Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance

“Just imagine yourself in the most hostile place on earth. It’s not the Sahara or the Gobi Desert. It’s not the Arctic. The most hostile place on earth is the Antarctic, the location of the South Pole.”

In the opening sentences of the Preface, Armstrong emphasizes how turbulent the weather is in the Antarctic, where Shackleton and his crew are headed. By naming other areas where the climate can be intense and unforgiving, she demonstrates that the Antarctic is even worse by comparison. The Preface sets up the tone for the rest of the book by making clear that Shackleton and his crew are about to face the most treacherous elements in the world.

“There was no going back, for Shackleton. He had found his true calling.”

After Shackleton goes to Antarctica for the first time in 1901 aboard Captain Robert F. Scott’s Discovery, he is forever changed. From then on, his sights are set on returning to Antarctica and achieving new milestones. He is a natural explorer, and after 1901, Antarctic becomes his only intended destination.

“But whatever their experience, whether North Sea trawler-hand or Cambridge University scientist, they knew they were in for the adventure of a lifetime.”

After Shackleton raises money for his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, he assembles a crew of 28 men. They come from many different backgrounds and stations in life. However, they are all united in the shared sense that the trek to Antarctica will be life changing.