the Worst Journey in World

Bol Partner

In 1910, hoping that the study of penguin eggs would provide an evolutionary link between birds and reptiles, a group of explorers left Cardiff by boat on Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to Antarctica. Not all of them would return. Written by one of its survivors, The Worst Journey in the World tells the moving and dramatic story of the disastrous Scott expedition. Driven by an obsession for scientific knowledge, these brave polar explorers embarked on a journey into the unknown, testing their endurance by pushing themselves to the ultimate physical and mental limits as they surveyed the striking and mammoth land that lay far to the south. Their goal was to discover as much as was scientifically possible about the terrain and habitat of Antarctica, and to be the first to reach the South Pole. The party was plagued by bad luck, weather conditions of unanticipated ferocity, and the physical deterioration of the party itself on the last part of the journey. The youngest member of the team and its sole survivor, Apsley Cherry-Garrard gives a gripping account of Scott's last expedition. The author was also part of the rescue team that eventually found the frozen bodies of Scott and the three men who had accompanied him on the final push to the Pole. These deaths would haunt him for the rest of his life as he questioned the decisions he had made and the actions he had taken in the days leading up to the Polar Party's demise. Prior to this sad denouement, Cherry-Garrard's account is filled with details of scientific discovery and anecdotes of human resilience in a harsh environment. Each participant in the expedition is brought fully to life. The author's recollections are supported by diary excerpts and accounts from other teammates.

Bol

“The Worst Journey in the world is to travel writing what ‘War and Peace’ is to novel... a masterpiece.” —New York Review of Books Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s 'The Worst Journey in the World', first published in 1922, is a harrowing account of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition (19101913) led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott to Antarctica. As one of the youngest expedition members, Cherry-Garrard recounts the brutal conditions, scientific discoveries, and tragic fate of Scott’s polar team.The book highlights the infamous midwinter trek to Cape Crozier to collect emperor penguin eggs, a mission carried out in total darkness and extreme cold. It also details Scott’s final push to the South Pole, where his team discovered they had been beaten by Roald Amundsen, followed by their tragic deaths on the return journey.Filled with vivid descriptions and emotional depth, 'The Worst Journey in the World' is regarded as one of the greatest adventure books ever written. It stands as both a tribute to polar explorers’ resilience and a sobering reflection on the limits of human endurance.