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Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXANT120. Buy these 5 items as a set for $110 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Antarctica, A Guide to the Wildlife

Antarctica, A Guide to the Wildlife

by Tony Soper | Dafila Scott

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Designed for the field, this compact handbook features all the species of birds, seals and whales the traveler is likely to encounter on an Antarctic voyage, each with a few paragraphs, range map and masterful color paintings by the granddaughter of Captain Robert Scott. (ANT30, $25.99)

Before the Heroes Came, Antarctica in the 1890s

Before the Heroes Came, Antarctica in the 1890s

by Tim Baughman

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

This well written account of the pioneering Antarctic encounters stars Carsten Borchgrevnink, who spent the first winter on the continent in 1898 at the hut still standing at Cape Adare, and other early explorers. (ANT105, $16.00)

Antarctica ITMB map

Antarctica ITMB map

by ITMB

  • 2007
  • MAP

A fold-up map of the continent at a scale of 1:8,000,000 with notes on wildlife and geography. (ANT81, $12.95)

Albatross: Their World, Their Ways

Albatross: Their World, Their Ways

by Tui De Roy | Mark Jones | Julian Fitter

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

The culmination of a storied career at sea as roving naturalist-photographers, this remarkable collection of 300 photographs of the ocean wanderers, both at sea and on the nest, is not just beautiful. It's also an authoritative survey of the natural history, status and conservation of the world's Diomedeidae. Anyone who has tried to photograph these magnificent birds in flight will appreciate the art, experience and perseverance of De Roy, Jones and Fitter. (BRD64, $49.95)

North Pole, South Pole

North Pole, South Pole

by Bertrand Imbert

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A shirt pocket encyclopedia of exploration, featuring hundreds of well-chosen maps, historic photographs and journal excerpts. (ANT02, $15.95)

 
Satellite Image Map of Antarctica

Satellite Image Map of Antarctica


by USGS

  • MAP

Created from composite satellite imagery, this silver and blue, full-color photo poster of the Antarctic (40" X 56") is ready for your wall. (ANT82, $14.95)

The Last Place on Earth

The Last Place on Earth


by Masterpiece Theatre

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • DVD

Martin Shaw, the Norwegian actor Sverre Anker Ousdal, Hugh Grant, Max von Sydow and the venerable Bill Nighy co-star in this dramatic recreation of one of the 20th century's greatest adventures, the race to the South Pole. Originally presented as a Masterpeice Theatre mini-series, this three-disc complete boxed set runs 6.5 hours. (ANT90, $39.98)

An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science

An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton, and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science


by Edward Larson

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 326 PAGES

In this fresh new history, made concrete by his own Antarctic travels, Pulitzer Prize-winner Larson places the famed expeditions of Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton and the Heroic Age in the larger context of Edwardian politics and society, showing science to be an integral part of the whole Antarctic enterprise. (ANT337, $28.50)

Cherry, A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard

Cherry, A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard


by Sara Wheeler

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 353 PAGES

Wheeler (Terra Incognita) captures the thrill of Victorian polar exploration -- and the anguish of a man haunted by the death of his colleagues on the march back from the pole. (ANT168, $14.95)

Edge of the World: Ross Island, Antarctica

Edge of the World: Ross Island, Antarctica


by Charles Neider

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 461 PAGES

A memorable account of adventures at Ross Island and the South Pole, including Neider's mishap with a helicopter on Mt. Erebus. With a nice selection of detailed maps and black-and-white photographs. (ANT157, $19.95)

End of the Earth, Voyaging to Antarctica

End of the Earth, Voyaging to Antarctica


by Peter Matthiessen

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 242 PAGES

In this fine book, the result of two voyages, Matthiessen captures the magic of polar landscapes and wildlife, along with the camaraderie of a ship-based polar expedition. (ANT190, $15.00)

Ice Captain: The Life of the Endurance Expedition's Other Hero, Joseph Russell Stenhouse

