Race to the Top of the World: Richard Byrd and the First Flight to the North Pole

It was the dawn of a new age of adventure. Biplanes and dirigibles coasted through the air. Vast swaths of the Earth remained still untouched and unseen by man. And one group of relentless explorers competed in the race of a lifetime: to be the first to fly over the North Pole. What inspired their dangerous fascination? For some, it was the romantic theory of a “lost world,” a hidden continent beneath the Arctic Ocean. Others were seduced by new aviation technology, which they strove to push to its ultimate limit. The feats of these heroes are still breathtaking and inspiring - and still a matter of debate.

The main players in this high stakes game were Richard Byrd, dashing Navy officer and early aviation pioneer, and Roald Amundsen, Viking of the sky, implacable rival of Byrd’s, and hardened veteran of polar expeditions. Both men were intent on becoming the first aviator to fly over the North Pole. Theirs is a Homeric tale of disasters and near misses – and enduring mystery: Who was the first man to fly over the North Pole?

Bart has delved more deeply into the personal archives of Byrd and his contemporaries than anyone else and presents a story packed with powerful, never-before-seen evidence of a great and exciting aerial challenge. Shortlisted for the 2014 William Mills Prize for Non-Fiction Polar Books.