South. The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917 by SHACKLETON, Ernest - 1919

London: Heinemann, 1919. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. London, Heinemann, 1919 [first edition, first impression]. Royal octavo (255 × 165 mm), [ii] (blank), xxii, 376 pages with 6 sketch maps (one full-page) plus a colour frontispiece with a captioned tissue-guard, a double-page panorama and 86 full-page plates, a large folding map, and an errata slip (tipped in at page 1). Original silver-pictorial dark blue cloth lightly rubbed and bumped at the extremities; front cover lightly marked near the leading edge; endpapers foxed; front inner hinge at the half-title slightly cracked but still firm; acidic paper unevenly discoloured as ever with this first impression; all plates have some degree of top and leading margin discolouration (often mottled) mirroring the acidification evident on the margins of the leaves of text in contact with them; a small patch of discolouration (similar to foxing) appears to be offsetting from the marginal discolouration of the adjacent plate; the folding map has minimal expert restoration to the top and bottom margins, well clear of the printed border, and a short tear near the stub neatly sealed; overall, an excellent copy of this notoriously inferior production. Provenance: from the personal collection of Richard Walter Richards, one of the Ross Sea Shore Party, with his contemporary ownership details on the front flyleaf: 'R W Richards ITAE 1914-17'. The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-17 comprised two teams, the Weddell Sea party in the 'Endurance', and the Ross Sea party in the 'Aurora'. 'An essential aspect of Shackleton's scheme for crossing the Antarctic was that a second and quite separate expedition should establish a base on the Ross Sea to provide support for the transantarctic party and establish forward depots'. Things went horribly wrong for both parties, with the 'Endurance' fragmenting under the pressure of being locked in the ice of the Weddell Sea, resulting in the famous journey of survival that culminated in the epic voyage of the 22-foot boat 'James Caird' to South Georgia Island. Shackleton then learned that the men of the Ross Sea party were stranded on Ross Island, 'Aurora' having been torn from its moorings during a severe storm at the onset of the previous winter and being unable to return. When the relief expedition finally reached them, three members of the party had perished. Shackleton returned 'to England in May 1917 and dictated the text of the popular account of the expedition to Edward Saunders, largely from recollection. Final editing was carried out by Leonard Hussey, with personal accounts by Mackintosh, Stenhouse and others, and the book was finally published in 1919' (Howgego, Volume 3). 'This exploit, which has captured the modern imagination, certainly struck the world differently in 1919; in the aftermath of the First World War feats of extraordinary heroism were thick on the ground, and so Shackleton's truly remarkable tale of survival at the extremes of human endurance largely fell flat. This is emphasised in the book's production: the first issue contained cheap paper prone to severe browning, a poorly crafted binding likely to split at the joints with normal usage and silver printing on the binding subject to oxidizing' ('The Taurus Collection', 2001). The Ross Sea party remained stranded until January 1917, when 'Aurora', which had been repaired and refitted in New Zealand, arrived to rescue them. Public recognition of their efforts was slow in coming, but in due course four Albert Medals were awarded to members of the party, two posthumously. Richard Walter Richards (1893-1985) was one of those awarded the Albert Medal in 1923 for his efforts on the ice to save the lives of two of his comrades; this award was converted in 1971 to the George Cross. He outlived all other members of the expedition, and became the last survivor of the 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration. A contemporary review by Peter Schledermann in the journal 'Arctic' of the 2003 reprint of Richards' personal account, 'The Ross Sea Shore Party, 1914-17' (first published in 1962), is less sanguine: 'The account of the Ross Sea Party remains vastly overshadowed by Shackleton's "Endurance" calamity. The fact that three men, and very nearly the entire party, died while carrying out their part of Shackleton's lofty trans-Antarctic plans may further explain the relative obscurity of this episode, as it somewhat tarnishes the heroic shine of Shackleton's efforts'. At the risk of overstating what we believe to be the obvious significance of this item, this is not merely another polar account signed by the author or one of the party - this is as impressive a copy associated with this expedition as one is likely to find on the open market. Conrad, page 224; Spence 1107; Renard 1460; Taurus 105; Rosove 308.A1.