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The Resource Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night, Julian Sancton

Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night, Julian Sancton

Creator
Author
Narrator
Contributor
Summary
The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry--with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a threeyear expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook--half genius, half con man--whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice--one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
Unabridged.
Extent
1 online resource (1 audio file (13 hr., 36 min., 10 sec.))
Isbn
9780593340141
Link
Instance
Label
Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night
Title
Madhouse at the end of the Earth
Title remainder
the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night
Statement of responsibility
Julian Sancton
Creator
Contributor
Author
Narrator
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry--with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a threeyear expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook--half genius, half con man--whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice--one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep
Accompanying matter
technical information on music
Cataloging source
TEFOD
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Sancton, Julian
Dewey number
919.8904
Form of composition
not applicable
Format of music
not applicable
LC call number
G850 1898
Literary text for sound recordings
history
Music parts
not applicable
PerformerNote
Read by Vikas Adam
http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
  • Adam, Vikas
  • OverDrive, Inc
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Gerlache de Gomery, A. de
  • Cook, Frederick Albert
  • Amundsen, Roald
  • Amundsen, Roald
  • Cook, Frederick Albert
  • Gerlache de Gomery, A. de
  • Belgica (Ship)
  • Belgica (Ship)
  • Discoveries in geography
  • Antarctica
  • Antarctica
Transposition and arrangement
not applicable
Label
Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night, Julian Sancton
Link
Instantiates
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Capture and storage technique
digital storage
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
not applicable
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Content category
spoken word
Content type code
  • spw
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Dimensions
  • not applicable
  • unknown
Edition
Unabridged.
Extent
1 online resource (1 audio file (13 hr., 36 min., 10 sec.))
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Groove width / pitch
not applicable
Isbn
9780593340141
Kind of cutting
not applicable
Kind of disc cylinder or tape
not applicable
Kind of material
unknown
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
483515cf-b088-46b0-a6e4-774c2337aa37
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
sound
Special playback characteristics
digital recording
Specific material designation
  • other
  • remote
Speed
other
System control number
  • (OCoLC)1249700629
  • (OCoLC)on1249700629
Tape configuration
not applicable
Tape width
not applicable
Label
Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night, Julian Sancton
Link
Publication
Antecedent source
unknown
Capture and storage technique
digital storage
Carrier category
online resource
Carrier category code
  • cr
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Color
not applicable
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Content category
spoken word
Content type code
  • spw
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Dimensions
  • not applicable
  • unknown
Edition
Unabridged.
Extent
1 online resource (1 audio file (13 hr., 36 min., 10 sec.))
File format
unknown
Form of item
online
Groove width / pitch
not applicable
Isbn
9780593340141
Kind of cutting
not applicable
Kind of disc cylinder or tape
not applicable
Kind of material
unknown
Level of compression
unknown
Media category
computer
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • c
http://library.link/vocab/ext/overdrive/overdriveId
483515cf-b088-46b0-a6e4-774c2337aa37
Quality assurance targets
not applicable
Reformatting quality
unknown
Sound
sound
Special playback characteristics
digital recording
Specific material designation
  • other
  • remote
Speed
other
System control number
  • (OCoLC)1249700629
  • (OCoLC)on1249700629
Tape configuration
not applicable
Tape width
not applicable

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