In The Land of the Penguins. An Account of the Voyage of the Belgica

The Erskine Press, 2020. 2020 First Edition. hardcover. xxiii, 310pp, 90 illusts, hardback, New in dustwrapper, with separate pocket housing five maps, 20pp brochure and five postcards of the expedition.. Over 120 years ago a Belgian expedition set sail for the Antarctic. Under the command of Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery it was the first expedition of a purely scientific nature and it provided a wealth of information along with the first pictures ever taken on the ice. Though the explorers did not reach the Pole they were the first to overwinter in the Antarctic. On board the ship were Roald Amundsen, the future conqueror of the South Pole and Dr Frederick Cook, who had already explored much of the Arctic with Commander Robert Peary and who later claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole. Georges Lecointe was appointed first officer, and therefore was second in command, on board Belgica. He was also responsible for hydrography , depth-soundings and charting. This was a multi-national expedition – Belgian, Norwegian, Polish, an American doctor and a Romanian zoologist. With such a diverse crew and almost a year stuck in the ice there were problems aplenty but all ended well largely due to four men, Amundsen, Cook, Lecointe and de Gerlache himself. Lecointe’s book is perhaps the most readable of all accounts of the voyage of the Belgica and this is the first complete English translation of his 1904 book. An abridged translation was published in 1904 but is extremely scarce.. Glacier Books are experienced and professional booksellers. We take pride in offering carefully described books and excellent customer service.