The South Pole; An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram" 1910-12

London: John Murray, 1912. First Edition, 1st Printing. Near Fine. two volumes [9.25x7in]; Vol. I - xxxv, [1], 392 pp., frontispiece image of Amundsen portrait with tissue guard, 58 plates with 84 images and chart, folding color map, Vol. II - x, 449 pp., [1], frontispiece of Amundsen in polar kit with tissue guard, 45 plates with 52 images and 2 charts, folding diagram of ‘Fram', folding chart folding colored map, 16 charts in text; Maroon cloth covers with gilt lettering on front and spine, red border on front with debossed Norwegian flag illustration, top edge gilt, fore and bottom edges untrimmed; Some shelf wear overall, edges and corners bumped, top and bottom of spines rubbed with minor fraying, vol. I prior owner bookplate on front endpaper, vols. I & II bookseller stamp on rear endpaper, small blind embossed stamp of ‘Royal Institution of Great Britain' on title pages, ink stamp of ‘Disposed by the Royal Institute" on lower rear endpapers. Overall a very Near Fine and bright condition [Rosove 9.A1, Taurus 71]. The expedition originally planned to repeat Nansen's drift through the Arctic Ocean with the ‘Fram' and likely an attempt to reach the North Pole. On hearing that Cook and Peary both claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909, Amundsen decides, in secret, to change the expedition for the South Pole. In August 1910, the ‘Fram' left Christina and arrived at Bay of Whales [named by Shackleton in 1908] in January 1911. This winter camp was 1 degree closer to the pole than Scott's McMurdo Sound base and offered many other practical and scientific advantages. The Norwegians were skilled in skiing and dog handling, which allowed them to travel to the South Pole in 56 days. At 3:00 pm, on Friday, December 14, 1911, there was a simultaneous cry of "Halt!" as the sledge meters registered their arrival at the South Pole. With the Norwegian flag planted, Amundsen named the polar plateau for King Haakon VII. Amundsen left a tent and note for Scott to find one month later.