MAWSON, Sir Douglas. The Home of the Blizzard. Being The Story Of The Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. London: William Heinemann. 1915.
Two volumes, royal 8vo. Original blue cloth, image of Webb leaning into the wind blocked in silver to upper boards, lettered in gilt to upper covers and spines; pp. xxx, 349; xiii, 338; photogravure frontispiece to each volume, numerous photographic plates including some double-page and some after colour photographs, illustrations to text, 3 large folding maps to rear pocket of volume two; very minor rubbing to extremities, inner hinges of volume two strengthened, a little spotting to beginning of this volume, lists of plates ticked in pencil, otherwise a very attractive set.
First edition. The narrative of an expedition led by Mawson to explore the area of Antarctica facing Australia. The expedition in the Aurora left Hobart on 2nd December 1911, and Mawson and 19 men were landed on 8th January on the Western end of Adélie Land. In the spring Mawson and two companions undertook a sledge journey with dogs over the ice cap, during which one of the party and a sledge containing most of the food disappeared down a crevasse. After suffering terrible privations, only Mawson succeeded in reaching the winter quarters. One outstanding feature of this book is the superior photography by Frank Hurley, who had been the first to use colour photography in Antarctica.
Conrad p. 208; Rosove 217.A1a (noting that the Philadelphia issue of the sheets was published shortly before the London issue); Spence 774; Taurus 100.
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