Two against the ice, Amundsen and Ellsworth

By Theodore K. Mason

Subjects: Amundsen, roald, 1872-1928, Discovery and exploration, Explorers, Biography, South pole, Amundsen, roald, 1872-1928, juvenile literature

Description: On their first expedition together, Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth were trapped with four companions in the Arctic ice pack. Their two seaplanes had been forced down short of their objective, the North Pole. They were given up as lost. Amundsen, the controversial Norwegian explorer, had conquered the Northwest Passage and the South Pole. Ellsworth, son of a wealthy American industrialist, longed to emulate him. They became a team, two polar pioneers in search of the unknown. They were well suited to one another. Amundsen gave his American friend the benefit of his experience and the opportunity to realize his ambitions. Ellsworth provided the money Amundsen desperately needed. After they escaped from the Arctic icepack, the two proceeded to fly across the top of the world in a dirigible. Later, after Amundsen’s tragic death, Ellsworth went on to become an important polar explorer in his own right. The author, who has been in the Antarctic many times, has researched his subjects thoroughly and writes realistically about polar exploration.