In the Land of White Death
3 journalers for this copy...
I got this fair-condition hardcover from Savers; it's an Arctic-survival account that I only discovered fairly recently. It was written by Valerian Albanov in 1917 but only published in English in 2000. He was one of two survivors of a 1912 expedition to the Arctic, the Brusilov expedition - which, I was surprised to learn, came back into the news in 2010, when some items from the long-lost expedition were found on Franz Joseph Land. (The recent news of the discovery of the HMS Erebus, one of the long-lost Franklin Expedition ships in the Canadian Arctic, inspired me to hunt up more polar-exploration books.)
As with so many polar expeditions, the crew encountered conditions beyond anything they'd planned for, and while they coped pretty well for some time, eventually the stress (psychological as well as physical) began to overwhelm them. This resulted in Albanov requesting to be allowed to leave the ship with 13 others to try to find a way over the icy seas to get help; eventually he and one other crewman were rescued - the only members of the crew to survive.
I was surprised to learn that there was a Russian woman among the crew, acting as nurse; while some Arctic expeditions relied on Inuit guides, including some women, this was the first female Arctic explorer I'd read of who was not native to the region. Her exact fate, though, along with that of the rest of the crew, is unknown...
The book's a very readable account of a difficult and dangerous Arctic trek, and a fight for survival, with actions both heroic and desperate. Fascinating!
As with so many polar expeditions, the crew encountered conditions beyond anything they'd planned for, and while they coped pretty well for some time, eventually the stress (psychological as well as physical) began to overwhelm them. This resulted in Albanov requesting to be allowed to leave the ship with 13 others to try to find a way over the icy seas to get help; eventually he and one other crewman were rescued - the only members of the crew to survive.
I was surprised to learn that there was a Russian woman among the crew, acting as nurse; while some Arctic expeditions relied on Inuit guides, including some women, this was the first female Arctic explorer I'd read of who was not native to the region. Her exact fate, though, along with that of the rest of the crew, is unknown...
The book's a very readable account of a difficult and dangerous Arctic trek, and a fight for survival, with actions both heroic and desperate. Fascinating!
I'm taking this to BCer Iddylu at our mini-meet. Enjoy!
Thank you! Putting this on reserve to take on an upcoming trip.
Journal Entry 4 by Iddylu at See release notes for details in Kangerlussuaq, Qeqqata Greenland on Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Released 4 yrs ago (8/23/2019 UTC) at See release notes for details in Kangerlussuaq, Qeqqata Greenland
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I plan to leave this book somewhere in Kangerlussuaq! Of course, I'm not there yet, but I won't have internet when I am there so I'm making my release notes ahead of time. Once I'm home, I'll add more details about the release location and a picture.
---
Left on a picnic table not far from the airport.
---
Left on a picnic table not far from the airport.
Journal Entry 5 by AnonymousFinder at Kangerlussuaq, -- Airports & Planes -- Greenland on Friday, August 23, 2019
I found it in Kangerlussuaq on a bench near the airport. Thanks for sharing, I will read it on my way back to Germany - probably I will leave it in Kopenhagen or Hamburg 😉