Ice Captain: The Life of the Endurance Expedition's Other Hero, Joseph Russell Stenhouse


by Stephen Haddelsey

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

The story of Joseph Russell Stenhouse (1887-1941), Captain of the SS Aurora, who freed the ship from the pack ice and rescued the survivors of Shackleton's Ross Sea shore party, deeds for which he was awarded the Polar Medal and the OBE. (ANT286, $46.95)

Innocents in the Dry Valleys, An Account of the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition, 1958-59

Innocents in the Dry Valleys, An Account of the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition, 1958-59


by Colin Bull

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 267 PAGES

Colin Bull (Innocents in the Arctic) recounts the story of the first, shoestring expedition tovthe Dry Valleys in 1958, bringing a dry wit, and a clear appreciation of youthful bravado, to accounts of adverse conditions, recurrent dangers, funding snafus, and bureaucratic meddling. (ANT318, $25.00)

Lost Men, The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Expedition

Lost Men, The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Expedition


by Kelly Tyler-Lewis

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 416 PAGES

The dramatic tale of Shackleton's support team, stranded at Cape Evans when their ship the Aurora was set adrift in a gale. Tyler-Lewis draws on a rich source of newly discovered journals and diaries, interviews and her own experiences in the Antarctic to bring the story to life. (ANT225, $15.00)

Mountains of Madness, A Scientists's Odyssey in Antarctica

Mountains of Madness, A Scientists's Odyssey in Antarctica


by John Long | Tim Bowden

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 250 PAGES

A lively account of two fossil hunting expeditions in Antarctica. (ANT143, $24.95)

Race to the End: Amundsen, Scott and the Attainment of the South Pole

Race to the End: Amundsen, Scott and the Attainment of the South Pole


by Ross MacPhee

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 245 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Curator of the riveting exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, MacPhee includes panoramic maps, never-before-seen photographs of artifacts from Scott's last camp, iconic photographs by Ponting and Hurley, and contemporary accounts of the two celebrated expeditions in this month-by-month and day-by-day look at the two iconic expeditions. (ANT322, $27.95)

Slicing the Silence, Voyaging to Antarctica

Slicing the Silence, Voyaging to Antarctica


by Tom Griffiths

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

Griffiths, a humanities fellow with the Australian Antarctic Division, weaves anecdote, profile, history, science and adventure into a rich, illuminating portrait of Antarctica. (ANT261, $20.00)

Terra Incognita, Travels in Antarctica

Terra Incognita, Travels in Antarctica


by Sara Wheeler

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

A fine portrait of modern Antarctic scientists (and cooks and truck drivers), Wheeler's book weaves stories of modern adventure with commentary on the heroic age of exploration. A thoroughly enjoyable, anecdotal tribute. (ANT45, $15.00)

The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton, and Antarctic Photography

The Heart of the Great Alone: Scott, Shackleton, and Antarctic Photography


by David Hempleman-Adams | Emma Stuart | Sophie Gordon

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES
  • NEW

One hundred years ago, during the reign of King George V, it's hard to imagine the stir surrounding these two great expeditions, caused in part by these captivating and haunting images, presented here along with essays, maps, paintings and other ephemera from the Royal Collection. Polar explorer David Hempleman-Adams provides the evocative captions, giving depth and context. (ANT298, $47.50)

The Ice, A Journey to Antarctica

The Ice, A Journey to Antarctica


by Stephen J. Pyne

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 428 PAGES

An exhilarating, philosophical meditation on ice, this exhilarating book encompasses the history of exploration, geophysics of the ice, and the symbolic meaning of the White Continent in art and literature. (ANT41, $22.50)

The Last Place on Earth, Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole

The Last Place on Earth, Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole


by Roland Huntford

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 576 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Igniting huge controversy when it first appeared, Huntford's rousing dual biography contrasts Amundsen's well-planned campaign to achieve the Pole with Scott's ill-fated quest. (ANT100, $15.95)

