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This series includes accounts, by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, of early expeditions to the Arctic and the Antarctic. Huge resources were invested in such endeavours, particularly the search for the North-West Passage, which, if successful, promised enormous strategic and commercial rewards. Cartographers and scientists travelled with many of the expeditions, and their work made important contributions to earth sciences, climatology, botany and zoology. They also brought back anthropological information about the indigenous peoples of the Arctic region and the southern fringes of the American continent. The series further includes dramatic and poignant accounts of the harsh realities of working in extreme conditions and utter isolation in bygone centuries.

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202 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Polar Exploration

Page 6 of 11

Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole
  • In Boats Fitted for the Purpose, and Attached to His Majesty's Ship Hecla, in the Year MDCCCXXVII, under the Command of Captain William Edward Parry
  • William Edward Parry
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    17 April 2014
  • One of the leading Arctic navigators of his age, William Edward Parry (1790–1855) led three expeditions in search of the North-West Passage (accounts of which are also reissued in this series). Parry's early career had been spent protecting the whaling fleet of Spitsbergen and this experience led him in 1826 to propose to the Admiralty an expedition to the North Pole. In order to reach further north than earlier attempts, Parry used sledge-boats that could be towed over the ice on runners, and then take to any open sea that the crew encountered. In 1827 the expedition attained a record latitude that stood for nearly fifty years. This illustrated account, published in 1828, was described by the Quarterly Review as a record of 'the patient, persevering, energetic, and undaunted conduct which British seamen are capable of displaying, in the most difficult, discouraging, and dangerous circumstances'.

Ten Months among the Tents of the Tuski
  • With Incidents of an Arctic Boat Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, As Far As the Mackenzie River, and Cape Bathurst
  • William Hulme Hooper
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • In the middle of the nineteenth century, British Arctic exploration became defined by the search for the missing expedition of Sir John Franklin, who had in fact perished in desperate circumstances in 1847. As a newly qualified naval officer, William Hulme Hooper (1827–54) took part in one of the many expeditions which sought to find Franklin. Embarking in 1848, the crew of HMS Plover spent three winters in the Arctic, with tragic consequences for Hooper's health. On his return, perhaps realising time was short, he wrote this illustrated account of his travels, and saw it published the year before he died at the age of only twenty-seven. The work is of particular interest because of its detailed descriptions of the Bering Sea region, Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. Especially noteworthy are the observations on the way of life of the indigenous Chukchi people, whom Hooper called 'Tuski'.

Farthest North
  • Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram, 1893–96, and of a Fifteen Months' Sleigh Journey
  • Volume 2
  • Fridtjof Nansen
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    15 May 2011
    First published in:
    1897
  • Originally published in 1897, this two-volume work chronicles the polar expedition of Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930), who came closer than any previous explorer to the North Pole. Beginning on board his boat, the Fram, which was deliberately driven into pack-ice off Siberia in order to drift north, Nansen and his companions later resorted to sleds and kayaks. Volume 2 describes the journey over the ice – setting out with 28 dogs, 3 sledges and 2 kayaks – and ends with an account of the return journey. (It also includes Captain Otto Sverdrup's report of the expedition.) The Fram served as a laboratory during its time in the Arctic, and Nansen eventually published six volumes of scientific observations. He later became Norwegian delegate to the League of Nations, directing humanitarian projects, and is famous for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 as well as for his polar achievements.

Arctic Searching Expedition
  • A Journal of a Boat-Voyage through Rupert's Land and the Arctic Sea, in Search of the Discovery Ships under Command of Sir John Franklin
  • Volume 2
  • John Richardson
  • Published online:
    05 February 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1851
  • The surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer Sir John Richardson (1787–1865) was a lifelong friend to his former commander Sir John Franklin, with whom he had twice travelled to seek the North-West Passage. Following two years of silence from Franklin after he embarked on his 1845 expedition to the Arctic, Richardson set out on his own voyage in the hope of finding his comrade. Originally published in 1851, this two-volume work charts the journey which would inevitably fail in its ambition: Franklin, unknown to Richardson, had already died in June 1847. Volume 2 begins with detailed descriptions of the aboriginal Chipewyan and Cree peoples. A thorough appendix comprises observations on physical geography, climatology and the geographical distribution of plants, and includes vocabularies for the dialects encountered during the mission. The text ends, Richardson having returned, with the hope that future expeditions may yet trace 'so many gallant victims to science'.

