The 20 best books about Antarctica

The 20 best books about Antarctica

From harrowing accounts of survival to the heartwarming story of a rescued penguin, we list our favorite books about Antarctica

The most inhospitable place on earth is a captivating setting for any story, fictional or true. Not surprisingly, the Antarctic literary canon is full of stories of tragedy and/or survival against all odds. So it would be easy to fill this list with biographies of Amundsen, Scott and Shackleton alone. But Antarctica deserves attention beyond its tragedies.

With this in mind, we have taken a broader perspective. Of course, there are profiles of the pioneers and their epic voyages of discovery spanning more than a century of polar exploration, but we also have a diverse mix of memoirs, biographies and novels - from crime novels to science fiction - all taken with Antarctica at the core of the narrative.

Whether you're preparing for a trip to the great white continent or just have a passing interest in the most unexplored area of ​​our planet, there's something for you in our list of books about Antarctica.

The best books about Antarctica

Our list is in no particular order and is based on our personal favorites as well as Amazon bestsellers and Goodreads' most popular books.

1. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Journey

by Alfred LansingAmazon | Goodreads

In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance and sailed toward Antarctica, where he planned the first crossing of the unknown continent on foot. What unfolded would become the defining saga of the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.” Lansing's 1959 book (since republished) recounts the harrowing and wondrous journey of Shackleton and his team as they battle the elements in one of the most astonishing feats of human courage.

2. Scott and Amundsen: The Last Place on Earth

by Roland HuntfordAmazon | Goodreads

In the finest analysis of Amundsen and Scott's infamous race to the South Pole, Huntford captures the era's driving ambitions and the complex and often deeply flawed men tasked with carrying them out. It is also the only English-language work on the subject based on the original Norwegian sources.

3. South: The Story of Shackleton's Expedition 1914-1917

by Ernest ShackletonAmazon | Goodreads

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Recently reissued as a Penguin Modern Classic, South is the story of Shackleton's extraordinary achievement, told in his own words. First published in 1919, Shackleton methodically describes the entire spectacular expedition. The account can be slow at times but is nonetheless engaging and remains one of the most popular books on Antarctica.

4. Last Man Off: A true story of disaster and survival on the seas of Antarctica

by Matt LewisAmazon | Goodreads

The waters of Antarctica, 1998. 23-year-old Lewis has just started his dream job aboard a deep-sea fishing boat. A storm is coming. With the captain missing and the crew forced to abandon ship, Lewis flees to three life rafts where the fight for survival begins.

5. Swimming to Antarctica: Stories of a Long Distance Swimmer

by Lynne CoxAmazon | Goodreads

Cox was the first person to swim the Strait of Magellan, one of the most treacherous bodies of water in the world. After a series of record-breaking feats, she became the first person to swim a mile in zero-degree water. This is her story.

Atlas & BootsPenguins feature regularly in our favorite books about Antarctica

6. Away with the Penguins / How the Penguins Saved Veronica (US title)

by Hazel PriorAmazon | Goodreads

In this novel, 85-year-old Veronica McCreedy is estranged from her family and wants to find a good reason to leave her fortune. After watching a documentary about penguins, she travels to the fictional Locket Island in Antarctica, where she convinces the reluctant team to save an orphaned penguin chick. He becomes part of life at the base and Veronica's closed heart begins to open.

7. The worst trip in the world

by Apsley Cherry-GarrardAmazon | Goodreads

Written by the youngest member of Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole, The Worst Journey in the World has received much praise for its candid treatment of the expedition's difficulties, the causes of its disastrous outcome, and the significance (if any). human suffering under such extreme conditions. Later, Cherry-Garrard was in the search party that located Scott and his men, who had long ago died of hunger and cold.

8. Terra Incognita: Traveling to Antarctica

by Sara WheelerAmazon | Goodreads

Terra Incognita is considered a modern classic for exploring and understanding Antarctica. The book is a meditation on the landscape, myths and history of one of the most remote parts of the world. The book also chronicles an encounter with the region's international temporary residents, how they manage to live in close isolation, as well as the mechanics of daily life in such conditions.

9. Cold: Extreme adventures in the lowest temperatures on earth

by Ranulph FiennesAmazon | Goodreads

Fiennes has spent much of his life researching and working in conditions of extreme cold. The loss of several of his fingers to frostbite is a testament to the horrors faced by explorers in such dangerous temperatures. This book examines the checkered history of attempts to discover and understand these dangerous regions, from the early voyages of Cook, Ross, Weddell, Amundsen, Shackleton and Franklin to Sir Ranulph's extraordinary achievements.

