0016-7398/06/0002-0001/$00.20/0 © 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © The Royal Geographical Society with The Institute of British Geographers

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Reviews

S.A. Andrée: the Beginning of Polar Aviation1895–1897.

By G

ÜNTHER

S

OLLINGER

Moscow: Russian Academy of Sciences andInstitute for the History of Natural Sciences andTechnology, 2005, 720 pp, ISBN 5 900078 42 7

The story of Salomon August Andrée’s balloonexpedition in which he attempted to reach theNorth Pole is well known to those interested inthe history of Arctic exploration. On 11 July 1897Andrée and two companions, Nils Strindberg andKnut Frænkel, left Virgohamna in northwest Svalbardin the hydrogen balloon

Örnen

, the first attempt totravel by air in the polar regions. However, duringtake-off, parts of all three guide-ropes were lost,and a short while later the gondola dipped intothe bay nearby, requiring ballast to be thrown out.These incidents helped change the balloon froma relatively manageable mode of transport to oneunable to be controlled adequately. Some 65 hourslater, the three men landed on the ice 480 kilometresnorthwest of the launch site. After abandoning theballoon, they spent 76 days making an arduousjourney to Kvitøya in northeast Svalbard, where theysubsequently died. Knowledge of them disappeareduntil 1930, when the crew of the Norwegian ship

Braatvåg

discovered their last camp, complete withdiaries and photographs illuminating what hadhappened.

In the decades since the ‘full’ story of the expedi-tion was first told (Andrée

et al.

1931), Andrée hasbeen the central figure of most accounts of theexpedition, alternately being portrayed as visionary,heroic, reckless, or even suicidal. His pioneeringventure has more often than not been seen as aneffort toward the sensational rather than the scien-tific. Surprisingly, there has been comparatively littlewritten about the aeronautical aspects of the expe-dition (a notable exception being Wrakberg 1999),despite the balloon – or aerostat as it is called inthis book – being what initially garnered widespreadinterest in the expedition and then played thedecisive role in its outcome.

This impressive book fills the huge technologicalgap that has existed about Andrée’s expedition byputting it into the context of aeronautical knowledgeand theory of the time. Using a broader range ofsources than possibly any other work ever aboutthe expedition, it concentrates on the role of aero-nautics in its concept, planning, fund-raising,organization, and outcome. Concurrently, it gives

an incisive study of each key member of the expe-dition – including Nils Ekholm, who was scheduledto go with Andrée the previous year, when weatherconditions prevented a departure – and an in-depthexamination of the pre-expedition efforts, the failureof the 1896 attempt, and the ultimate disaster of 1897.The book includes a large and extremely helpfulsection of photographs, illustrations, and diagrams.

Solllinger’s book is a most impressive and valuableaddition to the literature about the expedition. Itnot only extends the basic level of knowledgeabout the venture, but also places it in the contextof the history of science and technology, whichallows new and significant assessments to be madeabout both Andrée and his expedition.

B

EAU

R

IFFENBURGH

,

Scott Polar Research Institute,University of Cambridge

References

Andrée S A, Strindberg N and Frænkel K

1931

The Andréediaries: being the diaries and records of S.A. Andrée,Nils Strindberg, and Knut Frænkel

Swedish Society ofAnthropology and Geography John Lane The BodleyHead, London

Wråkberg U

1999 Andrée’s folly: time for reappraisal?

Thecentennial of S.A. Andrée’s North Pole expedition

RoyalSwedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm 56–99

Into the Untravelled Himalaya – Travel, treks andClimbs.

By H

ARISH

K

APADIA

New Delhi: Indus Publishing, 2005, 256 pp npISBN 81 7387 181 7

The Himalaya have always lured the best adven-turers of the world, from early explorers and moun-taineers to modern-day trekkers and tourists, whoremain fascinated by the immense diversity of itslandscape, wildlife, the people and their culture.Even for a repeat visitor, the Himalaya offer oppor-tunities to do something not done before, exploresome place unique, experience the pure and ruggedform of adventure, and climb unnamed mountainsthat are not even on the most accurate andupdated maps.

Harish Kapadia, editor of the

Himalayan Journal

,and author of numerous books about treks and travailsin the Himalaya, writes about lesser-known andless-travelled places in the Indian Himalayas andbeyond. The book is divided into eight parts: Tibet,Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, Sikkim, Uttaranchal,

Reviews

351

© 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © The Royal Geographical Society with The Institute of British Geographers

Himachal Pradesh, East Karakoram and SiachenGlacier. Illustrated with numerous photographs,sketches, and maps, this book is a useful referencefor those interested in wandering away from thebeaten tracks, and into the remote mountains andvalleys in the Himalaya.

