In the Kingdom of Ice

I never would have picked up this book to read, but it was sent to me as part of my First Editions Book Club and I trust the club's selections so thought I would give it a try. I have no interest in the North Pole or expeditions to the North Pole and I've never found the late 19th Century to hold my interest despite the fact I love history generally. Despite all that, I was caught up in the adventure and keep finding myself sharing tidbits from the story of the Jeanette with my husband, days after I finished the book. It's rather thick and I was almost finished with it when I had to leave for the airport for a short trip with only carry-on luggage. I hated to take the extra bulk and weight of the book knowing I'd probably finish it before the plane even took off, but I couldn't bear not to take it and know the end. So I did, and it was worth it.

These men a generation after the Civil War seemed to itch to find something glorious to do in light of the fact that many of their fathers had fought bravely in the war. And America was in an exciting time of invention, with the World's Fair in the US and inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison working on exciting projects. I still don't really understand the fascination with the North Pole and can't imagine venturing there in the conditions these men faced, knowing they'd be locked into ice packs for at least part of the trip, and taking themselves to a world where reaching safety would mean finding the northern most reaches of Siberia. For a place as forlorn as Siberia to be the place of safety is a scary thought, and to go into such cold, ice-bound, forbidding, unmapped regions holds no interest to me, but reading about the efforts of the men on the Jeanette did help me understand how others could want to seek out such adventures.

All in all, I highly recommend it!