Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Journey by Alfred Lansing:
We rarely read older books at table, but this gripping narrative, originally published in 1959, has been a crowd-pleaser in the community. The adjective “incredible” in the subtitle is definitely on-target. Like many, I had known some details about Shackleton’s voyage to Antarctica before, but this narrative is nonetheless captivating. I’m not sure I would have ever described a table-reading book before as a page-turner.
My only criticism of the book would be that it ends rather abruptly. The journey across the alps of the South Atlantic on South Georgia Island leaves out a reference to Shackleton’s journal where he writes:
“When I look back at those days I have no doubt that Providence guided us, not only across those snow fields, but across the storm-white sea that separated Elephant Island from our landing place on South Georgia. I know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three. I said nothing to my companions on the point, but afterwards Worsley said to me, “Boss, I had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us.” Crean confessed to the same idea. One feels “the dearth of human words, the roughness of mortal speech” in trying to describe things intangible, but a record of our journeys would be incomplete without a reference to a subject very near to our hearts.”
Finally, another missing element is that the epilogue ends only with the rescue from Elephant Island of the remaining expedition members, but makes no reference to their return home, or to the equally incredible fact that Shackleton on a return attempt to reach Antarctica suffered a fatal heart attack on South Georgia Island and was buried there.
Still a great read, and with some minor editing, appropriate for table reading.
brotherisaac 