The book claims to be an insight into the Hima-layan areas, their history and people. While thebook is an important guide to the Himalaya, itdwells very lightly on the historical, political, socialand cultural influences in the region. Perhaps acritical discussion of historical antecedents andpolitical events should not be expected in adven-ture travel writing, and there is not much of this inthe book. Important historical and political events,for example, the union of Sikkim with India arereferenced in passing only (p 107). Similarly, theauthor asserts that with India’s support the king ofBhutan has become ‘all powerful’ (p 73), but thereis no mention of the effect of this power on themass exodus of Bhutanis of Nepali origins, many ofwhom are today languishing in various refugeecamps in Nepal. I was particularly disturbed by anaccount of Kapadia’s encounter with a Rimpochein Bhutan. Kapadia could not resist the temptationto photograph, at close range and without permis-sion, a Rimpoche in deep meditation (p 80). Thepurpose of a guide book should be not only todescribe a place, or people, but also to educatereaders, and especially would be travellers, aboutappropriate forms of host-guest interactions andvisitor behaviors.

Regardless of the above criticisms, this book ishighly readable, and would be a valuable source ofinformation for visitors who want to explore theHimalaya and its many secrets.

S

ANJAY

K N

EPAL

,

Texas A&M University,College Station

Mount Everest, The Reconnaissance 1935: ‘TheForgotten Adventure’.

By T

ONY

A

STILL

Les Alpes Livres, Southampton, 2005, 359 pp £30.00ISBN 0 9549201 0 4Available from author at alpes@supanet.com Tel:(44) (0) 2380293767

This book is a feast for mountain lovers whocrave exploration and Alpine-style ascents ofremote peaks. Bridging a gap in the Himalayanliterature, it recounts Eric Shipton’s 1935 ex-pedition with six others (including his life-longclimbing partner Bill Tilman and cartographerMichael Spender) to chart the Tibetan side of Everestand the unknown Nyönno Ri range to its east. Bythe 1930s, it was clear that reaching the top ofEverest must rest on careful consideration of high-altitude conditions, expedition logistics, and the

uncertain nature of acclimatization. Over fourmonths Shipton and his men marched through wildterritory – risking food shortage and desperatestorms – to ascertain whether snow conditionsduring the monsoon might permit safe passage atheights above 23 000 feet, as well as to find alter-native ascent routes besides the North Col used byprevious expeditions. The discovery of MauriceWilson’s body near Camp 3, the single-handedmapping of the mountain’s north face by Spender,Shipton’s glimpse into the Western Cwm, and thedrafting of young Tensing Norgay as ‘climbingsherpa’ for the first time, became entwined withthe complex events leading to triumph on Everesteighteen years later.

Handsome and scholarly, this book presents over100 original black-and-white photographs fromthe expedition, many of them unpublished. Andalthough it delivers a blow by blow account, theauthor lets his explorers speak through their diaryexcerpts, weaved together masterfully to bringout the sensitivities of their experience. Treadingsacred snows on high arêtes, wandering Tibet’sdesolation, and living off the country gave meaningto daily existence. Their hardships were understated,and when reading parts of the book, it is difficultfor one not to feel as hungry and cold as the men,or to feel satisfied as three of them gorged on 90eggs on arriving at a village.

I find an inseparable element of the story to beShipton’s contemplative mood, so characteristic inhis writings: ‘In these days . . . when the basic valuesof today are the vain and shattered dreams oftomorrow, there is much to be said for a philosophywhich aims at living a full life while the opportunityoffers . . . Such, after all, are the only possessionsof which no fate, no cosmic catastrophe candeprive us’. If his companions and he could live tosee the book, they would no doubt relish memoriesof those glorious days. Tony Astill’s book is anadmirable reconstruction of a forgotten journey,and I heartily recommend it to anyone drawn toexploration as a science, a pilgrimage, and areflection of human endurance.

F

ELIX

N

G

,

University of Sheffield

Nitrate, Agriculture and the Environment.

By T MA

DDISCOTT

Wallingford: CABI Publishing, 2005, 279 pp, ISBN0 85199 913 1

This interesting and timely publication describesthe state of knowledge of the sources and fates ofnitrate in the aquatic environment and in theatmosphere. It describes the phenomena from ascientific and economic point of view, and pointstowards clear and sustainable management solutions.