Farthest North, Volume 1

Description

Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen recounts the story of the record-breaking expedition undertaken by the author and his team to the North Pole. Nansen was a Norwegian scientist, explorer, athlete, diplomat and writer who became internationally recognized after his three-year long expedition to the top of the world – an expedition that he set off on using a special ship and that reached a record latitude.

The idea that prompted Nansen to organize the expedition was to use the drift of the ice to reach the pole. According to his theory, previous expeditions to the Pole failed because they tried to make their way against the icy currents, so the best way to get to the Northern-most point of Earth was to approach the pole from a different angle and work with the currents, rather than against them.

To be able to undertake such a venture, Nansen needed a special vehicle that was large enough to carry twelve men and supplies that could last for five years, structured in a special way that allowed it to be frozen into the slowly moving ice and could withstand the tremendous pressure it became exposed to. Nansen managed to obtain state funds to finance his project and he also managed to convince Colin Archer, Norway’s best naval architect and shipbuilder to start working on the design of the ship. The ship named Framwas launched in 1892 and the expedition left in June, 1893.

Farthest North is Nansen’s personal account of the expedition. The book was first published in 1897 and it was an instant success, bringing the author international acclaim and providing a stirring, exciting, entertaining, detailed and informative read not only for those interested in the history of modern natural science, but also for readers who would like to find out about strong people, able to push the boundaries of human performance to the extreme limits.
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