, all edges trimmed; Speckled brown dust jacket with black and white lettering on front and spine, image of Endurance beset in the ice on front; Minimal shelf wear to edges. Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) lead the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition in 1914-1917. It was a complex plan that involved landing the Polar party on the Weddell sea ice shelf to travel an unknown route to the South Pole. A second team was landed to lay supply depots on the Ross Ice Shelf for over 400 miles to the Beardmore Glacier. These depots were to supply Shackleton's northern journey from the South Pole to the Ross Sea.

The expedition did not achieve the objectives as the Endurance was beset and crushed in the ice covered Weddell Sea before reaching the ice shelf. James Francis (Frank) Hurley (1885-1962) ) was the expedition's photographer. All but 150 plates of Hurley's still images and some pocket camera images survived the 9 month trek across the ice dragging overloaded lifeboats to reach open water and sail for desolate Elephant Is. to await an uncertain rescue. Hurley and all the other men survived the ordeal when rescued by Shackleton after his miraculous 800 mile sea voyage to the nearest whaling station on South Georgia Is. Hurley's images have become iconic images in telling the stories of the expedition.