Crevasse Roulette: The First Trans-Antarctic Crossing 1957-58
Author(s):
Stephenson, Jon
Copyright: 2009, Australia
Specifications: 1st, 4to, pp.192, color frontis, 60 color & 12 bw photos, 7 figs, 32 maps, pictorial cloth
Condition: dj & cloth new
Stephenson was a geologist on the Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE) of 1957-58 which, under the leadership of Dr Vivian Fuchs, completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. He tells the story of the expedition, from its conception to its aftermath, and captures the spirit, planning, privations, achievements, camaraderie, and the occasional disputes. He conveys the controversy surrounding Sir Edmund Hillary’s ‘dash for the Pole’, accounts of the Advance Party’s preparations living on the ice shelf in tents and packing crates for shelter, a history of Antarctic exploration since James Cook's voyage of 1775, an account of other Antarctic exploration and scientific study contemporaneous with TAE, and an overview of subsequent expeditions. A very nicely produced, large-format book, to accompany Fuchs’ and Hillary’s own accounts. This is one of sixteen books on the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE).