Icebound In The Arctic (eBook)

Captain Francis Crozier was a major figure in 19th century Arctic and Antarctic exploration who led the doomed Franklin Expedition's battle to survive against the odds. It is a compelling story which refuses to be laid to rest and recent discovery of his lost ships above the Arctic Circle gives it a new urgency.   The ships may hold vital clues to how two navy vessels and 129 men disappeared 170 years ago and why Crozier, in command after Franklin's early death, left the only written clue to the biggest disaster in Polar history. Drawn from historic records and modern revelations, this is the only comprehensive account of Crozier's extraordinary life. It is a tale of a great explorer, a lost love affair and an enduring mystery.   Crozier's epic story began comfortably in Banbridge, Co Down and involved six gruelling expeditions on three of the 19th century's great endeavours - navigating the North West Passage, reaching the North Pole and mapping Antarctica. But it ended in disaster.

Michael Smith is an authority on polar exploration who has appeared on TV and radio and lectured extensively. His books include: Icebound In The Arctic - The Mystery of Captain Francis Crozier and the Franklin Expedition, An Unsung Hero: Tom Crean; I Am Just Going Outside, a biography of Captain Oates; Polar Crusader about Sir James Wordie; Tom Crean - An Illustrated Life; Great Endeavour - Ireland's Antarctic Explorers; and Shackleton: By Endurance We Conquer. Michael is a former award-winning journalist with The Guardian and The Observer.