Bibliograph

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

Type

Label

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

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Madhouse at the end of the earth

Oclc number

1263625934

Responsibility statement

Julian Sancton

Sub title

the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night

Summary

The harrowing, survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly wrong, with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. The Belgica set sail from Europe on a sunny day in August 1897, intent upon becoming the first scientific expedition ever to reach the South Pole. But after setbacks slowed its progress, ice closed in and ensnared the ship. Temperatures plummeted, winds howled, perpetual darkness fell. The crew were to make history for a different reason - they were to be the first adventurers to face the brutal Antarctic winter, completely cut off from the world. What began as an audacious scientific mission morphed into an epic struggle for survival. As the men battled blizzards, hunger, depression, rats and scurvy, some became inconsolable, some mad, while others were consumed by infections that turned them into living corpses. It was down to the strongest characters to step up - namely the wild surgeon Dr Frederik Cook and the first mate, a young Norwegian adventurer by the name of Roald Amundsen

Target audience

adult

Classification

Creator