ROMANCE

The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen

by Stephen Bown
Da Capo. 2012. c.368p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780306820670. $26. SCI
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Bown (Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600—1900) presents a great new biography of Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872–1928), one of the most famous explorers of the Heroic Age of Exploration. Amundsen beat Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole, led the first expedition to reach the North Pole, took the first ship through the Northwest Passage, led the first expedition to traverse the North Pole (Spitzbergen to Alaska) in an airship, and was the first to try to reach the North Pole by airplane. This biography draws mostly from Amundsen's books about his expeditions as well as his diaries.
VERDICT Well written and enjoyable, the book uses ample quotes from Amundsen to give readers a sense of the man. However, Bown adds nothing new to the information already in print. A great title for collections that don't own Amundsen's own books or previous biographies, this volume is recommended for readers high school-age and up who are interested in polar exploration.
Reviewed by Betty Galbraith, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman , Dec 21, 2012
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