Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

By the middle of the nineteenth century, the North-West Passage, a trade route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, had been sought for centuries without success. The Franklin expedition of 1845 became the latest victim, and Irish naval officer Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure (1807-73) took part in the attempts to ascertain its fate. His ship, H.M.S. Investigator, spent the years 1850-4 in the Arctic, and in the course of their search for the lost expedition, the crew discovered the North-West Passage. Upon his return to England, following the loss of the Investigator to pack ice, McClure handed over his journals to author and fellow officer Sherard Osborn (1822-75), who prepared this narrative of the pioneering expedition. First published in 1856, the work remains a compelling account of Arctic exploration, revealing how McClure and his men survived four forbidding winters.

Northwest Passage --- Investigator (Ship) --- History --- Transportation

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Having participated in a rescue mission to aid John Ross in the Arctic in the 1830s, traveller and surgeon Richard King (1810/11-76) considered himself qualified to suggest where the missing expedition of Sir John Franklin, which had set off in 1845, could be found. In his letters to periodicals, government ministers and the Admiralty, published in this collection in 1855, King argues that the missing party would be located near the mouth of the Great Fish River. He volunteered to lead a search expedition, but was ignored. By 1859, remains of the Franklin party had been discovered near to where King said they would be. These letters tell the story of his campaign, throwing light on an interesting chapter in the history of polar exploration and the understanding of the Canadian Arctic. Several other works on Franklin's last expedition and the subsequent searches are also reissued in this series.

Arctic regions --- Northwest Passage. --- Discovery and exploration --- British.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

In May 1824, the British explorer William Edward Parry (1790-1855) took to the seas on his third attempt to discover the North-West Passage, the legendary route to the Pacific along the northern coast of North America. It was a perilous voyage that he abandoned after the wreck of his ship, the Fury; however, during it he made some pioneering discoveries about the route's climate, meteorology, wildlife and nautical conditions, which influenced his successors and remain of interest to scientists and seafarers today. In these fascinating memoirs, first published in 1826, Parry documents his journey, revealing the difficulties he encountered and the phenomena he observed. Through extensive illustrations and vivid descriptions, he recalls the tumultuous weather and treacherous terrain that characterised - and finally defeated - the expedition, and expresses his gratitude to his fellow voyagers, for their bravery and determination in adversity, and their united efforts to save the doomed vessel.

Fury (Ship) --- Natural History --- Northwest Passage --- Nature --- History

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

From an early age Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was determined to be an explorer. Having gained valuable experience on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897-9), he resolved to conquer the North-West Passage. After three years, using a small fishing vessel, the Gjøa, and only six crew, Amundsen succeeded in reaching Nome, Alaska. First published in Norwegian in 1907, and reissued here in its 1908 English translation, this two-volume account is copiously illustrated with photographs. Volume 1 describes how the ship was chosen and its departure from Norway in June 1903. The men spent two winters on King William Island, learning much about survival from the local Inuit. The observatory they established collected magnetic data for almost two years as well as meteorological data, both of which added greatly to existing Arctic knowledge. Sledge journeys ascertained that the position of the North Magnetic Pole had changed little for more than seventy years.

Amundsen, Roald, 1872-1928 --- Northwest Passage --- Biography & Autobiography --- History

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

William Edward Parry (1790-1855) spent the early part of his naval career protecting the whale fisheries of Spitzbergen. He was later appointed to several Arctic expeditions, including three in search of the North-West Passage. This 1821 publication, reissued here in the unchanged second edition from the same year, describes the first of these voyages. Although unsuccessful, it provided valuable scientific data and experience that shaped subsequent expeditions. Noted for his care for his men, and his ability to quickly find solutions to difficult problems, Parry realised during this expedition the importance of keeping his explorers occupied during the winter, and started a newspaper and a theatre group. This first expedition established that, contrary to John Ross's 1819 account (also reissued in this series), a westward route through Lancaster Sound did in fact exist. It also began to map the many islands in the region.

Eskimos --- Northwest Passage --- Fury (Ship) --- Social Science --- History