The South Polar Times
Picked this up via The Guardian today, the Folio Society have reprinted and published a limited edition of the South Polar Times, the newspaper printed by Captain Scott's Antarctic expeditions. The Folio Society describes the Times as follows:
Captain Scott led two expeditions to the Antarctic, on the ship Discovery in 1902 and the Terra Nova in 1911. He and his men waited out the long months of winter darkness, carrying out scientific research, and then used the brief summers to explore the uncharted continent, culminating in 1911 with their ill-fated journey to the South Pole, forever etched on the national consciousness.
The South Polar Times was a magazine created by members of Captain Scott’s expeditions to entertain themselves during the four months of Antarctic winter. Typed up, and illustrated with paintings, sketches and photographs, each issue was read aloud to all hands. They contain a mixture of the ‘grave and gay’, serious reports on the weather or fauna interspersed with cartoons, songs and articles that gently poke fun at members of the expedition. Together the material gives us an unsurpassed sense of their community: legendary personalities such as Scott, Shackleton, Wilson and Cherry-Garrard, as well as scientists and ordinary seamen, all of whom had been inspired to travel to the furthest reaches of the earth and risk their lives.
I don't think I'll be shelling out £495 for the reprints but you can see some highlights from the South Polar Times on the Folio Society website here. And it's worth looking, as some of the paintings are gorgeous.
Captain Scott led two expeditions to the Antarctic, on the ship Discovery in 1902 and the Terra Nova in 1911. He and his men waited out the long months of winter darkness, carrying out scientific research, and then used the brief summers to explore the uncharted continent, culminating in 1911 with their ill-fated journey to the South Pole, forever etched on the national consciousness.
The South Polar Times was a magazine created by members of Captain Scott’s expeditions to entertain themselves during the four months of Antarctic winter. Typed up, and illustrated with paintings, sketches and photographs, each issue was read aloud to all hands. They contain a mixture of the ‘grave and gay’, serious reports on the weather or fauna interspersed with cartoons, songs and articles that gently poke fun at members of the expedition. Together the material gives us an unsurpassed sense of their community: legendary personalities such as Scott, Shackleton, Wilson and Cherry-Garrard, as well as scientists and ordinary seamen, all of whom had been inspired to travel to the furthest reaches of the earth and risk their lives.
I don't think I'll be shelling out £495 for the reprints but you can see some highlights from the South Polar Times on the Folio Society website here. And it's worth looking, as some of the paintings are gorgeous.