A late 20th century fictional biography of the 19th century polar explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847), whose disappearance in the Canadian Arctic prompted an unheralded -- and unsuccessful -- search and rescue. Sir John, once the governor of Tasmania, was the subject of a S&R thanks to the tireless agitation on his behalf by his wife, the Lady Jane. A reprint of the excellent Freedman translation, originally published to much acclaim in German in 1987.  (ARC59, $16.95)