Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night

Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton is a wonderful non-fiction account of the ill-fated 1897 expedition – the first ever to winter in the Antarctic region – which chronicles approximately two years in which the crew of the Norwegian-built Belgica faced a bleak prospect after becoming trapped in the ice. Insanity, death, cabin fever and a fear of starvation blighted the expedition, with several men succumbing to the symptoms of scurvy. The events are so well described by Sancton that one can’t fail to be impressed by such hardships these men had to endure, and we gain an admiration for their powerful survival instincts and resourcefulness. Among its members were Roald Amundsen and Frederick Cook, explorers who would later attempt their own conquests of the North and South Poles. The description of the events are gathered from first-hand accounts – this was an expedition where a large amount of the crew kept detailed journals, as well as exclusive access to the ship’s logbook – and it tells a compelling story. I have read several books on the subject of polar voyages or shipping disasters in extreme areas of the world – The HMS Terror and Erebus are examples of similar doomed expeditions - but this book is the most detailed and the one that really offers a clear understanding of the fear and hardships these men were forced to harbour and endure. What is conveyed most strongly in the book is the personalities of those involved – Amundsen and Cook and the commander, Adrien de Gerlache – and we get a wonderful insight into these men’s characters and get to understand what drove them. Frederick Cook, in particular, ended up with the most tarnished reputation after accusations of him falsifying his later exploration achievements and his involvement in a fraud case relating to the start-up of some oil companies and his subsequent imprisonment. It reads almost as a thriller. The early section of the book draws all the characters together and shows us their backstories and motivations. It paints a strong picture of what life was like at that time. Then, as the expedition progresses, events take on a sinister turn when the captain makes the fateful decision to sail on, into the ice pack, in an effort to chase glory and fame, but also risking the lives of the crew at the same time. And the vessel did indeed get stuck in the ice. With winter drawing in, during a time where sunlight would not appear for many months, the men were forced to endure such a torrid time that even today, NASA's experts planning far-long space exploration flights, use the studies gathered from this voyage as evidence of what extreme isolation can do to the human mind and body. It's simultaneously terrifying and fascinating. This really is a terrific book, one that will appeal to historians as well as those who enjoy thrillers. The writing is accessible and the nautical terminology easy to understand, and it's rare for non-fiction to be such a page-turner, but Madhouse at the End of the Earth manages to satisfy on every level. Highly recommended.

The Belgica expedition. As an avid enthusiast of the 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration this Belgian/Norwegic/American expedition was something left to explore as it had always been mentioned as an example of how a ship's crew can lose their sanity when trapped for many months in the Antarctic winter. Fairly well written it gives a valuable insight into Frederick Cook and a young Roald Amundsen, and their strength of character in such adverse conditions. Worth the read.

Fantastically well-written, it effortlessly blends the well-researched historical fact into the story of the expedition. It gives an excellent sense of how it must have felt and has interesting descriptions of the other arctic/antarctic expeditions of the time to put it all in context. Thoroughly recommended!

There was a time around the early 2000's where I would devour any book I could get may hand on regarding exploration. It is still an oeuvre that has appeal and I picked up this book as I knew nothing about the Belgian expedition to the Antartic led by de Gerlache in 1897/98. It is a good story and it was fascinating to learn about the American docter Frederick Cook and Roald Amundsen's first polar experience. Both characters effectively saved the expedition after their ship The Belgica was captured by the ice but this book reads like a thriller because of the fact many of the crew were plagued by a mystery illness. The excitement mounts as the expedition starts to unravel after some really poor decisions by de Gerlache nearly condemned the team to an icey fate. This book is fast-paced and a terrific read. It was a disaster and ultimately resulted in a stroke of luck to release the captive crew. I felt that this account revealed an exercise in how not to do things yet, as it transpires, the lessons learned pathed the way for Amundsen's future success. The seemingly endless chain of poor decisions and bad luck ensures that this tale remains on a knife-edge. This is a book which sheds like onto a little known area of history whilst keeping the reader gripped. I thought this was a fantastic read.

I'm currently reading everything and anything to do with polar expeditions, so naturally I had to read this. It has all the elements of a gripping story: a crew stuck in the ice pack, overwintering in some of the harshest, most inhospitable circumstances in the world, who slowly get sicker both in mind and body. Julian Sancton's research is exhaustive yet there is still a good balance with the more personal side of the main characters, which is essential for a captivating read. From the moment the boat set sail, it was obvious that this was a doomed mission - how on earth they managed as well as they did for so long is incredible considering everything that went wrong along the way. De Gerlache is the expedition leader, but he starts to fade into background during the perils of overwintering, as he succumbs to the effects of scurvy and his other officers - Lecointe, Amundsen, and Cook - must step up to the plate to try to save as many of the crew as possible. As I read this, I thought that both the Arctic and Antarctic really do not want mankind to darken their doorsteps - understandably, considering our track record of ruining the planet. If mankind has any delusions of grandeur, the ultimate crushing power of nature should set the record straight.

