Shackleton: The Antarctic Challenge

by Kim Heacox, Alexandra Shackleton (Foreword by)

Photographs depicting the Antarctic landscape, accompanied by diary accounts from the crew, enliven this retelling of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated two-year voyage

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Kim Heacox is the author of more than a dozen books, five of them published by National Geographic.

He’s won the National Outdoor Book Award twice, first in 2015 for his novel Jimmy Bluefeather, the only work of fiction in 25 years to win the award. And again in 2020 for his memoir, The Only Kayak, as an “outdoor classic” (originally published in 2005).

He writes opinion-editorials for The Guardian in celebration and defense of the natural world, and lives in a small town in coastal Alaska with his wife, Melanie, where they support the emerging Glacier Bay Leadership Program within Tidelines Institute. Learn more about him at www.kimheacox.com and download the Jimmy Bluefeather book club guide at westmarginpress.com.

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Lots of cool photos.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

The major attraction of this book is that it contains Frank Hurley's photographs taken during both the "Nimrod" and "Endurance" expeditions, George Marston's drawings and several more recent photographs of Antarctica, including some underwater and low light level shots which would not have been possible at the time. It also covers Shackleton's whole life, briefly, including all his polar explorations, which the other books I had read so far did not, and gives some background on the other members of the expedition and their polar experience.
This book was produced by National Geographic and it is visually stunning. The text reads more like a longish magazine article than a history, but it does cover all the essential details.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative in a concise and insightful way - a wealth of beautiful photos (current and archival) made the account come alive. Hard to believe what men could endure once they were were bitten by the frontier bug! I loved the biographical sketches of Shackelton’s team.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a number of books on Shackleton, so was happily surprised to learn some new things in this brief summary of his life, and to see pictures I hadn't seen before. Heacox is a very good writer: I appreciated his succinctness and his editorial skills in choosing what to include in this slim volume and what to leave out. However...it was disappointing to me that National Geographic, which published this hardcover in a nicely packaged way, complete w/faux leather cover and ribbon bookmark, didn't seem to invest in having a proofreader go over the final copy. I noted a number of typos, and copy that was repeated in the wrong place. That certainly marred what was otherwise a pleasant reading experience.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I’ve read enough about Shackleton’s adventures that it surprised me to learn things I hadn’t known before. Once the Endurance became icebound, he planned to winter over, sail back to South Georgia Island, restock, and re- attempt a trans Antarctic crossing. His goal quickly became survival for himself and his crew. I also didn’t know that many of them agonized over sailing to Antarctica, rather serving in World War 1. He was also not a great husband or father.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Portrait of Sir Ernest Shackleton that strives to define his unique gift of leadership.

[Bobbettylou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read the difinitive account of "Shakleton's Incredible Journey" when I read "Endurance." But this one stands along side it as an equal. This 1999 publication by the National geographic Society combines extensive quotes from the earlier book with numerous selections from various "Endurance" crew members' journals, lots of Frank Hurley's expedition photographs along with dozens of modern photos, as well as a forward by Alexandra Shakleton, Ernest's granddaughter. The result is an attractive, thorough account of the expedition that is hard to put down. Shakleton is almost glorified as an expedition leader, as he was by the expedition members, but also honestly described as a man with many faults.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at the life of Shackleton and his Antarctic expeditions. Not as much detail about the expeditions as other books, but it provided information that I have not seen in earlier books on Shackleton. The book also talked about other Antarctic expeditions from the era of exploration. Great pictures of Antarctica and historic photos of other Antarctic expeditions.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good follow-up to South, as it fills in some details not mentioned by Shackleton in his book. More pix too!

[Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

the least well written of the recent blizzard of shackleton books

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story and great pictures.