Race for the South Pole ─ The Expedition Diaries of Scott and Amundsen

In 1910, British explorer Robert Scott and Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen competed to arrive at the South Pole first. This book juxtaposes Scott and Amundsen's journal entries day by day, along with the journal entries of ski champion Olav Bjaaland, one of Amundsen's companions on the expedition. Bjaaland's journals are published here in English for the first time. The book restores the many small but misleading cuts that were edited from Scott's published journals. Amundsen's journals have been newly translated. An extensive introduction gives background on the men and their conflicting attitudes towards the expedition and towards each other, as well as details on the expeditions, the equipment, and the ships. The book includes an epilogue, a glossary, and 30 b&w historical photos, plus contemporary maps charting the routes of the expeditions. Huntford has written other books on polar expeditions. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Roland Huntford is the world's foremost authority on the polar expeditions and their protagonists. He is the author of the award-winning Two Planks and a Passion: the Dramatic History of Skiing and Scott and Amundsen: Last Place on Earth and he is the biographer of Shackleton and Nansen. He was the Scandinavian correspondent on The Observer for many years.