Antarctic, Arctic, Polar

The Cruise of the “Cachalot” Round the World after Sperm Whales – Frank Bullen – 1899

Published by Smith and Elder, a second edition, London 1899 in the more upmarket binding with the striking gilt whale to the front board.

Large octavo, 380 pages with 7 pages of plates and a folding map.

Bullen, a homeless waif, went so sea at twelve years old. After six years he landed at New Bedford, Massachusetts where he secured a berth on the “Cachalot” a whaler that would be his home for the next three years. A ripping yarn of fact and fiction actually based on the authors experiences on the “Splendid” of New Bedford in whaling grounds off “the Solanders, Vau Vau and the Australian Gulf”.

Admired by Rudyard Kipling as the best Whaling Narrative.

Best Whaling Story according to Kipling

$140.00

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The Great White South or, With Scott in the Antarctic – Herbert G. Ponting

Subtitle … Being and account of Experiences with Captain Scott’s South Pole Expedition and of the Nature life of the Antarctic.

Herbert Ponting’s highly regarded and popular contribution to the heroic era library. A tenth edition 1930 having been first published in 1921 and it continued to be popular for many years to come.

Published by Duckworth , London. Octavo, 305 pages plus In Memoriam, with an introduction by Kathleen Scott which has numerous references to Scott’s diary where he praises Ponting’s abilities and contribution. Blue covers marked and pages carry some foxing, gift inscription on ffep. Altogether and acceptable copy and we feel nicely priced for the edition.

Of course this book is about the fateful Tera Nova expedition so its not without sadness at the end. The narrative as a whole is well written and a different perspective. The images sublime making the narrative come to life in a manner that could not be done otherwise.

Ponting essential Antarctic and photography.

$30.00

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Triumph and Tribulation – H.W. (Bill) Tilman

Published by the Nautical Press a first edition 1977. Octavo, 153 pages, nicely illustrated and with charts.

Tilman heading north to the icy waters of Spitzbergen. He managed to sail right around the island of Vestspitzbergen coming within 600 miles of the North Pole. Then off to Greenland and Disko Bay. An extraordinary adventure well documented.

The author H.W. (Bill) Tilman (1898-1977) war hero, mountaineer and sailor extraordinaire. Major Tilman first served in the Royal Artillery on the Western Front gaining the Military Cross. Between the wars he grew coffee in East Africa and road bicycle 3,000 miles across Africa, climbed Kilimanjaro and the Mountains of the Moon. He turned to mountain climbing and more than once teamed up with Eric Shipton. In 1936 he conquered Nanda Devi which at that time was the highest mountain climbed. In WWII he re-joined the Royal Artillery in North Africa and the Middle East. He parachuted into Albania and worked by the resistance. Afterwards he was given a diplomatic position in Burma where he returned to climbing. On return to the UK with age coming on he took to sailing as a means of reaching unclimbed mountains. At the age of 80 he crewed on an expedition to climb in the Antarctic and lost his life at sea in the South Atlantic. The expedition vessel, a converted tug, leaving Rio but never making it to the Falkland Islands.

Tilman out in the cold again! Superb sailing in dangerous waters

$30.00

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Ice With Everything – H.W. (Bill) Tilman – First Edition 1974

Published by the Nautical Publishing Company, Lymington, Hampshire a first edition 1974. Octavo, 142 pages with good illustrations, charts and endpaper maps. Interesting Appendix … “the Author’s Boats and Voyages”. Very good if not fine condition

The record of three related voyages by hero and adventurer Bill Tilman. His ambition to make it into Scoresby Sound the world largest fjord on the east coast of Greenland. The fjord is bounded by Greenland’s highest mountain. He didn’t quite make it … but what was achieved was remarkable.

The author H.W. (Bill) Tilman (1898-1977) war hero, mountaineer and sailor extraordinaire. Major Tilman first served in the Royal Artillery on the Western Front gaining the Military Cross. Between the wars he grew coffee in East Africa and road bicycle 3,000 miles across Africa, climbed Kilimanjaro and the Mountains of the Moon. He turned to mountain climbing and more than once teamed up with Eric Shipton. In 1936 he conquered Nanda Devi which at that time was the highest mountain climbed. In WWII he re-joined the Royal Artillery in North Africa and the Middle East. He parachuted into Albania and worked by the resistance. Afterwards he was given a diplomatic position in Burma where he returned to climbing. On return to the UK with age coming on he took to sailing as a means of reaching unclimbed mountains. At the age of 80 he crewed on an expedition to climb in the Antarctic and lost his life at sea in the South Atlantic. The expedition vessel, a converted tug, leaving Rio but never making it to the Falkland Islands.

Tilman what an adventure what a life!

$30.00

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Shackleton – His Antarctic Writings – Ralling – First edition 1983

Octavo, first edition 264 pages with endpaper maps and illustrations. A fine like new copy.

The editor Christopher Ralling wrote the script for the BBC series on the great man … as a result they published this superb book. With pertinent extracts from The Heart of the Antarctic and South and magnificently illustrated this makes a a special companion book for the Polar collector.

Shackleton well put together

$30.00

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Antarctica – The NZ Party of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition – Helm and Miller – First Edition 1964

Published by the NZ Government in 1964 a first edition. Large octavo, 435 pages with numerous illustrations from photographs, charts and maps. A very good copy.

It was not until 1958 that the Antarctic was successfully crossed from one side to the other led by British explorer Vivian Fuchs. Edmund Hillary led the NZ contingent and this book is a handsome record of that contribution.

An essential Polar account

$50.00

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The Cruise of the “Cachalot” Round the World after Sperm Whales – Frank Bullen – 1899

The Great White South or, With Scott in the Antarctic – Herbert G. Ponting

Triumph and Tribulation – H.W. (Bill) Tilman

Ice With Everything – H.W. (Bill) Tilman – First Edition 1974

Shackleton – His Antarctic Writings – Ralling – First edition 1983

Antarctica – The NZ Party of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition – Helm and Miller – First Edition 1964

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