Ice blink : the tragic fate of Sir John Franklin's lost Polar expedition
Cookman, Scott, 1952-2000
Book
Total copies: 1
Ice Blink re-creates the story of the Franklin Polar expedition and reveals a grim solution to the most enduring mystery in the annals of exploration. Absorbing.artfully narrat[es] a possible course of events in the expedition's demise, based on the one official note and bits of debris (including evidence of cannibalism) found by searchers sent to look for Franklin in the 1850s. Adventure readers will flock to this fine regaling of the enduring mystery surrounding the best-known disaster in Arctic exploration.--Booklist""A great Victorian adventure story rediscovered and re-presented for a more enquiring time.""--The Scotsman""A vivid, sometimes harrowing chronicle of miscalculation and overweening Victorian pride in untried technology.a work of great compassion.""--The AustralianIt has been called the greatest disaster in the history of polar exploration. Led by Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, two state-of-the-art ships and 128 hand-picked men----the best and the brightest of the British empire----sailed from Greenland on July 12, 1845 in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. Fourteen days later, they were spotted for the last time by two whalers in Baffin Bay. What happened to these ships----and to the 129 men on board----has remained one of the most enduring mysteries in the annals of exploration. Drawing upon original research, Scott Cookman provides an unforgettable account of the ill-fated Franklin expedition, vividly reconstructing the lives of those touched by the voyage and its disaster. But, more importantly, he suggests a human culprit and presents a terrifying new explanation for what triggered the deaths of Franklin and all 128 of his men. This is a remarkable and shocking historical account of true-life suspense and intrigue.
Main title:
Author:
Imprint:
New York ; Chichester : Wiley, c2000.
Collation:
xii, 244p. : ill., facsims., maps, ports. ; 22 cm.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-238) and index.
Contents:
The Epitaphs. Messages from the Dead. The Enigma: Sir John. The Passage. Two Ships. Specters. Ships' Commanders. Ships' Companies. Outward Bound. Beechey Island. The Last Summer. Beset. Imprisoned. The Curse. The Culprit. Houndsditch. Schedules. The Dying Time. Killer at Large. The Death March. Cannibalism. The Culprit's Footprints. The Empty Prize. Afterword: Anatomy of a Disaster. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.
ISBN:
9780471404200 (pbk)
Dewey class:
919.804919.804 COO
LC class:
G660
Language:
English
Subject:
Franklin, John, Sir, 1786-1847 -- Journeys -- North PoleTrue stories of heroism, endurance & survivalArctic regionsGeographical discovery & explorationTravel writingGeneral & world historyHistory of other landsTravel & holidayPolar regionsNorthwest Passage -- Discovery and exploration -- BritishGeography
BRN:
374885