London: John Murray, 1912. First edition in English. Octavo, two volumes. Original publisher's red cloth, spines and upper covers lettered in gilt and decorated with Norwegian flags, top edges gilt. Half-tone frontispieces, 99 plates, 6 maps (3 folding), one folding diagram, further charts and tables in the text. A small portion of discoloration to foot of spine of volume II, a little foxing to text block edges and preliminary leaves (as usual), Norwegian flag to spine of volume 1 a little sunned, otherwise a stunning set in bright unrestored original cloth. A Near Fine copy.

Amundsen's account of his legendary expedition to the South Pole, beating Scott's attempt by a month and cementing his account as one of the most important in all of Polar travel literature.

His success over Scott can be attributed to multiple factors, including "more accomplished skiers, a shorter distance to the Pole, better clothing and equipment, well-planned supply depots en route, including more nutritious food with plenty of B vitamins, fortunate weather, and a modicum of luck... Amundsen and four of his colleagues reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, carefully plotted their location, left messages for Scott and King Haakon VII, and then returned to their Framhein base on January 25, 1912, only nine days after the disheartened Scott party reached the Pole" (Books on Ice).

While the account was first published in Amundsen's native Norwegian, this edition is often preferred. "To their credit, John Murray produced a two volume set of real quality, incorporating the Norwegian flag, despite realising that British disappointment at being beaten to the Pole would ensure that it was not a publishing success in the United Kingdom. Altogether, there are 63 full-page photographic reproductions in this version (as opposed to 53 in the original Norwegian publication)" (Taurus).

Books on Ice 7.1; Howgego IV A13; Rosove 9.A1; Spence 16; Taurus 71. Near Fine (Item #8177)