Mary R. Tahan – författare

This book is an analytical account of how Roald Amundsen used sledge dogs to discover the South Pole in 1911, and is the first to name and identify all 116 Polar dogs who were part of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1912. The book traces the dogs from their origins in Greenland to Antarctica and beyond, and presents the author’s findings regarding which of the dogs actually reached the South Pole, and which ones returned.

This historic tale sheds light on Antarctic exploration history and the human-nature relationship. It gives recognition to the significant role that animals played in this important part of history.

This book documents the return of the surviving sled dogs of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1912 from Antarctica, where they had helped Roald Amundsen become the first human to reach the South Pole. This book is the sequel to the highly acclaimed Roald Amundsen’s Sled Dogs: The Sledge Dogs Who Helped Discover the South Pole. It chronicles how the sled dogs were used internationally to further promote the expedition’s great achievement and follows some of the dogs as they undertake subsequent expeditions – with Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911–1914, which made scientific discoveries, and with Arve Staxrud’s Norwegian Arctic Rescue Mission of 1913, which saved members of the Herbert Schröder-Stranz German Arctic Expedition. The book tracks the remaining 39 sled dogs to their next challenging adventures and their final destinations in Argentina, Norway, Antarctica, and Australia.

Like its predecessor, the book portrays how Amundsen continued to utilize the Polar dogs – both in their lives and in their deaths – to propel his career and solidify his expedition''s image.

Featuring the previously unpublished diary of José María Sobral, Under-Lieutenant of the Argentine Navy, this book provides insight on his life and his participation in Otto Nordenskjöld''s Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1903.

This biography highlights Sobral''s personal thoughts on the mission, his position, the science being discovered, and the geopolitical situation around him. The reader also learns about the state of science, Antarctic exploration, and cultural-political-issues at that time. 

The author''s critical and contextual analysis of the diary explains more about Sobral and his role in Argentina, Antarctica, science and history. This paints a detailed picture of Sobral as an individual, and provides the framework to depict the world in which Sobral lived and worked as well as his expedition and accomplishments. The book aims to explain the context of Sobral''s writings, the significance of the events he described in his diary entries, and the wayall of these events tied into history and scientific discovery.