The Roald Amundsen Diaries: The South Pole Expedition 1910-12

Amundsen’s daily diaries, written from the moment the South Pole Expedition left Norway until the telegram of their success, and never intended for publication, are now available in English for the first time, almost a 100 years after they were written. Some of the contents will be known to readers of Amundsen’s book ‘The South Pole’, published in 1913, but much of it is new material. This includes Amundsen’s praise of his fellow crew members; his thoughts on the conflict with Hjalmar Johansen, and details of daily life aboard the Fram and in the Framheim winter station. Amundsen’s diaries reveal in great detail every aspect of the preparations for the sledging expedition towards the South Pole, the “good life” in Antarctica and his puzzlement over the British explorers’ choice of ponies and motor sledges and their lack of enthusiasm for dogs and fur clothing. This important work has been transcribed as it was written, complete and unabridged. Many of the photos are previously unpublished.