On the Polar Star in the Arctic Sea

A 1903 account of the 1899–1900 Italian/Norwegian expedition, led by Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, towards the North Pole.

Luigi Amedeo di Savoia (Author), William Le Queux (Translated by)

9781108072199, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 May 2014

396 pages, 173 b/w illus. 1 map
24.5 x 16.9 x 1.9 cm, 0.65 kg

Prince Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, a grandson of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy, was well known as a mountaineer and traveller when, in 1899, he organised an expedition to the Arctic, obtaining a steam whaling ship in Oslo which he renamed the Stella Polare. His ambition was to reach the highest possible latitude (and possibly the North Pole itself) by careful logistical arrangements, wintering on the ice in Franz Josef Land and using dog-sledges to travel further north. He also intended a scientific survey of the area in which the team passed the winter. His account of the expedition was published in Italian in 1902 and this two-volume English translation by William Le Queux (better known as the author of sensationalist spy and crime novels) appeared in 1903. Volume 1 recounts the genesis and progress of the expedition, including the crew's efforts to free the ice-bound ship using explosives.

Introduction
Translator's note
Part I. Report of H.R.H. the Duke of the Abruzzi: Dedication
Introduction
1. Plan of the expedition
2. Preparation and departure of the expedition
3. In Barentz Sea and Queen Victoria Sea
4. In Barentz Sea and Queen Victoria Sea (cont.)
5. Prince Rudolph Island
6. We abandon the ship
7. The last days of light
8. The polar night and the feasts of Christmas and the New Year
9. The polar night and the preparations for our departure
10. Departure of the expedition towards the pole
11. Long and painful expectation of the return of the first detachment
12. Return of Dr Cavalli and Commander Cagni
13. Captain Cagni breaks the polar record
14. A polar summer
15. The ship is set free
16. Our return to Cape Flora
Index.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]