Download In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic Modern Library Exploration eBook Valerian Albanov Linda Dubosson David Roberts Jon Krakauer Alison Anderson
Download As PDF : In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic Modern Library Exploration eBook Valerian Albanov Linda Dubosson David Roberts Jon Krakauer Alison Anderson
“One helluva read.”—Newsweek • “Gripping.”—Outside • “Spellbinding.”—Associated Press • “Powerful.”—New York
In 1912, the Saint Anna, a Russian exploration vessel in search of fertile hunting grounds, was frozen into the polar ice cap, trapping her crew aboard. For nearly a year and a half, they struggled to stay alive. As all hope of rescue faded, they realized their best chance of survival might be to set out on foot, across hundreds of miles of desolate ice, with their lifeboats dragged behind them on sledges, in hope of reaching safety. Twenty of them chose to stay aboard; thirteen began the trek; of them all, only two survived.
Originally published in Russia in 1917, In the Land of White Death was translated into English for the first time by the Modern Library to widespread critical acclaim. As well as recounting Albanov’s vivid, first-person account of his ninety-day ordeal over 235 miles of frozen sea, this expanded paperback edition contains three newly discovered photographs and an extensive new Epilogue by David Roberts based on the never-before-published diary of Albanov’s only fellow survivor, Alexander Konrad. As gripping as Albanov’s own tale, the Epilogue sheds new light on the tragic events of 1912–1914, brings to life many of those who perished (including the infamous captain Brusilov and nurse Zhdanko, the only woman on board), and, inadvertently, reveals one new piece of information—about the identity of the traitors who left Albanov for dead—that is absolutely shocking.
“Poetic.”—The Washington Post • “A lost masterpiece.”—Booklist • “A jewel of polar literature.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer • “Vivid . . . [a work of] terrifying beauty.”—The Boston Globe
Download In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic Modern Library Exploration eBook Valerian Albanov Linda Dubosson David Roberts Jon Krakauer Alison Anderson
"This is a story of survival in the Artic. In the early 20th century the author sailed as navigator on an ill fated voyage into the Artic. The ship became locked in ice and eventually the author (of the dairy detailing this story) left the ship with several other men to try to reach islands to their south from which they might be rescued. They had a very rough go of it to say the least with bad ice, lack of food and necessities and attacks by polar bears and walrus. At times the story did seem to become somewhat repetitious with their hardships and could be a bit depressing and a bit long. But after all the hardships and disappointments the author and his companion were taken aboard a ship and got back to Russia. The story was well written. The characters were generally developed. For the most part the editing was good. There were some annoying run togethers in this Kindle version, especially in the earlier parts of the book, for example "before meto revealed" for :before me to reveal" The intended line was generally obvious with a 2nd look but could be initially confusing especially when the run together occurred at a line break."
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Tags : Buy In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic (Modern Library Exploration) Read 106 Reviews - ,ebook,Valerian Albanov, Linda Dubosson, David Roberts, Jon Krakauer, Alison Anderson,In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic (Modern Library Exploration),Modern Library,General,1884-1914,Arctic regions,Arctic regions;Discovery and exploration.,Arctic regions;Exploration.,Biography Autobiography,Biography Autobiography / General,Brusilov, Georgi L§vovich,,Discovery and Exploration,General,History,History - General History,History / General,History / Polar Regions,History of other lands,History World,Polar Regions,Svëiìataëiìa Anna (Ship),Travel,World history,Biography Autobiography / General,Discovery and Exploration,History / General,History / Polar Regions,Polar Regions,History - General History,1884-1914,Arctic regions,Brusilov, Georgi L§vovich,,Brusilov, Georgii Lvovich,,Svëiìataëiìa Anna (Ship),Travel,History,History World,Biography Autobiography,History of other lands,World history
In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic Modern Library Exploration eBook Valerian Albanov Linda Dubosson David Roberts Jon Krakauer Alison Anderson Reviews :
In the Land of White Death An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic Modern Library Exploration eBook Valerian Albanov Linda Dubosson David Roberts Jon Krakauer Alison Anderson Reviews
- This is a story of survival in the Artic. In the early 20th century the author sailed as navigator on an ill fated voyage into the Artic. The ship became locked in ice and eventually the author (of the dairy detailing this story) left the ship with several other men to try to reach islands to their south from which they might be rescued. They had a very rough go of it to say the least with bad ice, lack of food and necessities and attacks by polar bears and walrus. At times the story did seem to become somewhat repetitious with their hardships and could be a bit depressing and a bit long. But after all the hardships and disappointments the author and his companion were taken aboard a ship and got back to Russia. The story was well written. The characters were generally developed. For the most part the editing was good. There were some annoying run togethers in this version, especially in the earlier parts of the book, for example "before meto revealed" for before me to reveal" The intended line was generally obvious with a 2nd look but could be initially confusing especially when the run together occurred at a line break.
- This is an incredible tale of survival, written in a spare style so appropriate to the setting. Picture this it is 1913 and your ship has been stuck in Arctic ice for over a year, drifting with the floe further north each month. Fearing that you will not escape this icebound existence in the coming year, you decide to get some of your more hardy shipmates together and try to walk to land across the frozen Arctic Ocean, carrying over a month's worth of supplies by sledge and some handmade kayaks to make the final crossing to land. Besides the arduous task of dragging yourself and supplies across the ice, you and your crew face blizzard conditions, polar bears, surprisingly dangerous walruses, malnutrition, and all sorts of surprising challenges (including the dangers of vitamin A poisoning from eating polar bear liver - warning to the wise). Knowing that this is a true story makes it all the more compelling. I read this book every time the winter weather gets me down, just to remind myself that things could be worse than suffering through a week with the Polar Vortex. Highly recommended.
- The story is during the years just prior to the First World War, so it's quite a few years later than most Arctic stories. The crew are sailing the seas to the north of Russia; looking for faster trade routes, similar to the searches for the Northwest Passage expeditions in North America. Like most of these stories, the ship and crew were woefully unprepared, ignorant of any Arctic lore, and huge personality clashes made even good days difficult. After abandoning ship and crossing the ice for months, there was one wrong-headed move after another., which creates a lot of nail-biting incidents. It's written in diary style and is quite an easy and interesting read.
- This is a different breed of polar literature. "In the Land of White Death" has none of the operatic heroism and tragedy that permeates polar classics like "The Worst Journey in the World", "Mawson's Will", or "Endurance". Albanov was under no illusions of grandeur the party he was a member of were simply looking for new hunting grounds, and Albanov is keenly aware that if they die out on the ice it will be inglorious, miserable, and pointless, helping nobody and in service of nothing.
This brutal lack of sentimentality is what makes "In the Land of White Death" so unique and so important in the polar canon. Albanov continually rages against the men under his leadership for their stupidity, laziness, and treachery. His writing is honest, direct, terse, and immensely readable. In fact, this is probably the only great polar story that could be read in a long day or a couple afternoons.
Many of those who died during the "golden age" of polar exploration were revered as national heroes. When the bodies of S. A. Andrée and his crew were returned to Sweden in 1930 after an absurd attempt to hot air balloon to the North Pole, the streets were packed with one of the biggest acts of public mourning in the nation's history. History has been far less kind to these explorations; what was once seen as bravery is now often viewed as hubris and startling incompetence. "In the Land of White Death" captures all of that long before historians had a chance to reevaluate polar literature. Albanov writes with an emotional clarity that was decades ahead of its time.
