Antarctica: A Biography

Like Captain James Cook, I have been slowly circling the Antarctic. While labouring on other books, the ice-covered continent kept looming into view like an alluring mirage, suggesting itself as a subject worthy of closer exploration. The chance to do so came after I completed Conquest: How societies overwhelm others (2008), which examined how so-called 'supplanting societies' claim territories and make them their own over an extended period of time. It was a new way of looking at the history of the world.

About the Author :
David Day has been a research fellow at Clare College in Cambridge and a Visiting Professor at University College Dublin, the University of Aberdeen, and the Center for Pacific and American Studies at the University of Tokyo. He is currently a research associate at La Trobe University in Melbourne. He is the author of many books, including Conquest: How Societies Overwhelm Others and the award-winning Claiming a Continent: A History of Australia.

Review :
"Solid as a block of Antarctic ice itself... [Day's] latest book draws on five years of meticulous research to tell the story of human endeavour in Antarctica, the last continent to be discovered. It paints a poignant biographical picture of the characters involved, the gruelling expeditions undertaken, and the rivalries between nations as they raced to chart the continent and claim possession of it ...excellent." --The Economist "This is an intoxicating book by Australia's greatest historian." --Peter FitzSimons, Australian journalist and author "A remarkable work of scholarship and sustained analysis." - Ross Fitzgerald, The Australian "The fascinating narrative offers a compelling historical understanding of passion to control nature and the way national and economic interests drive scientific exploration... Day's work is epic and incorporates this important, unique unpopulated land into the consciousness of scholars." --Choice "This scholarly but readable volume surveys the geopolitical history of Antarctica from the dawn of the Age of Reason to the present day. Day is a serious historian. His research has taken him around the world, into archives and libraries and into the minds and intentions of governments." --Greg Ray, Newcastle Herald (AU) "An eye-opening history of the race amongst nations to be the first to plant their flag in the frozen land. It is a big book, covering Captain James Cook's attempts to find the 'Great South Land' in the 1770s to the present and all the explorers and adventurers in between." --Courier Mail (Brisbane, Australia) " For those who enjoy sweeping historical biographies, David Day's Antarctica is a polar reference piece par excellence. "--The Cairns Post (Australia) "In his latest book, noted Australian historian David Day seeks to capture the spirit of Cook and Mawson and the deeds of subsequent explorers, which eventually turned into a race for Antarctic sovereignty. Unlike traditional histories of Antarctica, which focus almost exclusively upon exploration and individual explorers, Day blends that narrative with the increasing politicisation of Antarctica as European powers, then the Americans, and eventually Argentina and Chile jostled for territory." --Sydney Morning Herald "2012 is the centenary of Scott and Amundsen's race to the South Pole, and publishers have jumped on the band sledge. The winner of the bid for territory goes to Antarctica: A Biography... by David Day, a historian and Australian national treasure. This enormous book approaches the subject head on. The colourful end papers are eloquent: the 'New Map of the World 1703' at the front shows a blank 'taint of ignorance' at the South Pole; at the back there is a more modern cartographer's Antarctica, with its surrounding islands. What Day aims to deliver is the bit in between. The result is a clear and intriguing history of flag-raising."--Literary Review (UK) "Day has done a remarkable job of collating information from rich and varied international sources. He draws from original accounts, newspaper articles, the recently released papers of US naval officer and polar explorer Richard Byrd..." -- Nature "Day weaves a masterly tale of expeditions and their leaders in this hugely detailed and well-researched tome. There are some absolute gems with new insights for even the most avid readers on the subject." -- Times Higher Education "His thought-provoking and detailed work reminds us that the future of Antarctica remains even more fiercely disputed and uncertain than when Bellingshausen and Bransfield first saw the continent." -- Irish Times "A well-researched, scholarly work that examines nearly 250 years of history with a deft pen and a dry wit."-- Country Life "Day's Antarctica is an impressive piece of work, an impartial and deeply researched account of the politics of polar annexation."--Times Literary Supplement "Well-researched history... An intriguing addition to a centuries-long geopolitical adventure story." --Kirkus Reviews