10. Antarctica: A Novel

by Kim Stanley RobinsonAmazon | Goodreads

A work of science fiction featuring a cast of characters set on McMurdo Station, the largest settlement in Antarctica, at a time when the international treaty protecting the continent is on the brink of collapse. As politicians argue over their fate, major corporations begin to plunder Antarctica's resources, while radical environmentalists wage a covert sabotage campaign to reclaim the land from those who would destroy it for profit.

Atlas & BootsBooks about Antarctica are often inspired by its impressive landscapes

11. Madhouse at the end of the world: The journey of the Belgica into the dark Antarctic night

by Julian SanctonAmazon | Goodreads

The harrowing survival story of an early polar expedition that went horribly wrong, leaving the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside throughout the sunless Antarctic winter. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and their minds ravaged by the sound of dozens of rats swarming the hold, they descended into madness.

12. Alone in Antarctica

by Felicity AstonAmazon | Goodreads

Felicity Aston, a physicist and meteorologist, took two months off from all human contact when she became the first woman - and only the third person in history - to cross the entire Antarctic continent solo on skis. Within days, frozen in her face mask and pondering what drew her to such a place, she battles the desperate weather while pulling heavy sleds. She wakes up every morning believing she doesn't have another day ahead of her as the expedition becomes a race against time to reach the coast before the final departure.

13. Lean Fall Stand

by Jon McGregorAmazon | Goodreads

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In this novel, Doc Wright is stationed at the fictional Station K near the Byrd Glacier in Antarctica when his team is lost in an ice storm. He survives, but something went wrong in his head. At home he is the only one who can explain what happened in Antarctica. But after what has changed, everything has lost its meaning. Now his wife Anna must become his caregiver and he must find a new way to be in the world. All he can do is try to tell his story - even if he doesn't have the words.

14. Mrs. Chippy's Final Expedition: The Remarkable Journey of Shackleton's Polar-Bound CaT

by Caroline AlexanderAmazon | Goodreads

When Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in the Antarctic ice, all 29 crew members were pushed to their limits, including Mrs Chippy, the ship's cat. Luckily, Mrs. Chippy left a diary. Based on the true events of Shackleton's journey and illustrated with original expedition photographs, the book offers a unique perspective on one of history's greatest adventures.

15. The Darkness

by Emma HaughtonAmazon | Goodreads

In this novel, the doctor Kate North takes the opportunity to work as an emergency representative at the UN research station in Antarctica. The previous doctor died in a tragic accident on the ice. But as it becomes completely dark for the winter, she begins to suspect that his death was no accident. In the most inhospitable environment and cut off from the rest of the world, a killer is on the loose.

Atlas & BootsBooks about Antarctica aim to map this extraordinary place

16. Race to the Pole: Conquer Antarctica in the toughest endurance race in the world

by Ben Fogle and James CracknellAmazon | Goodreads

In 2009, six teams of adventurers and explorers gathered to race to the South Pole on foot. It is the first time anyone has attempted such a race in nearly 100 years: since Amundsen beat Scott to the same finish in 1911. Double Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell and TV presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle must tackle 800km of ice wilderness, -45°C temperatures, hidden crevasses, frostbite and the favorites to win: a team of former soldiers from Norway trained in Arctic warfare.

17. Ice skating to Antarctica

by Jenny DiskiAmazon | Goodreads

alt=“Book cover Ice skating to Antarctica”>

This strange but humorous travelogue features Diski's daughter Chloe, who encourages Diski to uncover what has become of her own estranged mother. The memoir alternates between a pilgrimage to Antarctica and a private journey into Diski's own thoughts and memories.

18. Erebus: The Story of a Ship

by Michael PalinAmazon | Goodreads

After discovering the wreck in 2014, Michael Palin wrote this excellent biography of the sailing ship HMS Erebus. The book follows the ship from its launch in 1826, through the voyages of discovery that led to glory in Antarctica, including carrying people further south than ever before, to its final catastrophe in the Arctic.

19. The birthday boys

by Beryl BainbridgeAmazon | Goodreads

The Birthday Boys, a fictional retelling of Scott's doomed expedition, uses first-person accounts from five men on the journey to provide different perspectives of the expedition. Scott, Petty Officer Taff Evans, ship's surgeon Dr. Edward Wilson, Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Captain Lawrence Oates each report on the hardships, conflicts and ultimately the failure of the entire undertaking.

20. Alone

by Richard E. ByrdAmazon | Goodreads

The story of American explorer Admiral Byrd's 1934 Antarctic expedition became an instant bestseller upon its publication. He was already an international hero after flying the first flights over the North and South Poles. His plan for this latest adventure was to spend six months alone at the edge of the world collecting weather data. Unsurprisingly, things went horribly wrong.

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