The Land of Silence; A History of Arctic and Antarctic Exploration

Cambridge, UK: University Press, 1921. First Edition. Very Good. [10x7in]; xii, 539 pp., frontispiece image of Markham painting, foldout map, 50 maps (some folding) and illustrations from photographs; Original blue cloth covers with embossed silver lettering and colophon on spine, embossed illustration of early sailing ship in silver on front, untrimmed; Minor shelf wear to bottom edge and hinges, small black spot on spine, lacking title page tissue, offset from tipped in handmade bookmark on p. 91, some offset on end papers, prior owner ink inscription on front free end paper, tipped in London bookseller 1943 receipt. [Arctic Bibliography 10939, Rosove 1203, Conrad p 117, 182, Spence 755]. Sir Clements R. Markham [1830-1916] was a geographer, explorer, writer and secretary of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) for 25 years from 1863 to 1888. He entered the Navy at 14 and was a midshipman on the Assistance in his first Arctic voyage [1850-51] to search for Sir John Franklin' lost expedition. They found evidence of the expedition and three graves on Beechey Is. and wintered over to continue to search and explore. On returning, he resigned from the Navy and continued to explore the world and became part of the Indian administration. He also participated in a second Arctic expedition [1875-76] to Greenland. In 1893, he was drafted as President of the RGS and over the next 12 years promoted Antarctic and Arctic exploration as the destiny of the British Empire. His support of Scott (a Royal Navy commander) over Shackleton and others was unexplained, and as his control of expedition funding. In this book, he is dismissive of Shackleton's role in Antarctic exploration.