Farthest North by Fridtjof NANSEN. These 2 uniform hardback books measures approx 10" x 7" and total 936 pages. They were published in 1898 by Newnes, London. 

Subtitled: Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship Fram 1893-96 and of fifteen Months’ Sleigh Journey by Dr. Nansen and Lieut. Johansen with an appendix by Otto Sverdrup, Captain of the Fram. About One Hundred and Twenty Full Page and Numerous Text Illustrations & Coloured Plate in Facsimile from Dr. Nansen’s Own Sketches, Portrait and Maps.

A classic book of polar exploration

Farthest North recounts Dr. Fridtjof Nansen's epic 1893 pursuit of the North Pole. Nansen was the chronicler of one his age's most sensational adventures. But he was also much more: statesman and explorer, scientist and sex symbol, Nansen's singular character and remarkable spirit demand attention and respect. It's hard to fathom how a story with such an alluring hero was forgotten in the first place. 

The good doctor entered the limelight after his landmark first crossing of Greenland in 1888. Shorty after, he concocted a brilliant (or lunatic, depending on whom you asked) scheme to conquer the pole. He and a small crew would freeze a specially designed boat in the ice and drift with the Arctic current, which he believed would carry him from the coast of Siberia northwest to the pole. In mid-voyage, he realised that the current would not carry him far enough. Undaunted, he and a companion set out across the ice with a dogsled. Nansen was left for dead, but when he stumbled upon another exploration more than a year later--having reached farther north than anyone before him--he returned to Norway an international sensation.

This book, the chronicle of that journey, was hurriedly written to capitalise on that sensation. Penned in only two months, it lacks literary polish, but Nansen's eye for detail and his indomitable spirit shine through. Because he wrote while still thawing from his adventures, his story has an exciting immediacy, one that the passing of a century has done little to diminish. As a historical document, as an epic adventure and as a revival of a worthy hero long forgotten, Farthest North is a tale well worth remembering. 

Packed with photos and illustrations throughout including a colour plate. The large foldout map has a short repaired tear where it attaches to the book. 

Both books are in good condition bound in quarter leather with gilt lettering to spine. Printed on high quality paper there is no foxing. The end papers have darkened. The binding is tight throughout though the hinges have weakened. There is rubbing to the corners of the boards and to the spines which also see some losses to the coverings - see photos. No inscriptions.  

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