This book captures the essence of the human spirit against the backdrop of the globe s most hostile natural environments. It is a visual account of some of Copeland s seminal polar crossings on the Arctic sea ice, Greenland, and Antarctica, where humans are dwarfed by superlative conditions. It chronicles the toil, the tools, and the scale. But mostly, it is an invitation to the voyage. Exploration is what we do when we are born, Copeland says. It is society that dulls that curiosity. In the process of documenting this book, Copeland was beaten by gales; blinded for days by total whiteouts; lost parts of his toes to frost; broke ribs; survived hurricane-strength storms at sea; scuba-dived under icebergs and everything in between. The frigid temperatures are a challenge for everything, particularly the equipment. With nothing but sky and frozen matter for months, the visual monotony could seem underwhelming. On the contrary, says Copeland, no two days have looked alike. The physical challenge of the ice is the rite of passage into a world of adventure on a scale that is unmatched anywhere. Polar Explorations takes the reader along for the ride. It tinkers with the gear, shares the tug of the heavy sledge, and teases the spirit as it pull toward the wide-open space of an otherworldly earth. It is a visually arresting ode to that most fundamental human pursuit and its history. It is an open door to dream.

'An epic of survival' -- MICHAEL PALIN 'A "grade-A classic"' -- SUNDAY TIMES 'Utterly enthralling' -- GEOFF DYER, GUARDIAN 'Deeply engrossing' -- NEW YORK TIMES LISTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SUNDAY TIMES 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 August 1897: The Belgica set sail, eager to become the first scientific expedition to reach the white wilderness of the South Pole. But the ship soon became stuck fast in the ice of the Bellinghausen sea, condemning the ship's crew to overwintering in Antarctica and months of endless polar night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness, their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats teeming in the hold, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure gone horribly awry. As the crew teetered on the brink, the Captain increasingly relied on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity - Dr. Frederick Cook, the wild American whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, who later raced Captain Scott to the South Pole. Together, Cook and Amundsen would plan a last-ditch, desperate escape from the ice-one that would either etch their names into history or doom them to a terrible fate in the frozen ocean. Drawing on first-hand crew diaries and journals, and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, the result is equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror. This is an unforgettable journey into the deep.