Antarctica

by Jeff Rubin, Lonely Planet

Ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Gape at the icebergs looming over your ship, stand awestruck in the midst of a teeming penguin colony, or glimpse a minke whale surfacing next to your Zodiac - Antarctica will astound and transform you. Written by authors with intimate knowledge of the region, this bestselling guide is your essential companion to The Ice.
Get The Inside Scoop - loads of specialist contributions by experts in Antarctica's history, ecology and scientific research.
Go Wild - know your albatross from your snow petrel with our comprehensive wildlife section.
Get There - choose the best tour, expedition or flyover with our detailed transportation chapter.
Find Your Way - 52 detailed maps to help you keep your bearings.
Talk The Talk - handy glossary of unique Antarctic slang and terminology.

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction, Guidebook

328 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Maggie Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

We can only dream

[DIANE Y. PETERSEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good preparation

Book is well organized, first geographically with good descriptions of each location. The last sections cover history, science, and then biology. I wish there had been more maps and pictures of the penguin and other bird species.

This book gives you a good sense of what to expect.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, covering everything you could possibly want to know about Antarctica (or suggesting further reading/resources accordingly). It’ll be great to revisit if and hopefully when I go there post-COVID, whenever that may be!

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been nicer if it had more pictures.

[Douglas Domer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before you visit Antarctica read this travel guide. Great history and other facts that you won't find elsewhere.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is really supposed to be a travel book, it's much more useful as a general non-fiction book about Antarctica. Unlike most of the Lonely Planet series, it is filled less with logistics and more with history, general information, and portraits of life (both human and animal) on the white continent.

I read it in preparation for a trip to the Antarctic Peninsula, and while it didn't provide me with all the information I really needed to plan the trip, I still enjoyed the detailed history of Antarctic exploration and race to the pole, and the descriptions of life at the Antarctic research stations (particularly the Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station, as it's extremely unlikely I'll ever have the chance to visit).

The problem with this book is that it has an identity crisis: If you're planning a trip to visit this beautiful place, you really need more logistical details than this book offers. If you're planning to visit from the comforts of your favorite armchair, it's a series of boxed text without the structure and flow of a regular book.

Also, a word of advice if you're looking at it as a guidebook -- In 2011, the 2008 edition is already sorely outdated!

[Scotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

there was a time when i'd obsessively read through the stories in here trying to imagine what life would be like on the seventh continent, but nowadays, i'll just pull it off the shelf every now and again to look at the pretty pictures.

[Hazel Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read this while I was beset in the Polar Bird, in Antarctica. It was a gift from a friend.

Brilliantly researched and some of the expert iceberg contributors like Dr Jacka were in the next cabin!

[Laura]

Confession: I mostly skimmed this.

[Emily Bragg · Rating 3 out of 5]

standard travel book. some interesting facts, a few of which I would like a citation for.

[Jared Anthony]

South Pole

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, but a handy reference after the trip