By Roald Amundsen

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, 1927. First Edition (stated), First Printing. 8vo – 23.5cm., (6), 282pp.; Appendix: Refutation of Various Points in Nobile’s Lectures in America; Indexed; Publisher’s royal blue cloth with bright gilt titles on cover and spine; photographic front-piece of the “Gjoa”, two full-page maps and one sketch. No prior ownership markings, no foxing, folds or teara. A Fine copy with clean, crisp, off-white pages, tight hinges; a complete copy in rare, unclipped dust jacket. Most likely one of the first copies off-the-press with original Publisher’s Review slip tipped in. Arguably the best copy you may ever come across. Dust jacket has minor conservation to spine ends, minor soil, bit of rubbing to extremities, else looks Very Good in protective acetate wrapper. Arctic Bibliography 398, Spence 25, Rosove 11.A.

Amundsen’s autobiography covers his career from his earliest memories reading of Sir John Franklin’s expeditions, which inspired him to become a polar explorer. He served in the Army and spent much time on long skiing trips in Norway. Amundsen’s polar expeditions are presented in chronological order to include: the voyage of the ‘Belgica’ to the Antarctic under Adrien de Gerlach’s in 1897-99; the conquest of the Northwest Passage in the Ghost; the voyage of the ‘Fram’ to the Antarctic and the dash to the South Pole in 1911. Amundsen sent Scott a secret cablegram saying that he planned on competing with him, thus Scott was aware of what his rival was up to. Succeeding chapters cover the voyage of the ‘Maud’ through the Northeast Passage over Siberia in 1918. Amundsen’s arctic flight in 1925 with Lincoln Ellsworth in the Dornier Wal seaplanes N-24 and N-25 was a near-death experience. When the planes landed on the ice in 88 degrees North, one was wrecked. The crews returned in the other, but only barely as their plane ran out of fuel shortly after clearing the pack ice.

Amundsen also reveals the inside story on the flight of the dirigible ‘Norge’ to the North Pole in 1926. His impression of Umberto Nobile, the pilot, who, he said, often had a dazed look in his eye, and nearly crashed the airship on several occasions, hinting the Italian was on some sort of narcotic. Typically amiable and good-natured, Amundsen was openly critical of others when he felt they deserved it. He takes issue with Stefansson, criticized his “Friendly Arctic”, calling it “likely to give dangerous ideas to inexperienced explorers”. In the final chapter Amundsen explains in detail the journey to the South Pole and back where he and his men erected 150 snow beacons, nine miles apart to 81 degrees South, thus enabling them to stay on course and save valuable time finding their supply depots.

$900.00 -