The Worst Journey in the World (1922) - Apsley Cherry-Garrard Audiobook

Written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Read by Simon Vance
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: November 9, 2004
Duration: 20:06:58

This gripping story of courage and achievement is an account of Robert Falcon Scott’s last fateful expedition to the Antarctic, as told by surviving expedition member Apsley Cherry-Garrard. Cherry-Garrard tells of the journey from England to South Africa and southward to the ice floes, where began the unforgettable polar journey across a forbidding and inhospitable region. On November 12, 1912, in arctic temperatures, Cherry-Garrard, in a search party, found the bodies of Scott and his companions, along with their poignant last notebook entries, some of them recorded in this work.
Among Cherry-Garrard’s friends and admirers were John Galsworthy, H.G. Wells, Arnold Bennett, and Bernard Shaw. His background in the arts and humanities makes The Worst Journey in the World stand out as a literary accomplishment as well as a classic in the annals of exploration.

In 1910-1912, the author, as a young scientist, accompanied explorer Robert Scott on his doomed journey to Antarctica. Rather than go for the Pole with the leader, Cherry-Garrard undertook his own harrowing journey in search of Emperor penguins. Only when Scott and his party failed to return did he go after them and ultimately find their bodies. Simon Vance does what he can to enliven the lengthy text full of descriptions and scientific detail. Early on, he vocally recreates shipboard life; he also picks up on Cherry-Garrard’s dry sense of humor, stiff-upper-lip approach to adversity, and appreciation for nature, the dogs and ponies on whom the expedition depended, and the polar landscape. Quotes from Scott’s journals and other sources pepper the text but might confuse the listener, as they are only credited when finished. Among the book’s poignant passages are those critical of the way the expedition was organized and funded. National Geographic’s “Adventure” magazine named this as the #1 adventure book of all time. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004,