This is a historical account that details Shackleton's expedition, written on the passage by ocean liner from New Zealand to Britain. The expedition was led by Ernest H. Shackleton, who set sail from Port Lyttelton, New Zealand, on January 1, 1908. Shackleton and a party of 14 men were dropped off at Cape Royds on Ross Island on February 3. The men were split into three groups. One would attempt to reach the South Pole, another would travel north to the South Magnetic Pole, and a third would explore the mountains west of McMurdo Sound. On October 29, Shackleton, three companions, and four ponies set out for the South Pole. Despite the great difficulty, they reached a latitude of 88°23' S. on January 9, 1909, further south than any prior expedition. They were compelled to turn back due to fierce blizzards and a shortage of supplies. They returned to the Nimrod and arrived in New Zealand safely. In addition to getting within 97.5 nautical miles (180.6 kilometers) of the pole, the expedition accomplished two other noteworthy feats. Douglas Mawson, Edgeworth David, and Alistair Mackay led the first ascent of Mount Erebus, Antarctica's most active volcano, on March 5-11, 1908, and the same three men reached the South Magnetic Pole on January 16, 1909.

Frustrated by his experiences on an expedition led by Captain Robert Scott, explorer Ernest Shackleton, in 1907, launched his own attempt to reach the South Pole. At the mercy of a hostile continent it was to become the most extreme test of endurance imaginable. This is his thrilling account of that expedition.

Ernest Shackleton led two Antarctic expeditions, and died shortly after the beginning of the third. His expedition ship Endurance was trapped, then crushed in the ice, before his party could be landed, leaving his men in a hopeless situation. For months Shackleton held his party together before taking to boats and bringing everyone to safety.

On October 29, 1908, a party of four men, led by Ernest Shackleton, set out to be the first to reach the South Pole. Three months later, their mission was in ruins and they faced certain death if they carried on. Just ninety-seven miles from the South Pole, Shackleton turned back. One hundred years later, in October 2008, a team that included descendants of that original party, led by Henry Worsley, set out from Shackleton’s hut to celebrate the centenary of his expedition by retracing the exact 870-mile route and going on to finish the last ninety-seven miles. This captivating book explores the history of the original expedition and reasons behind its failure, while capturing the meticulous planning, fundraising, and training for the new expedition. It includes riveting accounts of the team’s first days on the ice, Christmas on the polar plateau, the brutal reality of crossing the Beardmore Glacier, and the final miles to the South Pole. In Shackleton's Footsteps is a unique story of adventure, pioneering spirit, settling old family business, and man’s triumph over nature.

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A behind-the-scenes account of the modern expedition that followed Captain Robert Falcon Scott's 1912 route across Antarctica to the South Pole.