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1954 The White Desert by John Giaever 1st Edition Antarctic Exploration Book

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Condition: Very good

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1954 The White Desert by John Giaever 1st Edition Antarctic Exploration Book

The White Desert - The Official Account Of The Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition.
By John Giaever
Published by Chatto & Windus: London 1954 1st Edition

" The White Desert is the dramatic and authoritative account of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1949-52), the first large-scale international scientific mission ever conducted in Antarctica. John Giaever, selected to lead the combined party and gifted with a wry, engaging narrative voice, recounts two years spent at the remote base of Maudheim, where fifteen men from three nations lived in wooden huts half-buried in drifting snow upon the edge of a floating ice shelf. Through his vivid storytelling, readers experience the daily routines, camaraderie, monotony, and physical extremes of a polar winter in which the sun disappeared for months.

Giaever's account provides a unique blend of humour, hardship, and scientific purpose—describing the management of dog teams, mastering of each other's languages, and the constant battle with snow, wind, and isolation. The book details the team's meteorological work, seismic soundings, geological investigations, and long inland journeys across uncharted ice fields, while also recording moments of genuine peril: the drowning of three men in a fjord, a survivor clinging to an ice floe for thirteen hours, and emergency surgery performed in primitive conditions to save a colleague's eye. Supplementary chapters by other expedition members expand the perspective, covering air operations, glaciology, and interior exploration.

More than simply an adventure narrative, The White Desert is an important historical document capturing the early era of Antarctic science and the spirit of peaceful international cooperation in the years following World War II. Its blend of scientific detail, human resilience, and firsthand observation offers an invaluable window into the challenges of working in Earth's most hostile environment. This first edition will especially appeal to collectors of polar exploration, mid-20th-century expedition accounts, international scientific history, and Antarctic studies. "

General wear, staining and chipping to dust jacket as shown. Covers and spine in good order. No inscription. Pages typically clean, crisp and bright with the odd age mark. A decent copy aside from dust jacket staining in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.

Size 24cm x 16cm x 3cm - 304 Pages

PRODUCT DETAILS


Condition: Very good
Binding: Cloth
Special Attributes: ["1st Edition", "Dust Jacket", "Illustrated"]
Region: Australia, Oceania
Subject: Exploration & Travel
Original/Facsimile: Original
Seller Notes: General wear, staining and chipping to dust jacket as shown. Covers and spine in good order. No inscription. Pages typically clean, crisp and bright with the odd age mark. A decent copy aside from dust jacket staining in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Language: English
Author: John Giaever
Publisher: Chatto & Windus: London
Year Printed: 1954
Sub-subject: Antarctic Exploration