The Race to the White Continent, Voyages to the Antarctic

The Race to the White Continent, Voyages to the Antarctic


by Alan Gurney

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

Gurney captures the fanfare, ego and discovery of 19th-century polar exploration in this compelling narrative of the 1837-1842 Antarctic voyages of Dumont d'Urville, James Clark Ross and Charles Wilkes. (ANT136, $15.95)

The Worst Journey in the World

The Worst Journey in the World


by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 573 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

Cherry-Garrard's epic midwinter jaunt to an emperor penguin rookery is just a warm-up for the main event: Scott's doomed last expedition. (ANT23, $18.00)

At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales

At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales


by H.P. Lovecraft

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 186 PAGES

Strange and scary tales by the master of Gothic fiction, which concern -- among other things -- undiscovered mountains and odd happenings on the Antarctic plateau. (ANT174, $15.00)

In Cold Pursuit

In Cold Pursuit


by Sarah Andrews

  • MYSTERY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

This suspenseful tale of murder, mayhem and glaciology unfolds against a splendidly depicted backdrop of Antarctica and life at McMurdo. (ANT290, $6.99)

Glacier Ice

Glacier Ice


by Austin Post | Edward R. LaChapelle

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 145 PAGES

A classic book of extraordinary black-and-white aerial photographs of mountains and glaciers by two devoted men of ice. Ed LaChapelle's text is paired with Austin Post's stunning aerial photographs of glaciers from Alaska and Chile to Switzerland, the Himalayas and other parts of the world. (SCI07, $27.95)

Penguins

Penguins


by Lloyd Spencer David | Martin Renner

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • HARD COVER
  • 232 PAGES

A concise, comprehensive overview of the penguins, their evolution, ecology and behavior. (ANT207, $45.00)

Penguins of the World

Penguins of the World


by Wayne Lynch

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

Lynch weaves delightful tales of penguins, their habitats and habits, with hundreds of glorious full-color photographs. (ANT62, $24.95)

Subantarctic Wilderness, Macquarie Island

Subantarctic Wilderness, Macquarie Island


by Aleks Terauds

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

The geology, botany, history and abundant wildlife of this Sub-Antarctic outpost are covered in detail in this illustrated portrait. With 144 color photographs. (ANT313, $39.95)

The Entire Earth and Sky, Views on Antarctica

The Entire Earth and Sky, Views on Antarctica


by Leslie Carol Roberts

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 282 PAGES

Roberts pieces together tales of 19th-century exploration, interviews with scientists, journal excerpts and her own observations and experiences in Antarctica over the last 20 years in these sweet and sparkling essays. (ANT272, $24.95)

Wondrous Cold, An Antarctic Journey

Wondrous Cold, An Antarctic Journey


by Joan Myers

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

The companion book to the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, featuring 150 color and black-and-white photographs of the landscapes, people and wildlife of Antarctica. (ANT239, $35.00)

Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World

Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World


by Paul Schofield

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This compact guide to those confounding tubenoses features 46 exquisite color plates by Derek Onley. (BRD50, $29.95)

Birds & Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantarctic & Falkland Islands

Birds & Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantarctic & Falkland Islands


by Frank Todd

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 138 PAGES
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

Compact and comprehensive, this indispensable photo guide by Mr. Penguin himself includes all the hard-to-identify seabirds of Antarctic waters. (ANT213, $29.95)

Smithsonian Handbook: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

Smithsonian Handbook: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises


by Mark Carwardine

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy guidebook colorfully describes the world's cetaceans with numerous illustrations, range maps, fluke drawings and a few paragraphs on each species. (FG02, $20.00)

The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife

The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife


by Hadoram Shirihai | Brett Jarrett

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 544 PAGES

This splendidly illustrated handbook features color plates of all the birds and marine mammals occurring south of 40 degrees. With 900 color photographs, range maps and notes on visitor sites, weather conditions and conservation. (ANT178, $55.00)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.