Antarctic Days

Sketches of the Homely Side of Polar Life by Two of Shackleton’s Men

By James Murray and George Marston

Signed by James Murray, George Marston and Ernest Shackleton

Illustrated by the authors and introduced by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Andrew Melrose, London, 1913. First Edition, Deluxe Issue with Publisher’s Dust Jacket, 4to, [xxi], 199pp. Publisher’s blue pictorial cloth featuring mounted image of iceberg ruled in gilt, bright gilt lettering on spine and cover, top edges gilt, 4 mounted coloured plates, 37 illustrations on 29 mono plates, 12 full-page drawings; 2 smaller b/w drawings in text. Signed by James Murray, George Marston and by Sir Ernest Shackleton.

— Renard 1121; Spence 830; Taurus 61; Rosove 236.A1.a.1

A unusually well preserved copy in Near Fine condition with Near Fine dust jacket lettered in gilt. A very clean copy with no foxing, folds or tears, and no prior ownership markings. Limited to 280 copies with this being copy #14 of 280. Copies with the dust jacket are especially hard to find. Rosove identifies two states of the dust-wrapper, this copy being an example of Rosove’s first state.

“…, a fine complement to the two giants of the Antarctic Bibliography also emanating from Shackleton’s 1907-09 expedition, Aurora Australis and The Heart of the Antarctic, and one of the most sought-after Antarctic titles” (Rosove). “Written with a good deal of jocularity, it gives us a feeling for the personal side of Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition”.