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

This book works at several levels. First, it is a thrilling adventure story. Second, it is a wonderful management study in planning, goal setting and organization. Third, it is a classic debunker, undermining the aura (at least in the English speaking world) surrounding Robert Scott and his tragic assault on the South Pole. Scott and Roald Amundsen engaged in a great struggle to reach "The last place on earth," the South Pole. Each had been to polar regions before, each had become national and even international celebrities due to their trekking. Each was aware of the other party's presence on the Antarctic Continent during the same months of 1911-1912 as they raced to be the first men to stand at the bottom of the world. Scott and Amundsen were two different breeds. Scott was a helpless romantic. Even after bitter experience and near tragedy in previous expeditions, he refused to learn from Eskimos, Norwegians or others who were battling around the turn of the century to achieve various cold weather firsts (first to the north pole, first to traverse the Northwest Passage -- which went to Amundsen -- first to cross Greenland, etc.) Thus, Scott relied on British pluck and manliness instead of skis, dogs, deer and seal suits and a properly suited diet. Amundsen was a consummate student on the other hand. He possessed not only the gift of great vision and the ego necessary to pursue it, but also the humility to know that his trip did not have to feature every facet made anew, but should be the culmination of what others had learned when surviving and moving over the planet's most forbidding environment. Thus, Amundsen took dogs to Antarctica, wore clothing he observed the Eskimos using during his journey through the Northwest Passage, relied on skis for human transportation and dieted in a way observed to prevent scurvy. Amundsen also worked at his project. Starting years before his trek, he organized the people, finances, equipment (much specialty made and field tested in Norway's northern regions) and talked, talked, talked to those whose experiences had something to teach them. Contrast this disciplined approach to organization and logistics with Scott's haphazard throwing together of men, equipment and élan and the outcome of the race is preordained to the reader before it has begun. (the contrast between the two approaches is such a stark lesson on planning and organization that I suspect this book will show up in business school reading lists if it has not already). Amundsen's journey to the South Pole was uneventful compared to Scott. Conditions were harsh, temperatures low, blizzards raged, but the Norwegian's party averaged a workman like 15 or so miles a day with dogs, skis and proper provisions. Scott, on the other hand, was not sure of his starting date, did not map out nor account for food consumed during the trip and relied on man-hauling his sleds the 1400 miles round trip to the Poles and his main camp. With the s

There are many reasons to read this book. For one, it is very well written. It is equally well-researched, and although it talks about events that happened 90 years ago, every modern explorer or wanna-be explorer should read it. Huntford's book "The last Place on Earth" brilliantly reveals the true story of the race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott. In terms of Scott it is a myth-shattering account that tells the time-less story of arrogance, unpreparedness in the face of danger and lack of respect for the forces of nature that ultimately lead to inevitable desaster and failure. And if anybody thinks that this theme is outdated, please read the stories of the recent tragedies on Everest. Huntford analyzes very carefully the fundamentally different approaches that went into the preparation and execution of both expeditions and lead to the so different outcomes: success and safe return for the Norwegians, death and suffering for the British. Huntford finds the roots for Scott's arrogant and at the same time helpless approach in Edwardian society. He also shows us the very different situation that Amundsen was coming from. In spite of the large amount of detail presented, the book reads very, very well, almost like an adventure novel. Huntford has been criticized for his sharp bashing of Scott and his myth, but after reading the details and doing some further research on both expeditions I have to say that it was time that Amundsen got the full respect he deserved and the truth about Scott, the "hero" was told.

To those that felt a hatchet job was done to Robert Falcon Scott by this book, I would have to take issue. Huntford takes a hatchet to the attitudes of Victorian/Edwardian England. He points out that Shackelton (a man Huntford admires) had the self-same faults. Fortunately for Shackelton, he was more of a leader, and certainly cooler under pressure than Scott.I think Huntford is also reacting to the lionization of Scott. For many years, Scott WAS the discoverer of the South Pole to British schoolchildren. The fact that a Norwegian had gotten there first came as something of a shock to Alistair Cooke (certainly an educated man), who hosted the televised version of The Last Place on Earth on Masterpiece Theatre. As Huntford points out, Scott's wife Kathleen and her friend, Sir James Barrie (of Peter Pan fame) had a significant hand in the editing of his diaries, so as to give the impression that Scott was more of an heroic figure.And as for man-hauling being a vindicated technique over dogsled; only when you're being re-supplied by airdrop (something Scott didn't have the luxury of). I have to laugh at the modern explorers who compare their radio-monitored, airplane resupplied, superlightweight modern technology treks as being "in the footsteps of" Nansen, or Shackelton, or Amundsen, or even Scott. Those men were harder than iron.The book smashes through the beautiful language of Scott's diaries, and sees into the dry language of Amundsen's. It is an excellent piece of non-fiction, and an adventure tale, and a great pair of biographies. I highly recommend it.

In brief, the book is a facinating journey in and of itself. It is incredibly detailed and well researched. The richness of texture of the events and peoples lives surrounding antarctic exploration is nearly overwhelming. The writing is surprisingly fluid, and sustains the flow of the story without losing detail. The actual maps contained in the book were somewhat lacking, and left me wanting a bit more. The story, however, is so well told I could litterally feel myself at the pole itself! The story so absorbed my mind that it filled my dreams night after night. The Last Place on Earth, the telling of the story of Scott and Amundsen, is both a sharp study in contrast between to styles of leadership, and a compelling drama of the lives of two men who had the eyes of the world upon them. A fantastic read end to end!Huntford takes some chances at times speculating at the motives of these explorers, as well as some liberty with the thoughts and feelings of the people surrounding the expeditions. The supositions he makes, however, he makes strong arguments for, relying on notations from diaries and letters of key players. With quotes, facts, dates, and some intuition Huntford tells a gripping and convincing tale. I admire Huntford for the way he analyzes the characters: without being manipulative, he gives a forceful accounting of the main players and their motives. On style I feel Huntford was magnificent. With the telling of history stories can often become dull and slow, bogged down in names, dates, and places. Huntfords account is fluid and dynamic, interweaving the personal stories with the plain logistics an accurate accounting demands. If there is one caveat I would add, and this is a small one, it is that at times I got the sense that Huntford had more than a little emnity towards Scott. It would be hard not to learn all that was involved in the journey to the South Pole and not feel some contempt for Scott, but Huntford seems to feel it deeper. I actually wondered at times if he had been a person who had idolized Scott for some time, but then felt betrayed when he learned the truth. This does not, however, detract from the story at all.To me this is as good as reading gets. This is as close as you can get to real life human drama without being there. Not a fantasy, but a powerful reproduction of actual events. A rare opportunity to be touched by the lives of two famous explorers and the men who knew them. A chance to live and die with men who held center stage as the world watched. It really is an opportunity that should not be missed.