Antarctica Recommended Reading ---------------------------------- Printable version

Here is a brief selection of favorite, new and hard-to-find books, prepared for your journey. The items on this list can be purchased (some at discount rates) through Longitude Books. For your convenience, you may call (800) 342-2164 to order these books directly from Longitude, a specialty mail-order book service, or to order on-line please here

ESSENTIAL READING

These five books and map are available as a package for $109 including shipping, 15% off the retail price (Item no. EXANT116). Free shipping on any additional books ordered.

Antarctica, A Guide to the Wildlife. Tony Soper, Dafila Scott (Illustrator), 2007, PAPER, $21.95
Designed for the field, this compact handbook features all the species of birds, seals and whales the traveler is likely to encounter on a voyage to the Antarctic. Each animal gets a double-page spread, with concise essays on each species, range maps and color drawings by Dafila Scott, the granddaughter of Captain Scott. (Item no. ANT30)

Antarctic Explorer Map. Ocean Explorer, 2000, MAP, $11.95
Showing the full range of Antarctic voyages south from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Circle, including South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. (Item no. ANT128)

Penguins of the World. Wayne Lynch, 2007, FLEXI-BOUND, 176 PAGES, $24.95
Photographer, naturalist and expedition leader Wayne Lynch weaves delightful tales of penguins, their habitats and habits, with hundreds of glorious full-color photographs. (Item no. ANT62)

The Crystal Desert. David Campbell, 2002, PAPER, 308 PAGES, $14.95
A splendid, prize-winning portrait of Antarctica. Campbell's vivid essays on fossils, glaciers, history and wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula are an excellent introduction to the area. (Item no. ANT01)

The Oceanites Site Guide to the Antarctic Peninsula. Ron Naveen, 2005, PAPER, 129 PAGES, $29.95
With its descriptions, maps and wonderful aerial photographs of visitor sites in the Antarctic Peninsula, this is the one book to carry on your voyage south. (Item no. ANT37)

Endurance, Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Alfred Lansing, 1998, PAPER, 280 PAGES, $14.95
An extraordinary tale of survival that reads like a good novel. It's the gripping day-by-day story of Shackleton's legendary perseverance: losing his ship in the ice, drifting helplessly across the Weddell Sea and finally reaching Elephant Island, from where he sailed 800 miles to get help for his stranded men. (Item no. ANT03)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea Map. British Antarctic Survey, 2005, MAP, $24.95
This is the map Antarctic-bound travelers have been waiting for: an authoritative, beautifully colored chart, covering the South Shetland Islands and northern Antarctic Peninsula at the very good scale of 1:1,000,000. (Item no. ANT129) We also carry a BAS Anvers Island and Brabant Island Map (Item no. ANT228, $24.95).

Satellite Image Map of Antarctica. USGS, MAP, $14.95
A beautiful, full-color photo poster of the Antarctic, created from composite satellite imagery. 40" X 56". (Item no. ANT82)

Antarctica Cruising Guide. Peter Carey, Craig Franklin, 2007, PAPER, 233 PAGES, $25.95
Superbly illustrated, this compact guide features an inviting roundup of favorite landing spots and scenic cruising grounds – In addition to an illustrated overview of Antarctic penguins, seabirds, seals and whales. With color photographs and just about everything you need to know by two Antarctic veterans. (Item no. ANT249)

Lonely Planet Antarctica. Jeff Rubin, 2005, PAPER, 340 PAGES, $24.99
A compact, surpisingly handy guide to Antarctica, featuring good information on planning a trip and a concise overview of history and nature. With an overview of popular visitor sites and and expert chapters on Antartcic science, conservation and wildlife. (Item no. ANT139) We also carry Lonely Planet Buenos Aires (Item no. ARG10, $17.99).

Antarctica, The Global Warning. Sebastian Copeland, Mikhail Gorbachev (Foreword), Leonardo di Caprio (Introduction), 2007, HARD COVER, 206 PAGES, $55.00
Copeland's atmospheric, full-page photographs of ice, mountains and sea are glorious – and his message of Antarctica as a barometer of climatic change is timely. (Item no. ANT255)

Life in the Freezer. David Attenborough, Ben Osbourne (Photographer), 1993, DVD, 224 PAGES, $14.98
This informative, stirring BBC documentary with David Attenborough, set largely along the Antarctic Peninsula, features amazing footage of the marine environment, penguins, birds and people of the Antarctic. (Item no. ANT88)

Escape from the Antarctic. Ernest Shackleton, 2007, PAPER, 90 PAGES, $10.00
Shacketon’s own account of his extraordinary 800-mile voyage to South Georgia. From South, The Endurance Expedition, published in 1919. (Item no. ANT256)

The Last Place on Earth, Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole. Roland Huntford, Paul Theroux (Introduction), 1999, PAPER, 576 PAGES, $15.95
Huntford's absorbing dual biography is a rousing tale. Clearly an admirer of Amundsen, Huntford interweaves the story of the two expeditions, contrasting Amundsen's well-planned campaign with Scott's many follies. (Item no. ANT100)

The Worst Journey in the World. Apsley Cherry-Garrard, 2006, PAPER, 573 PAGES, $18.00
One of the great tales of exploration, originally published in 1922. Cherry-Garrard's epic midwinter journey to an emperor penguin rookery is just a warm-up for the main event: his vivid account of Scott's doomed last expedition.
(Item no. ANT23)

The Ferocious Summer, Palmer’s Penguins and the Warming of Antarctica. Meredith Hooper, 2008, HARD COVER, 320 PAGES, $26.95
Hooper's dramatic, powerful tale shows the impact of rapid climate change through the story of seabird biologist Bill Fraser's work with a colony of Adelie Penguins at Torgersen Island. (Item no. ANT262)

The Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife. Hadoram Shirihai, Brett Jarrett (Illustrator), 2008, HARD COVER, 544 PAGES, $55.00
This splendidly illustrated, essential guide features color plates by Brett Jarrett of all the birds and marine mammals south of 40 degrees along with 900 color photographs, range maps and notes on visitor sites, weather conditions and conservation. Second edition. (Item no. ANT178)

Birds & Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantarctic & Falkland Islands. Frank Todd, 2004, PAPER, 138 PAGES, $29.95
A gorgeously illustrated, compact field guide, featuring superb color photographs of all the hard-to-identify seabirds and marine mammals of the Southern Ocean. (Item no. ANT213)