THE ANTARCTIC OCEAN. by Owen, Russell - 1941

London: Whittlesey House / McGraw-Hill, 1941. 254 pp, 9 1/4" H. Map endpapers. B&w photographs, maps. "The search for a land greater than the United States and Mexico began centuries ago, but it was not until a little more than a hundred years ago that an American sealer, Nat Palmer, first glimpsed its mainland. After the fanatic fumblings of explorers like Quiros, the discoverer-priest, hard-headed men pushed farther and farther south to learn what lay in the land of mist and snow. Captain Cook sailed around the land without seeing it; Lieut. Charles Wilkes, an American, sailed along its coast for 1,500 miles. Capt. James Clark Ross, the famous Englishman, broke into the silent sea which bears his name and for the first time brought back some knowledge of this great continent, with its high barriers of ice, its lofty mountain ranges and a live volcano, its tremendous beauty. Since then men have been to the South Pole on foot and in airplanes, have lived on ships fast in the ice and on the ice itself. Here are found the names of Scott and Shackleton, of Charcot and Amundsen, of Byrd and Ellsworth. (This) is the story of the almost incredible hardships men overcame because they were driven to rip the veil from one of the most majestic and fabulous regions of the earth." Pencil erasure mark at top of free front endpaper, previous owner's bookplate on verso of free front endpaper, very soft crease down preliminary pages, previous owner's stamp at bottom of page 100 and on one rear page, erased pencilled number on free rear endpaper, light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, light edge wear. Dust jacket has moderate edge wear/creasing, old tape at top/bottom inside edge, light to moderate rubbing/soiling, afew very small chips and tears, light browning, date stamp on inside of rear flap.. Second Printing. Hard Cover. Good/Fair. Illus. by Stephen J. Voorhies, maps..