By Captain John King Davis

Melbourne University Press, 1962, 1st Edition. 8vo, [xvi] 292pp. Appendix, Indexed, forward by Raymond Priestley. 6 maps — 4 are full page, 26 bw photographic illustrations.. Original green cloth with bright silver lettering on spine showing no wear. In Near Fine condition. Internally with no foxing, folds, tears or prior ownership markings. Dustjacket is unclipped and in Near Fine condition with no fading. An unusually bright and clean copy.

—Spence 355; Taurus 141; Rosove 88.A1.

Davis was captain on five major Antarctic expeditions, so this writing adds valuable insights and information regarding the heroic age of exploration in Antarctica. “Published when Davis was 78 years old, this book contains Davis’s first hand experiences and impressions aboard the Nimrod during Shackleton’s1907-09 expedition, the Aurora during Mawson’s1911-1914 expedition, and again on the Aurora during the relief of Shackleton’s Ross Sea shore party of 1916-17, as well as new information bearing on the development and aftermaths of the voyages. Davis’s account of the Mawson expedition is far more stimulating than his formal account, With the “Aurora” in the Antarctic”. Rosove p.98.

A well written and engaging book on the subject of Antarctic Exploration during the Heroic era. The quality of the writing speaks much for Davis’s extensive first person experience and is possibly a result of the fact that the book was written after much time and upon reflection.