Williamsburg Regional Library

The last Viking, the life of Roald Amundsen, Stephen R. Bown

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-341) and index

individual biography

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

The last Viking

bibliography

784125022

Stephen R. Bown

the life of Roald Amundsen

The Last Viking unravels the life of the man who stands head and shoulders above all those who raced to map the last corners of the world. In 1900, the four great geographical mysteries<U+2014>the Northwest Passage, the Northeast Passage, the South Pole, and the North Pole<U+2014>remained blank spots on the globe. Within twenty years Roald Amundsen would claim all four prizes. Renowned for his determination and technical skills, both feared and beloved by his men, Amundsen is a legend of the heroic age of exploration, which shortly thereafter would be tamed by technology, commerce, and publicity. Féted in his lifetime as an international celebrity, pursued by women and creditors, he died in the Arctic on a rescue mission for an inept rival explorer

1. West -- The boy from the Mountain Kingdom -- Polar apprentice -- An extraordinary plan -- Where Franklin died -- An education at Gjøahavn -- 2. South -- "I resolved upon a coup" -- The Napoleon of the Poles -- Dogs and skis -- A featureless expanse of snow -- 3. East -- A hero returns -- A new battlefield -- The frozen reaches of Tartary -- 4. North -- Grounded dreams -- The Arctic Phoenix -- The dirigible and the fascist -- A massed attack on the polar regions -- 5. Lost -- No more Poles to conquer -- Epilogue: the end of the Heroic Age

adult

Life of Roald AmundsenRoald Amundsen