Reviews

To accompany his American Museum of Natural History (AMNH exhibit, Race to the end of the Earth, open May 29 through January 2, 2011, MacPhee (curator, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, AMNH; Primates and Their Relatives in Phylogenetic Perspective) presents Robert Falcon Scott (for the UK) and Norwegian Roald Amundsen's act to claim first arrival at the South Pole for his nation. Each explorer's story has been told often before, dissected, and minutely examined owing to the tragedy that befell Scott and his crew on their return trip from the Pole, which Amundsen had reached first. What makes this volume special are the scores of pictures that bring both Scott's and Amundsen's stories to life, including heretofore unseen images of Scott's last camp, an important contribution to polar literature, as well as excellent reproduction of diaries, the British Antarctic Expedition's newspaper, the South Polar Times, and images of all the important individuals whose fate is inextricably tied to this quest. Race also includes fabulous panoramas taken from a February 22, 1913, edition of The Sphere, which commemorated Scott's expedition. Gatefolds showing the two expedition routes to the pole are included. VERDICT: Such a cool book; the juxtaposition of these two polar expeditions in photographic detail makes Race a welcome addition to Antarctic literature and a must for adventure, polar, and exploration collections. Highly recommended. -- Library Journal