Item #22558 The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. Sir Douglas Mawson.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.
The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.

The Home of the Blizzard. Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914.

Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1915. First American edition. Hardcover. This is the prized first American edition with the silver decoration on front cover and printed from the same sheets as lst UK edition printed by Heinemann the same year.

Mawson's tale is one of the great stories of survival of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. Exploring with Ninnis & Mertz in 1912, Ninnis was lost down a crevasse. With him went the 6 fittest dogs & the most indispensable supplies. Mertz & Mawson improvised, feeding the dogs worn out mitts & rawhide straps, but eventually the weakest dogs were killed to feed them all, until all the dogs were gone. The two men reserved the dog's livers as the meat easiest to chew, unaware that liver's toxins were slowly poisoning the men as they consumed it. Mertz became delirious and died. Mawson continued, the soles of his feet separating and his toes and fingers festering. Miraculously he found a depot of food, and arrived eventually at the main depot, to see the ship departing on the horizon. He wintered over with the 6 men who had remained to continue the search. On Dec. 24, 1913 their 2 year journey was finally over.

Small 4to, 2 vols, 349 pp & 338 pp, 224 ills., 37 ills. in text, and 3 folding maps. Original blue buckram with silver title, the secondary binding. Spine extremes & corners very lightly rubbed. Inner hinge vol 2 is partly cracked but strong, the silver gilt at spine a bit rubbed. Silver gilt illustration at front boards pops out at you, light edge rubbing both volumes.
Foredge uncut. Otherwise a very good+ copy, remarkably bright and clean. Spence 773. Item #22558

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