Andrée's Story: the Complete Record of His Polar Flight, 1897

by S. A. Andree, Knut Frænkel, Nils Strindberg

From the diaries and journals of S.A. Andrée, Nils Strindberg, and K. Frænkel, found on White Island in the summer of 1930.

Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was a failed Swedish effort to reach the North Pole, resulting in the deaths of all three expedition members, S. A. Andrée, Knut Frænkel, and Nils Strindberg. Andrée, the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a voyage by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, which was to pass, with luck, straight over the North Pole on the way. The scheme was received with patriotic enthusiasm in Sweden, a northern nation that had fallen behind in the race for the North Pole.

Andrée ignored many early signs of the dangers associated with his balloon plan. Being able to steer the balloon to some extent was essential for a safe journey, but there was much evidence that the drag-rope steering technique he had invented was ineffective. Worse, the polar balloon Örnen (Eagle) was delivered directly to Svalbard from its manufacturer in Paris without being tested. When measurements showed it to be leaking more than expected, Andrée failed to acknowledge the risk.

After departure of the Andrée's ballon, for 33 years the fate of the expedition remained one of the unsolved riddles of the Arctic. The chance discovery in 1930 of the expedition's last camp shed light on what has happened, and resulted in publication of discovered diaries and journals of S.A. Andrée, Nils Strindberg, and K. Frænkel.

Andrée's motives and mindset have been the subject of extensive fictional and historical discussion ever since.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical

246 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1930

Reviews

[Niklas Laninge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boken som sådan är mest återgivning av medlemmarnas anteckningar samt ett par spännande historier från de som hittade gänget 30 år senare.

Det mest intressanta med boken är att studera hur den skiljer sig från Bea Uusmas Expeditionen. Jag tänker att hennes är en betydligt mer korrekt beskrivning men en sak som slår mig är hur samtiden kraftigt påverkar hur Andree och gänget beskrivs.

I ”Örnen” är de modiga hjältar och tekniska genier som trots motgångar ändå samlar in prover och observationer. I Uusmas är de naiva stockholmare vars främsta egenskap var att övertyga finansiärer. De var oförberedda och gick tanklöst och samlade jord och andra prover utan att riktigt veta varför.

Örnen-boken är uppenbart färgad av de nationalistiska strömningarna som rådde under 1930-talet men nog vore det naivt att tänka att Uusmas tolkning inte påverkats av sin samtid.

[Fredrik Sandahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stark 3a.

[Jochen Klug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrée, Strindberg & Frænkel: Med Örnen mot polen. (1932)

Efter dryga 30 år hittas kvarlevorna av de tre polarfararna på Vitön och deras historia berättas visa deras anteckningar och dagböcker.

Bra upptakt inför kommande böcker på listan. Min mor läste den som ett spännande äventyr.

#kluglæserbog

[Jeanette Reisig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story about three swedish discoverers seeking to reach the North Pole in a ballon, Ørnen, in 1896/7. Detailed reconstruction of the events including diary entries, pictures and reports. Not sure if there is an English translation.

[John Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history about 3 men who ballooned to the North Pole but I would rather settle for a Wikipedia explanation than reading 250 pages

[Ela Bělíková · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont think he really wrote it

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

It always amazes me how early explorers had the courage to do what they did. This is especially true of polar exploration. I mean what would it take to head off into the polar regions in a balloon?? Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the Andrée expedition so I am glad bookcrossing gave me this opportunity to read about it. This book reminded me of some of the biographies I read growing up in the 1960s - it was nostalgic in a way. I was also a fan of Jules Verne growing up and this expedition could have come straight from his pen! Overall a very fascinating story. It is definitely amazing how the story and photos were preserved and discovered over 30 years after the fateful balloon voyage. The mystery of why Andrée and his crew perished is also very interesting. The writer of the introduction to the book is quite sure they perished by carbon monoxide poisoning from their cooking stove, however, if you read the Wikipedia article the theory that the men succumbed to trichinosis that they got from eating undercooked polar bear meat is suggested along with some other theories (highly suggest reading this article in addition to the book).

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Bea Uusma’s book is an alternative if you want something more modern.

[Quincy Bruckerhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this as research for a project that I am working on. I found it to be a very thorough account of what happened both the Andrée, Strindberg, and Fraenkel as well as the explorers who found their remains 30 years later on White Island. I enjoyed it thoroughly.