Two more I would recommend in addition to Lansing's that focus more on different specific aspects of that expedition are "Shackleton's Boat Journey" by Frank Worsley (who served as captain of Endurance) and "Shackleton's Heroes: The Epic Story of the Men Who Kept the Endurance Expedition Alive" by Wilson McOrist.

I think anyone with an interest in sailing or maritime navigation will appreciate Worsley's first-hand account of the crossing from Elephant Island to South Georgia in a modified lifeboat[0]. Worsley covers the subsequent crossing of South Georgia's mountainous interior in great detail as well.

And often left out from popular accounts is mention of the Ross Sea Party[1], who endured terrible conditions on the other side of the Antarctic continent to ensure that Shackleton and his crew would have had enough supplies to survive the final stretches coming from the other side of the continent.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_of_the_James_Caird

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Sea_party

"Shackleton's Forgotten Men" is a good book on the Ross Sea Party. I've spent a bit of time on the Ice and done some Southern Ocean sailing (neither in the same league as these early explorers, obviously), and think their story is at least on par with the Endurance side's.

"Shackleton's Argonauts" by Frank Hurley (photographer of Endurance) is another good one if you can find a copy.

Also in Spanish a very lovely, ambitious undertaking in graphic novel form:

https://www.luisbustos.es/Endurance

So cool! My nephews will love this. Thanks

The audiobook edition read by Simon Prebble is one of the best I've heard.

I'm glad someone mentioned this. It's an excellent narration of an excellent book.

I've been reading it to my son. It's got so many lessons on leadership, grit, foresight, courage etc. Very inspiring.

One thing that struck me was how sharp a judge of character Shackleton was. He picked the members of his crew after short or no interviews and was vindicated in his all his selections. That must have been a skill learned from time in the real world. Something which might be scorned on today for being biased or something else like that.

I wonder how many DE&I seminars he made his crew sit through.

Dunno. His crew wasn't exactly "diverse" nor was it expecting to be.

He was manipulative in certain ways though I think all those moves were part of his leadership style. He also had personality quirks which jeopardised the situation on more than one occasion. Lansings book mentions an incident where her refused to gather meat when it was available because of some misguided idea of interpreting caution as a form of surrender or weakness that was anathema to his character and ego. He pulled through of course but there are moments when even a few of the the most loyal members of his crew started to have second thoughts about his leadership. I've been reading the book to my young son. He thinks of Shackleton as a hero but was "angry" at him when I read the part about dropping the meat.

There’s also South!, an account of his voyage written by the man himself. It’s public domain now: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/ernest-shackleton/south

I recommend the 15 hour audio book for long travels https://naxosaudiobooks.com/south-unabridged/

And if you don't have the appetite for a whole book yet, the wikipedia article on the subject is quite well done https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Exped...

> "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Reminds me of some job openings.

Maximum age: 25. 10 years of direct polar exploration experience required, 20 years of direct polar exploration experience strongly preferred.

Followed by: "Searches for the original advertisement have proved unsuccessful, and the story is generally regarded as apocryphal."

It shows that "radical" endeavors and orgs have an easier way to find the right set of peoples. And I like the total bluntness of the job offering.

> And I like the total bluntness of the job offering.

It's right up there with:

You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED.

Minus the last phrase.

I came here to say the same. Wonderful book, historically accurate but reads like an adventure novel.

I read this a month ago. Excellent book. Incredible story.

I second that.