In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette

I cannot appreciate this book enough. Never have I seen such an amazing telling of some of America's greatest forgotten heroes. Hampton Sides has completely outdone himself.

5 starsJames Gordon Bennett is newspaper owner who specializes in the outrageous and not altogether true stories.Captain George Washington DeLong made his name for a daring attempt made to reach survivors of a ship that was destroyed by ice in the Arctic when he was still a Lieutenant in the US Navy. The Arctic got into his blood, something that surprised him, and he spent several years studying and plotting to get back there – but as the captain of his own expedition this time.Bennett becomes very interested in the Arctic and agrees to fund DeLong’s expedition to the North Pole. They consult the latest maps and scientific data. They meet with the eminent scientists of the day and gather data that is suspect by today’s standards. (From our point of view we can see that some of the ideas put forth at the time were outrageous at best and some of them were downright dangerous. )Before they set sail on July 8, 1879, DeLong is ordered by his superiors at the US Navy to check on a fellow explorer at Bennett’s behest. DeLong is furious for he knows the other explorer is not yet overdue and most likely is fine. But he must follow orders, so he takes the time to look for the other man’s party. He misses him by a mere week, but of course doesn’t know it. He finally gets the work from some native Alaskans that they have seen him and he had sailed away already. DeLong has lost some time and fears the worst.As they head north through the Bering Strait, they find their first trouble. DeLong and the rest of the crew (for the most part), take their difficulties in their stride. The thirty-two men seem to get along fine aside from some petty jealousies and rivalries.The Jeanette was to spend several months trapped in the ice pack. The men kept up their spirits though, and there was some game – polar bears, seals and such – that came close enough to the ship that the crew was served occasional fresh meat. An island was spotted that caused much excitement. Some of the crew came down with lead poisoning. (How they kept up their spirits in all this is beyond me. It was a sure testament to the human drive to thrive.)With the breaking up and sinking of the Jeannette, all thirty-three men took to the ice along with their dogs. DeLong had been anticipating it for some time, so they had sufficient time to offload the most important items for the long trek ahead of them.What follows is a story filled with horror, hardship and severe privation. My heart goes out to the brave men who undertook this expedition knowing very well what might lay in store for them.This book is excellently written. Mr. Sides gives a detailed explanation of the search for and refurbishing of the Pandora, soon to become the Jeannette. He fully describes and illustrates all of the main characters, Delong, Bennett, Petermann and several men of the crew and officers. His research must have been exhaustive. Very well done and I recommend this book to anyone interested in arctic exploration, adventure or just for a very good read.

On July 8, 1879 the USS Jeanñette, under the command of George W. De Long, sailed from San Francisco Harbor bound for the Bering Strait and the Polar Ocean north of the Arctic Circle. Her mission was to explore and chart the little known waters north the Siberian Coast in order to verify, or invalidate, the "Open Polar Sea" theory and to determine if the newly discovered Wrangle Island was, in fact, part of much larger land mass, an unknown continent, stretching all the way to the North Pole. I really enjoyed this amazing book, it was by turn; engrossing, terrifying and impossible to put down! "In The Kingdom Of Ice" is my first book by historian Hampton Sides and he does not disappoint. Not a History Text Book but an "Historical Narrative" that is both well written and well researched. Using newspaper accounts, personal logs, official documents and family letters, Sides gives the reader an intimate look into the lives and adventures of these intrepid explorers. The first part of the book is mostly background material on the principle characters and the society that they lived in. Besides De Long and his team you will meet the famous scientist and newspaper men of the mid 19th Century. While the expedition was under US Navy command it was mostly funded by the wealthy newspaper mogul Gordon Bennett who had previously backed the Stanley and Livingston rescues mission. You will also get to know De Long's wife and her point of view as expressed in her personal letters written to her husband during his harrowing expedition. More than a sea adventure this amazing book documents what men will go through just to survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. The Jeanñette was trapped in frozen sea-ice for over two years and her supplies of food and fresh water were running out. Keeping warm was a never ending struggle as the stores of coal, heating oil and even wood to burn were slowly being exhausted. Then, an unexpected turn of events changed everything and suddenly the good Captain and crew were out of options. Now, to survive, they must somehow get away from the ice-pack, fight their way through treacherous sea-ice and navigate over a thousand miles of storm tossed Arctic Ocean before they could make landfall on one of the planet's coldest and most hostile coastlines: Siberia. For this final voyage they would need The Jeanñette's three surviving "life boats" and all the supplies they could carry. From here on out there would be no turning back, no second chances. But, even if they did somehow manage to make landfall, their prospects for survival would still be bleak. Just finding human settlements in this sparsely populated land would be hard enough and living "off the land" would also prove difficult. "In The Kingdom Of Ice" is a great read and a real "page turner". I think that anyone with an interest in American History and the early days of exploration should get a kick outta reading it. I know I did! I had no technical or downloading problems with this Kindle Edition. I also compared the print edition to the e-reader format and found them equitable. The book's maps and archival photos are included on the Kindle, in fact there are several "bonus" pictures added in. The only negative I could see was that both editions lacked a "cross reference index".Last Ranger

WOW! That book was a real thriller. I seriously had to keep stopping myself from turning to the end to see what happened to everyone. I couldn't stop reading it. Hampton Sides has really perfected his craft. The book was really well written, the characters had depth, and the story just flowed. It's hard not to have tears in your eyes at some parts. If you like adventure stories, than this one will not disappoint. This book proves the cliche that "Life is stranger than fiction."On that note, anyone who reads this has to wonder if the voyage of the USS Jeanette was worth the sacrifice and hardship. Certainly, there was a lot of noble thought, but in the end, how much was gained? It's hard to tell.There is a lot to thin about here. I would highly recommend.

What a fantastic account of another tragic effort to triumph in the polar regions..Well written by Hampton Sides..The engineer Melville was indeed a shining example of selflessness that shone through in the story of the USS Jeannette.....What a read..

This magnificent piece of historical exploration is so well written I felt like I was part of the crew. The exceptional attention to detail is very much what makes this book so good. Well done to the author, brilliant work!

Probably one of the best exploration and even adventure books I have ever read. Well researched, very well written - in fact almost qualifies as "unputdownable".Gives few clues as to the fate of the characters until near the end of the book so maintains its interest in the outcome of their unbelievable journey. Reminded me of Shackleton's boat journey. Very highly recommended.

I've had my eye on this book for years. Finally got round to reading it. Happy to report that it was not a disappointment. An enthralling saga, and a staggering feat of historical writing.