Bellingshausen and the Russian Antarctic Expedition, 1819-21

This book examines the little studied story of Bellingshausen, and includes the fullest biography of the celebrated Russian explorer ever published. By translating the official reports and other eye-witness documents from the first scientific expedition to the Antarctic of the nineteenth century, conducted 47 years after James Cook's pioneering venture in the 1770s, Bulkeley transports the reader onto HIMS Vostok, one of the most celebrated ships in the history of the Russian Navy. While her seamen marvel at the aurora and her astronomer is nearly blown overboard in a storm, her intrepid commander tacks his ship between the ice floes in zero visibility, with only the menacing sound of the breakers to guide him. The largely unknown history of the Bellingshausen voyage is comprehensively explored, with thoughtful discussion of the achievements and limitations of the expedition and suggestions for further research.

Author: R. Bulkeley
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Published: 03/25/2014
Pages: 276
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780230363267

About the Author
Rip Bulkeley lives in Oxford, UK, and has written studies of the arms race, the space race, and international scientific cooperation. He is a member of British Pugwash, the Hakluyt Society, and the History Expert Group of ICSU's Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. He has published several articles in Polar Record, and contributed to a recent History of the International Polar Years (Barr and Lüdecke, 2010).