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In Nansen's own words...
This is not my copy. This is an 1898 2nd UK edition, listed for a cool $700.00 at
So, I needed some comfort today after an afternoon doctor's appointment, for which I had to fast - and not drink any coffee all day! - so I stopped at my favorite used book store. There it was, Nansen's account - "the first unabridged edition since 1904" - of his attempt to be first to the North Pole! It was just sitting there, waiting for me, like a leopard on a tree branch. Fridtjof Nansen was the grand daddy of polar exploration in the heroic age. He loaned Fram to fellow Norwegian Roald Amundsen to use for his successful bid to be the first to the South Pole in 1911. Unlike the serious collector's only copy, mine cost $5.99.
No coffee? That would about kill me.
ReplyDeleteHow is the book? There is something neat about finding an old and largely forgot book, recounting the past. Kindles and Nooks are neat, but will never be able to replace that feeling of a rare find in used bookstores or garage sales.
It's in the front half of the queue but as of 29 February 2012 I'm halfway through "Potential: Workplace Violence Prevention and Your Organizational Success" by Bill Whitmore and "Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age" by Robert N. Bellah. I'll keep you posted.
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