My Attainment of the Pole

by Frederick Albert Cook

The subzero temperatures were only one of the dangers explorer Frederick Cook (1865-1940) faced in his attempts to reach the North Pole. During his extraordinary and harrowing journey, he fought off arctic wolves and polar bears, lived through ice storms, almost starved on several occasions, and faced long and lonely hours of isolation. His book relates how he learned from Eskimos how to survive in the Arctic, hunting musk ox to survive, harpooning walruses, and traveling by dog sled. After his journey, he defended himself against the charges of fellow explorer Robert Peary, who claimed that Cook had lied about reaching the Pole. My Attainment of the Pole is not only a great read for any armchair explorer, it is also a controversial work that contributed to a dispute that lasted for decades.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir

670 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2000

About the author

Frederick Albert Cook (1865–1940) was an American physician and explorer. He served as physician on both Robert Peary's 1891–1892 Arctic expedition and Adrien de Gerlache's Antarctic expedition of 1897–1899. His claims to have been the first to reach the summit of Denali (aka Mount McKinley) in 1906 and the first to reach the North Pole in 1907 were rejected.

Reviews

[Sugarpuss O'Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 6th book I've read about the North Pole & her claimants. I think BOTH Cook & Peary believed they got to the 'Big Nail' but history has proven otherwise....

This book is Dr Cook's version of events & portrays him as a victim of the 'Arctic Trust'--a group of pro-Peary folks who would stop at nothing to see their man on top. (To help put the Polar Controversy in modern context, equate it to the OJ Trial.) My biggest complaint is the overly florid, gushing rhetoric that he uses to describe his exploits. (If I had to read one more time about the color of the sky, I was going to scream!) And while I know the attacks on Peary were repetitive & tiresome, the guy was fighting to get his reputation back from a man who had absolutely no honor, so I can't blame Cook at all for attacking with both barrels, no matter how monotonous & maddening it became.

This book wasn't written to be a scientific tome, but rather to try & sway public opinion. Did it work? Who knows. But I seem to recall that Cook said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that if just 1 person remembers you, you are immortal. Well here we are 110 years later, and the Cook-Peary Polar Controversy is still going strong. Immortal indeed.

[A.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to give this four stars for the parts that actually deal with his journey to the pole and back again, but the vast amount of vitriolic material regarding Peary do rather spoil it. Having read Peary's account and various other texts about him I have no doubt that Peary was an enormous git and probably never got to the pole, and I understand Cook's frustration and anger towards him. Peary set out to systematically destroy Cook, and there aren't words to express the disdain I have for the man. But the constant interjections against Peary and the long, long sections at the end where Cook defends himself against him are tedious, and do have an air of protesting too much.
That said, the narrative in general was a fascinating one, and nicely written. The return journey was every bit as interesting as the journey out. Cook's attitude towards the Inuit is better than Peary's, although unpleasantly tainted with the era-typical assertion that these people are childlike savages. There's a kind of amused, superior tone at the idea that they grieve for their dead and love their children, that they're inventive and resourceful - in other words, things which show they're the same as any other human are reduced to the kind of amusement you show at a pet doing something clever. He is better than Peary, though, and not as exploitative, and does express indignation (of course) at some of the atrocities Peary committed on these people.

I'm not sure Cook ever got to the pole. I'm certain Peary never did. I'm glad to have finally read Cook's account.

[Nick Solheim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Frederick A. Cook's My Attainment of the Pole presents a colorful, if fanciful tale of Cook's supposed attainment of the "Big Nail." Chock-full of biting insults of Robert Peary Sr., his financial backers, and plenty of media bashing, this book is a vindictive journal entry into the long and distressed life of Dr. Cook.

Frequently, amongst brilliant and detailed descriptions of the Arctic landscape and hardship, the author launches into petty diatribes in the footnotes that can last as many as five pages. It is clear throughout the reading of this book that the author's only interest is in presenting himself as a sacrificial lamb and making Peary out to be the bad guy.

Dr. Cook was a brilliant man, and many readers desperately want to take his side, especially in light of his (truthful) good work on the Belgica expedition. However, this mostly-false tale shows the dark side of Dr. Cook, and shows how perpetual victimhood can ruin one's life.

[Walter Gay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t read the last ~100 pages of him insulting Peary and “proving” he made it to the pole, and from the intro it seems very clear he didn’t. But still a damn good adventure story and well worth reading. His relationship with the Inuits is also pretty interesting.

[Donald M. Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooks attainment of the North Poll space

I found the book interesting, but hard to read at times. Cooks achievement I believe is true. The details are substantial. I didn't care for the last chapters detailing the arguments against his achievement by Perry

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

To give credit to F. Cook the description of his journey is very detailed. Beside the chronology of the events and scientific measurements, he also added facts about the Inuit lifestyle, the animals's habits.There are photos in the book too.
Moreover, the author was quite good at describing the nature. However, although some people might enjoy such insertions, I find them rather tedious. That's why I rate the book a 4.

[Willem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh... So bitter...