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Polar bibliophiles, librarians and readers will be familiar with the three handsome facsimile volumes of the first Antarctic newspaper, published in 1907 and 1914 and edited in turn by E. Shackleton, L.C. Bernacchi and A. Cherry-Garrard during the National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904 and the British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913. These expeditions were led by Captain R.F. Scott R.N. in Discovery and Terra Nova respectively. From S.Y. Discovery, beset for two winters in the ice of McMurdo Sound were made the first extensive sledge journeys into the interior of the Antarctic continent, including the great ice sheet or plateau. These were further prolonged, following Shackleton's Nimrod expedition, while the pursuit of science during both Scott expeditions led to the publication in London of two monumental sets of scientific and geographical results, plus new charts and maps.
During the lightless Antarctic winters, boredom and melancholy (if there were any!) were kept at bay by contributions from officers, scientists and men to what became known as The South Polar Times. A precedent for these efforts, both serious and full of fun, had been set in the Arctic during the 19th century by the Royal Naval exploring expeditions, from the 1820's to the 1870's. On the return of ships and men to the British Isles, a number of these amateur literary productions were published in London, at the wish mainly of families and friends.
Four winters were passed on Ross Island by the Scott expeditions, yet only three facsimiles were published after their return. Regarding these three published volumes it is interesting that members of the lower...