Magnetic
Erebus and Terror and The Last Great Voyage of the Age of Sail
Will be published approx. on 16. February 2027
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-300-28285-6 (ISBN)
Description
The compelling story of the James Clark Ross expedition to the Antarctic
In 1839 James Clark Ross set out to unravel the mysteries of the Earth's magnetic field and disclose the secrets of the Antarctic. In command of two former warships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, he traversed the south polar regions for four years. By the expedition's end, he and his crews had seen for the first time some of the most astounding sights this world has to offer.
Stewart Weaver traces the story of the last long voyage of discovery under sail. He shows how Ross and other nineteenth century thinkers strove to understand why compass needles pointed north, why the magnetic poles were constantly moving and what lay at the southernmost latitudes of the earth. Weaver shows how efforts to answer longstanding scientific questions led to an unexpected encounter with a whole new continent: Antarctica.
This is the fascinating story of explorer-scientists striving to make their mark at the end of the Age of Sail, at the very moment of transition between the old world and the new.
In 1839 James Clark Ross set out to unravel the mysteries of the Earth's magnetic field and disclose the secrets of the Antarctic. In command of two former warships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, he traversed the south polar regions for four years. By the expedition's end, he and his crews had seen for the first time some of the most astounding sights this world has to offer.
Stewart Weaver traces the story of the last long voyage of discovery under sail. He shows how Ross and other nineteenth century thinkers strove to understand why compass needles pointed north, why the magnetic poles were constantly moving and what lay at the southernmost latitudes of the earth. Weaver shows how efforts to answer longstanding scientific questions led to an unexpected encounter with a whole new continent: Antarctica.
This is the fascinating story of explorer-scientists striving to make their mark at the end of the Age of Sail, at the very moment of transition between the old world and the new.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
25 color illus. + 4 maps
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-300-28285-6 (9780300282856)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Stewart Weaver is professor of history at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, and the author of several books including Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes (with Maurice Isserman) and Exploration: A Very Short Introduction.