THE GREAT FROZEN SEA. A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the “Alert” During the Arctic Expedition of 1875-6 by Markham, Capt. Albert Hastings - 1880

C. Kegan Paul & Co, 1880. Cloth. Good. 4th Edition: xx, 384 pages +32 pages publishers adverts. Illustrated, frontispiece, 5 full page plates, numerous woodcuts, map. Blue cloth covers with gilt titling. Some spotting, foxing. Contents clean. The author commanded the Alert during the British Arctic Expedition under Nares to the North Polar Sea, and wintered on Ellesmere Island. Markham led the two-sledge party that attempted to reach the North Pole in 1876, but was forced to turn back on account of his party suffering from scurvy. His account describes in detail the passage, wintering, sledge journeys, notes on the dogs, scurvy, frostbite, snow blindness, and other occurrences. [AB 10926]. *Sir Albert Hastings Markham, KCB (1841 - 1918) was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy which he joined in 1856 at the age of 15. He spent the first eight years of his career on the China Station. Following various postings, by 1872 and for the next six years, he was engaged in Arctic Exploration. In 1873 he shipped as the Second Mate in the whaler Arctic through Davis Straits and Baffin Bay. As a reward for his efforts in the British Arctic Expedition of 1876, he was promoted to Captain. While performing his share of whaling duties, which he would later write about, he also kept detailed notes on the ice conditions and wrote a report suggesting the route for use with steam vessels. For the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76 he was appointed second-in-command of HMS Alert under Captain Nares. Despite suffering from scurvy and being poorly clothed, he led a sledge-party to reach the highest latitude ever attained at the time, a record that stood for 20 years. They did, however, fail to realize their ultimate goal of reaching the North Pole. In 1879 he accompanied Sir H. Gore Booth aboard the Isbjörn to Novaya Zemlya, a remote island in northern Russia. He remained an avid supporter of both Arctic and Antarctic exploration and delighted in the successes of young explorers. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Category: Arctic & Antarctic; Exploration. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 3276. .