The Voyage of the Discovery

At the outset of the twentieth century, Antarctica was scarcely explored or understood. Penetrating the pack ice in the purpose-built Discovery, the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–4) established a base in McMurdo Sound, enabling scientists and sledging parties to significantly push back the boundaries of the unknown. Published in 1905, this acclaimed two-volume work by the naval officer and expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott (1868–1912) recounts the trials, errors and achievements of an undertaking which laid the foundations for future research and Scott's later journey to the South Pole. The work is greatly enhanced by many photographs as well as illustrations by the doctor, zoologist and artist Edward A. Wilson (1872–1912). Volume 1 traces the expedition's preparatory phases and the voyage from England to Antarctica via New Zealand. Scott discusses the location of winter quarters and the first polar winter. Chapters on sledging conclude the volume.