Antarctic Eyewitness: South With Mawson and Shackleton's Argonauts

by Charles Francis Laseron, Frank Hurley, Tim Bowden (Introduction)

Classic tales from the icy South. Of all the nineteenth-century expeditions that took place in the so-called 'heroic era' of Antarctic exploration, two stand out in terms of raw, sustained survival and the triumph of the human spirit set against seemingly impossible odds. One is Sir Douglas Mawson's 1909-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, and the other is Sir Ernest Shackleton's unsuccessful attempt to cross the Antarctic continent from 1914 to1916 and the extraordinary survival of his entire party after the expedition's ship Endurance was crushed and sunk in pack ice.

Superbly chronicled by the indomitable Australian photographer Frank Hurley, these two narratives are combined in this timely and immensely readable double volume.

With an introduction by Tim Bowden, well-known TV journalist and presenter of ABC's Antarctic documentary series, Antarctic Eyewitness is exciting reading for the polar enthusiast and general reader alike.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Charles Francis Laseron was an American-born Australian naturalist and malacologist.
Laseron was born on 6 December 1887 at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States of America, to English parents the Reverend David Laseron, and his wife Frances, née Bradley. After relocating temporarily to London in 1888, the family migrated to Australia in January 1891.

He was a member of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under (Sir) Douglas Mawson. He travelled with Frank Hurley, Bob Bage, Eric Webb, Herbert Murphy and John Hunter. The group travelled by sledge, departing their base camp on 10 November 1912. Murphy, Hunter and Laseron were the support party for Hurley, Bage and Webb, and turned back on 22 November 1912 after setting up a supply depot.

- An Autobiography, Sydney, 1904
- From Australia to the Dardanelles, 1916
- South with Mawson, 1947
- The Face of Australia, 1953
- Ancient Australia, 1954

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two books contained here are reviewed separately below.
In this combined edition we are provided with the excellent photographs of Frank Hurley, who was present on both expeditions as the photographer, and authored the second book.

South With Mawson - Charles F Laseron
Read 16/1/2023 - **** - Review HERE

Shackleton's Argonauts - Frank Hurley
Read 9/4/2023 - ***** - Review HERE

[Janita · Rating 5 out of 5]

In particular, the journals of Frank Hurley were enlightening, comparing his account to that of Sir Ernest Shackleton's in "South". Hurley wintered on Elephant Island while Sir Ernest and small crew sailed the James Caird to help on South Georgia. I had never read the account of those who waited for rescue, and it was riveting reading. The admiration and respect he held for Sir Ernest was interesting to read and the consistent attitude of minimising hardship and maintenance of hope and humour makes for a truly wonderful read. This is why I have a love of reading these type of journals...what they say and what they do not say.