John Franklin: A Brief Biography

"...the best life of Franklin yet produced...(a) wonderfully engaging book." Arctic Book Review

Sir John Franklin was many things in his life: an officer in the great naval battles of Copenhagen and Trafalgar; governor of Van Diemen's land; an explorer from Australia to the Arctic, but it is for his mysterious death and the deaths of his 128 crew that he is remembered today. The mystery of the disappearance of the Franklin Expedition to the Northwest Passage has captivated thousands in the 174 years since his men buried Franklin in an unknown grave in the frozen land that kept calling him back. For most of that time only a handful of graves, scattered bones, fragments of debris and Inuit stories have fuelled the speculation as to what killed them all. Now, the wrecks of both of Franklin's ships have been found, preserved in the frigid waters off King William Island, and may contain answers that have been sought for generations. This is the story of the man whose name will forever be associated with the greatest tragedy in Arctic exploration history.

An "...excellent overview, the reader is left with an appreciation of the enormous task early exploration of the Arctic represented...a first rate story. Highly Recommended." CM Magazine