Scott's Last Expedition

Details

In November 1910 Robert Falcon Scott set off from New Zealand on the greatest quest of the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration – to reach the South Pole in Antarctica, the most remote, forbidding place on Earth.

The Terra Nova expedition was to become one of the most famous tales of heroic adventure from any age, with success and achievement overshadowed by failure and tragedy.

Scott's Last Expedition is published to tie in with a major new exhibition on Captain Robert Scott and the Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole, opening at the Museum in January 2012.

As well as the well-known South Pole trek itself, diary extracts and engaging stories show what daily life was like for Scott and his crew, what food they ate, where they slept, what equipment they used and the scientific work that was undertaken. 

Stunning photographs taken during the expedition and images of original artefacts from Scott’s base camp illuminate this epic story.

The book also explores:

• the nature and geography of Antarctica
• the extensive planning and fundraising for the Terra Nova expedition
• the harsh living conditions and the scientific experiments undertaken
• the 'race to the pole' against rival Roald Amundsen
• the death of Scott and his crew and the world's reaction to it
• the scientific research and important conservation work carried out in Antarctica today.

See inside

Look inside this book to get an idea of its content.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Pages from Scott's Last Expedition.

Author

Steve Parker is an author, editor and consultant specializing in the natural world, biology, technology and general sciences. 

He has written more than 250 books and has worked on the staff at the Natural History Museum. Steve is a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London.

The Scott exhibition

2010 to 2013 is the centenary of Captain Scott's Terra Nova expedition to Antarctica. A major new exhibition opening at the Natural History Museum in spring 2012 profiles Scott and his expedition party and explores the scientific contribution it made to the understanding of Antarctica. 

Published to accompany the exhibition, Scott's Last Expedition tells the story of this historic and momentous expedition, the characters who were a part of it and their incredible feats of endurance.

Anniversaries

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the attainment of the South Pole. Here are some of the key dates and anniversaries coming up this year and next.

• 14th December 2011
  100th anniversary of Amundsen reaching the South Pole.
• 17th January 2012
  100th anniversary of Scott reaching the Pole — 33 days after Amundsen.
• March 2012
  100th anniversary of the death of Scott and his crew.