Narrative of a Voyage to the Polar Sea During 1875 - 6 in H M Ships Alert and Discovery With Notes on the Natural History

The British Vice-Admiral and Arctic explorer Sir George Nares (1831-1915) received several honours for his contributions to science, including a fellowship of the Royal Society. He attended the Royal Naval School, New Cross, before joining the service in 1845. After a varied early career and the successful Challenger scientific expedition in the Atlantic, he took command of the British Arctic expedition of 1875-6. The expedition's attempt, led by second-in-command, Albert Markham, to reach the North Pole by dog-sled set a new record for the farthest distance north achieved. This two-volume popular account was published in 1878. Volume 1 describes the outward journey, including the discovery of the route later called Nares Strait. Volume 2 includes the perilous return journey, and extensive scientific appendices written by H. W. Feilden. Nares' official report, and Markham's own account, are also published in the Cambridge Library Collection.