HELL ON ICE

by Edward Ellsberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 8, 1938

Ellsberg, through the medium of George Wallace Melville of the ill-fated Jeannette, reconstructs the tragic happenings of 1879. Based on Congressional investigation records, contemporary documents, and a research into every possible phase of these long-past events, here is the integrated story of the search for the North Pole, under the captaincy of George Washington De Long, financed by Bennett of the Herald. The attempt was made to find a passage via Behring Sea; the S. S. Jeannette was caught by early ice and for two years held in a vise, until the breaking away of the ice ultimately resulted in her destruction, leaving her men to make their way over 500 miles and more to Siberia and possible settlements. The story is one of the most fascinating, if not the most fascinating, stories of Arctic exploration I have ever read. While at the start the style seems a bit pedantic, the substance gathers momentum and one forgets the medium in absorption in a story of heroic courage against terrific odds, of men against the North, of their strengths and weaknesses -- and of the vast, cruel nature that combatted them even more cruelly as the months passed. A book that every red-blooded man, woman, boy or girl will find utterly engrossing and exciting reading. A book that makes previous Arctic exploration parlor car luxury in comparison. This is a revealing experience. February Book-of-the-Month.

Pub Date: Feb. 8, 1938

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dodd, Mead

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1938

Categories: NONFICTION