About the Book
In this grand and astonishing tale, Alec Wilkinson brings us the story of S. A. Andree, the visionary Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, during the great age of Arctic endeavor, left to discover the North Pole by flying to it in a hydrogen balloon. Called by a British military officer "the most original and remarkable attempt ever made in Arctic exploration," Andree's expedition was followed by nearly the entire world, and it made him an international legend.
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"The Ice Balloon" begins in the late nineteenth century, when nations, compelled by vanity, commerce, and science, competed with one another for the greatest discoveries, and newspapers covered every journey. Wilkinson describes how in Andree several contemporary themes intersected. He was the first modern explorer--the first to depart for the Arctic unencumbered by notions of the Romantic age, and the first to be equipped with the newest technologies. No explorer had ever left with more uncertainty regarding his fate, since none had ever flown over the horizon and into the forbidding region of ice.
In addition to portraying the period, "The Ice Balloon" gives us a brief history of the exploration of the northern polar regions, both myth and fact, including detailed versions of the two record-setting expeditions just prior to Andree's--one led by U.S. Army lieutenant Adolphus Greely from Ellesmere Island; the other by Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer who initially sought to reach the pole by embedding his ship in the pack ice and drifting toward it with the current.
Woven throughout is Andree's own history, and how he came by his brave and singular idea. We also get to know Andree's family, the woman who loves him, and the two men who accompany him--Nils Strindberg, a cousin of the famous playwright, with a tender love affair of his own, and Knut Fraenkel, a willing and hearty young man.
Andree's flight and the journey, based on the expedition's diaries and photographs, dramatically recovered thirty-three years after the balloon came down, along with Wilkinson's research, provide a book filled with suspense and adventure, a haunting story of high ambition and courage, made tangible with the detail, beauty, and devastating conditions of traveling and dwelling in "the realm of Death," as one Arctic explorer put it.
About the Author :
Alec Wilkinson began writing for "The New Yorker "in 1980. Before that he was a policeman in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and before that he was a rock-and-roll musician. He has published nine other books--two memoirs, two collections of essays, three biographical portraits, and two pieces of reporting--most of which first appeared in "The New Yorker. "His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Lyndhurst Prize, and a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.
Review :
"Once in a while you come across a book that so fully transfixes your imaginative gaze, it ceases to become a book but simply a story. . . In 1897, three men in a cold lonely balloon float toward the North Pole--and to their deaths. A haunting book."--Jimmy So, "The Daily Beast"
"A rare work of nonfiction whose sublimely understated writing rivals the inherent drama of the subject matter . . . Wilkinson gives us not only an exhilarating account of Swedish engineer S.A. Andree's ill fated expedition, he offers a finely nuanced psychological portrait of a unique race of men--the Victorian-era Arctic explorers--and the age that produced them."--Emily Donaldson, "The Toronto Star"
"A gripping account of what has been called the heroic age of Arctic exploration."--David B. Williams, "The Seattle Times"
"Entertaining and extremely well-written. This captivating story [is] essential for all avid readers of exploration and polar literature."--"Library Journal"
"Fabulous . . . Readers meet 'a parade of fanatics' who attempt to reach the Pole, discover what is there, and return alive."--Kate Tuttle, "Boston Globe"
"[Wilkinson's] superb storytelling skills shine on every page. The descriptions that Andree and his expedition mates wrote about the harsh but stunning Arctic landscape, and the slow, agonizing march to their inevitable deaths make for riveting armchair reading."--Stephen J. Lyons, "Minneapolis StarTribune"
"Wilkinson writes with insight and flair, artfully interleaving Andree's story with a brief history of Arctic exploration. . . . [His] prose style suits the spare polar landscape, making his occasional poetic touches even more effective . . . And Wilkinson doesn't get bogged down in too much detail. He understands that the value of polar stories isn't to be found in guy ropes and provisions. It lies elsewhere, in our endless love of discovery and the drama of being human."--Sara Wheeler, "The New York Times Booku
"Fabulous . . . Readers meet 'a parade of fanatics' who attempt to reach the Pole, discover what is there, and return alive."--Kate Tuttle, "Boston Globe"
"[Wilkinson's] superb storytelling skills shine on every page. The descriptions that Andree and his expedition mates wrote about the harsh but stunning Arctic landscape, and the slow, agonizing march to their inevitable deaths make for riveting armchair reading."--Stephen J. Lyons, "Minneapolis StarTribune"
"Wilkinson writes with insight and flair, artfully interleaving Andree's story with a brief history of Arctic exploration. . . . [His] prose style suits the spare polar landscape, making his occasional poetic touches even more effective . . . And Wilkinson doesn't get bogged down in too much detail. He understands that the value of polar stories isn't to be found in guy ropes and provisions. It lies elsewhere, in our endless love of discovery and the drama of being human."--Sara Wheeler, "The New York Times Book Review"
"A fine addition to the annals of polar exploration . . . A writer known for discerning portraiture, Alec Wilkinson here probes the personality of Swedish explorer Salomon Andree, who, along with two companions, disappeared in an 1897 attempt to discover the North Pole by balloon." --Gilbert Taylor, "Booklist" (starred)
"Beautifully focused and controlled, Wilkinson, ever elegant and thorough, fleshes out his account by delineating the previous expeditions of Greely and Nansen in order to get at the motivations in the minds of this 'parade of fanatics heading for the deep places'." --"Kirkus Reviews "
"Wilkinson writes with insight and flair, artfully interleaving Andree's story with a brief history of Arctic exploration. . . . [His] prose style suits the spare polar landscape, making his occasional poetic touches even more effective . . . And Wilkinson doesn't get bogged down in too much detail. He understands that the value of polar stories isn't to be found in guy ropes and provisions. It lies elsewhere, in our endless love of discovery and the drama of being human."--Sara Wheeler, "The New York Times Book Review"
"A fine addition to the annals of polar exploration . . . A writer known for discerning portraiture, Alec Wilkinson here probes the personality of Swedish explorer Salomon Andree, who, along with two companions, disappeared in an 1897 attempt to discover the North Pole by balloon." --Gilbert Taylor, "Booklist" (starred)
"Beautifully focused and controlled, Wilkinson, ever elegant and thorough, fleshes out his account by delineating the previous expeditions of Greely and Nansen in order to get at the motivations in the minds of this 'parade of fanatics heading for the deep places'." --"Kirkus Reviews "
"Alec Wilkinson's writing is so flawless and engaging that I'd read him on a packed subway at rush hour."--Sebastian Junger
