The Grip of the Ice: Scott, Shackleton and Survival in the Frozen Frontier

The gripping untold story of Britain’s first Antarctic expedition ― a daring journey that launched the legendary careers of Scott and Shackleton.

Before Robert Falcon Scott’s tragic race to the South Pole and Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Endurance, there was Discovery, the expedition that began it all. Discovery was Britain’s first Antarctic expedition, where Scott, Shackleton and their crew battled scurvy, starvation and the brutal Antarctic wilderness in an audacious push further south than any human had gone before. But this is more than a tale of adventure.

Through the lives of twelve expedition members, historian Ed Armston-Sheret unearths a forgotten story of heroism, science, imperial ambition and the harsh realities of survival. With fresh insights drawn from diaries, letters and archival materials, The Grip of the Ice sheds new light on how this little-known expedition shaped British culture and Antarctic exploration for generations to come.

Timed for the 125th anniversary of the voyage, this is history at its most exhilarating – an essential read for lovers of adventure and exploration.

Ed Armston-Sheret is a historian of exploration and an IHR Fellow at the School of Advanced Studies, University of London. Between 2022 and 2024 he was the Alan Pearsall Fellow in Naval and Maritime History at the Institute of Historical Research. He also works in the Research and Higher Education Team at the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). He holds a PhD on the history of exploration from Royal Holloway, University of London.

'An excellent account of the 1901-4 Discovery Expedition, the first British Antarctic voyage of the heroic age of Polar exploration' The Telegraph