I didn't think I would get interested in this book as I know nothing about ships or sailing. However once I started reading I couldn't put it down. The author is highly knowledgeable yet manages to convey technical details in a way that is very interesting and easy to understand for the general reader. The nightmare that was the trip of the Belgica has all the makings of a gripping film or TV series.

南極ベルギーの探検家ジェラルーシュ(Adrien de Gerlache)率いる南極探検の物語．1897年8月にベルギーを出発した帆船Belgicaは，翌年2月に南極海に達したが，氷海に閉じ込められて1年の越冬を余儀なくされ，1899年11月に帰国した．結果的には，目的とする磁極に達することはできず失敗に終わったが，その後1911年に史上初の南極点到達を果たすノルウェーのアムンゼン(Roald Amundsen)が隊員として参加しており，その成功にはここで得た経験が大いに役立った．中でも，出発直前に加わったアメリカ人医師クック(Frederick Albert Cook)の活躍が克明に描かれている．以前に北極圏遠征の経験があるクックは，医師としてだけでなく，科学知識を総動員して創意工夫をこらして極地での生存方法を編みだし数々の難局を乗り切り，アムンゼンもクックに全面的な信頼を寄せ，その交流は生涯にわたって続いた． 越冬中には食糧不足から，ほとんど全員が壊血病にかかり，精神的，肉体的ストレスから精神異常を来す隊員も続出した．タイトルの madhouse はこのような悲惨な状況をさしている．2年目の夏，融氷を待って脱出するはずが天候不順のために融氷せず，手作業で氷盤を割って水路を確保して脱出するという超人的な作戦を成功させた．壊血病の治療はもとより，この脱出作戦にも，冷静沈着なクックの存在が重要な役割をはたしている． 南極探検といえばアムンゼンとスコットの競争が有名であるが，それ以前にこのような探検行があったこと，クックという知られざるヒーローがいたことを知ることができる貴重な一冊である．巻末には，隊員それぞれのその後の動静が極地探検の歴史とともに相応のページを割いて述べられている．この探検行で，筆舌に尽くしがたい壮絶な経験をし，何度も死に直面したジェルラーシュ，アムンゼン，クックがいずれもその後，極地探検に二度，三度と乗り出して行ったことは驚嘆に値する．あれほどの悲惨な体験をしたら，南極など二度と見たくないと思うのが普通ではないだろうか．探検家というのはそういうものなのかも知れないが，現在の我々の知識はこのような人々の想像を絶する不屈の精神力に大きく負うところがあることを再認識させられた．

A compelling story. It sounds heroic and exciting to be the first to explore the ends of the earth, but the reality was something quite different. I think that its fair to say that these explorers were not well prepared psychologically for spending the long summer night trapped in a constantly shifting ice field. In fact, that wasn't the original plan but the expedition leader, willing to take risks for a shot at glory, sealed their fate by heading south when perhaps they should have headed north to home. The books is very well written- it make the reader feel that they are right in with the sailors. Also, the ship was manned by a very interesting team. Real life is more exciting than fiction! Two people, an ambitious doctor and a famous explorer in waiting, Raold Amundsen, kept the expedition alive when most of the crew, including the leader were suffering from scurvy, depression and apathy. I recommend it- it portrays a unique experience from an earlier time! The closest contemporary equivalent experience might be exploration of the Moon or a planet.

A detailed and evocative account of an Antarctic misadventure. It allows the tale to unfold on its own terms and sticks to its narrative without ascribing motives or liabilities that cannot accurately be determined at this remove. However, the characters are drawn with compassion and fleshed out with reasonable supposition. The writing is brisk and professional. Early Antarctic explorers were bold and hardy...and sometimes foolish.

A very well-written book that tells a powerful story of misadventure and high drama in the Antarctic. It paints a vivid picture of the passion for exploration in the late 19th century and the wild risks that sailors were prepared to take in order to make a name for themselves. Reading this book is like stepping 125 years back in time and living the lives of the explorer-adventurers of that era. Highly recommended 😊👍

Esse é um daqueles livros que te transportam para uma outra realidade no espaço e no tempo. A maneira como o autor faz com que você se sinta no extremo do planeta, quase que sentindo o gelo ao seu redor é incrível. Neste livro, como na guerra, você encontra o melhor e o pior do ser humano contado através das situações vividas pela tripulação. Recomendo a todos que gostam de estórias bem contadas de resistência e desafios e querem um sentir um gosto, mesmo que na segurança da sua poltrona, da excitação de uma aventura fascinante.