Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue

Award-winning Levy (Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk) details how polar airships replaced dogsled teams in Arctic exploration in the early decades of the 20th century. These were dangerous missions made possible through developments in engineering and technology, but expeditioners still risked losing their lives and limbs. This book focuses on the expeditions of three men—Walter Wellman, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile—who raced to reach the North Pole. Representing the U.S., Norway, and Italy, these explorers became international celebrities due to daily media coverage of their journeys. Levy shows that their successes were built on the work of supporters and competitors, such as Chester Melvin Vaniman, Robert Peary, Frederick Cook, and Frank Purdy Lahm. But Wellman, Amundsen, and Nobile also faced many physical and mental hardships during their expeditions as they watched their fame, fortunes, and reputations rise and fall repeatedly.