Arctic Searching Expedition
  • A Journal of a Boat-Voyage through Rupert's Land and the Arctic Sea, in Search of the Discovery Ships under Command of Sir John Franklin
  • Volume 1
  • John Richardson
  • Published online:
    05 January 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1851
  • The surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer Sir John Richardson (1787–1865) was a lifelong friend to his former commander Sir John Franklin, with whom he had twice travelled to seek the North-West Passage. Following two years of silence from Franklin after he embarked on his 1845 expedition to the Arctic, Richardson set out on his own voyage in the hope of finding his comrade. Originally published in 1851, this two-volume work charts the journey which would inevitably fail in its ambition: Franklin, unknown to Richardson, had already died in June 1847. Volume 1, which depicts the journey to Fort Confidence in the Canadian Arctic, ends with detailed descriptions of the aboriginal Inuit and Gwich'in peoples encountered. The text is punctuated throughout by accounts of the wildlife and geographical features sighted, and the customs and cultures observed on this remarkable mission.

Journal of a Third Voyage for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific
  • Performed in the Years 1824–25, in His Majesty's ships Hecla and Fury, under the Orders of Captain William Edward Parry
  • William Edward Parry
  • Published online:
    05 September 2013
    Print publication:
    12 May 2011
    First published in:
    1826
  • In May 1824, the British explorer William Edward Parry (1790–1855) took to the seas on his third attempt to discover the North-West Passage, the legendary route to the Pacific along the northern coast of North America. It was a perilous voyage that he abandoned after the wreck of his ship, the Fury; however, during it he made some pioneering discoveries about the route's climate, meteorology, wildlife and nautical conditions, which influenced his successors and remain of interest to scientists and seafarers today. In these fascinating memoirs, first published in 1826, Parry documents his journey, revealing the difficulties he encountered and the phenomena he observed. Through extensive illustrations and vivid descriptions, he recalls the tumultuous weather and treacherous terrain that characterised - and finally defeated - the expedition, and expresses his gratitude to his fellow voyagers, for their bravery and determination in adversity, and their united efforts to save the doomed vessel.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 4
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1842
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. In Volume 4, published in 1842, d'Urville presents his discoveries about customs on the Marquesas and Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 8
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1845
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for southern-hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. Volume 8, published in 1845, sees d'Urville's return to Antarctica in 1840, and his discovery of Adélie Land, after visiting Borneo, Java and Sumatra.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 6
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    14 June 2012
    First published in:
    1844
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. Volume 6, published in 1844, charts the geographical features and the traditions of the people of several Indonesian provinces.

Journal d'un Voyage aux Mers Polaires
  • Exécuté à la Recherche de Sir John Franklin, en 1851 et 1852
  • Joseph René Bellot
  • Preface by Julien Lemer
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1854
  • The intrepid French explorer Joseph René Bellot (1826–53) became a symbol of Anglo-French friendship in 1851, when he took part in the second expedition of the Prince Albert in search of Sir John Franklin. During the seventeen-month expedition, Bellot wrote a journal which captures his enthusiasm for the discovery of unknown lands and the anxieties of a perilous journey. Together with Captain William Kennedy, Bellot found the northernmost point of the American continent and was named a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His journal was published posthumously, together with a short account of his life, in 1854 by Julien Lemer, and reissued several times because of its scientific and literary interest. Bellot died tragically, aged twenty-seven, during his second polar expedition. His courage and devotion to a foreign cause earned him much admiration in Britain: an obelisk was raised in his honour outside the Greenwich Hospital for sailors.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 9
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1846
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. In Volume 9, published in 1846, d'Urville shows his strong personal interest in ethnography as he reflects on the life and customs of Tasmania and New Zealand.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 3
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1842
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. Volume 3, published in 1842, gives a detailed account of life and traditions in Chile and on the island of Mangareva (French Polynesia).

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 7
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1844
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. In Volume 7, published in 1844, d'Urville reflects on the Dutch colonisation of Singapore and describes further discoveries he had made in Indonesia.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 2
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1842
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. Volume 2, published in 1842, traces d'Urville's first heroic but failed attempt at locating the south magnetic pole in 1838, and his return to Chile.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 10
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1846
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. In Volume 10, published in 1846, which includes extracts from his correspondence, as well as a biography, d'Urville shares his immense relief as he returns to France.

Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée
  • Exécuté par ordre du roi pendant les années 1837–1838–1839–1840
  • Volume 5
  • Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d'Urville
  • Published online:
    05 June 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1843
  • In 1836, the French King Louis-Philippe, enthusiastic for Southern Hemisphere exploration, supported J. Dumont d'Urville's plan for a circumnavigation focusing on the South Seas. D'Urville (1790–1842) had already distinguished himself on two Pacific expeditions and was eager to rival the achievements of James Cook. Between 1837 and 1840, the ships Astrolabe and Zélée explored the waters of the Antarctic area and Oceania in extremely harsh conditions: almost forty crew members died or deserted. However, d'Urville discovered a new portion of the Antarctic coast, shed light on the ethnography of several Pacific islands and brought back multitudes of botanical specimens. His impressive contributions to the fields of geography, natural history and ethnography were gathered in this ten-volume work, published between 1841 and 1846. Volume 5, published in 1843, recounts the crew's adventures on small islands off Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Report of the President and Council of the Royal Society on the Instructions to be Prepared for the Scientific Expedition to the Antarctic Regions
  • Royal Society
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    07 June 2012
    First published in:
    1840
  • The 1839–43 Antarctic expedition was primarily a scientific voyage. James Clark Ross, a member of the expedition that had located the Magnetic North Pole in 1831, was the natural choice to lead this mission to find the Magnetic South Pole. Although he was unsuccessful in this aim, he charted the coastline of most of the continent, collected valuable scientific data and made several important discoveries. Published in 1840, these papers were prepared by the Royal Society for the expedition and give detailed instructions on how to make the important magnetic and meteorological observations. There are further instructions, such as how to preserve animal specimens, and surprisingly a request to investigate the reasons for the poor cultivation of vines at the Cape of Good Hope as 'the bad quality of Cape wine … is well known'. These papers reveal the expectations and demands placed upon this expedition.

The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe
  • With a Historical Review of Previous Journeys along the North Coast of the Old World
  • Volume 1
  • Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
  • Translated by Alexander Leslie
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1881
  • The Finnish geologist and Arctic explorer A. E. Nordenskiöld (1832–1901) spent much of his life in exile in Sweden, where he was made a baron. He served as Superintendent of the Mineralogical Department of the Swedish Royal Museum, and later became a Member of the Swedish Academy. Following a number of expeditions during the 1860s, he concluded that the North Pole could not be reached by ship, and in 1872 he tried unsuccessfully to reach it overland. A great historian of cartography, he amassed a huge collection of maps, now included in UNESCO's 'Memory of the World' Register. This two-volume work, published in Swedish in 1881, describes his most famous voyage, the first crossing of the North-East Passage. Volume 1 includes details of the flora, fauna, people and geology encountered on the journey from Tromso to the Bering Strait, along with a review of previous exploration in the region.

The North Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle
  • Edited by Edward Sabine
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    14 June 2012
    First published in:
    1821
  • Alone, months of sailing separating them from home, in the polar winter where the sun never rises, the two ships of Captain William Parry's expedition lay encased in ice from November 1819 to March 1820. In order to fully chart the North-West Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific, it was necessary to overwinter in the Arctic, something that no other British expedition had done before. To boost morale in these uncomfortable circumstances, Captain Edward Sabine (1788–1883), a senior scientist carrying out measurements of natural phenomena, founded and edited a weekly magazine, which ran for twenty-one issues and was made available to the wider world in 1821. Offering jokes, poems, stories and thinly disguised gossip, the members of the expedition contributed to the magazine with enthusiasm (after having first thawed their ink). This little book offers unique insight into what polar exploration in the nineteenth century was actually like.

Memoirs of Lieutenant Joseph René Bellot, with his Journal of a Voyage in the Polar Seas in Search of Sir John Franklin
  • Volume 2
  • Joseph René Bellot
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    10 May 2012
    First published in:
    1855
  • Joseph René Bellot (1826–53) was a French naval officer whose travels took him from Africa to the Arctic before his tragic death at the age of 27. In 1851 he joined a British expedition to search for the missing polar explorer Sir John Franklin (1786–1847), whose expedition to find the North-West Passage was last heard of in July 1845. Although the voyage was unsuccessful in its search, it explored previously unknown areas of the Arctic. Bellot kept extensive notes about his journey in this remote region; they originally appeared in French in 1854 and were translated into English in 1855 and published in two volumes. In Volume 2, Bellot, who was regarded as a hero in both France and Britain, describes how the crew survived the harsh climate of the Arctic winter, his exploration by dog-sledge of inland polar regions and his eventual return to Britain.

Page 6 of 11