Nansen, Fridtjof (1861–1930)

Farthest North [1898 George Newnes Second UK Edition / Complete Two-Volume Set]

London: George Newnes, Ltd., 1898.
The definitive narrative of the historic Fram expedition, capturing Nansen’s groundbreaking attempt to reach the North Pole by drifting through the polar ice pack. 
This two-volume set contains the complete text, featuring Captain Otto Sverdrup’s detailed operational appendix and Nansen's atmospheric field drawings in the Second UK Edition, published just one year after the Constable first edition, complete with the multi-folding lithographed regional chart.
Full text tracking the ocean drift of the Fram, the hazardous sledge journey with Lieutenant Johansen, and complete meteorological charts.

FEATURES: Period style half red morocco leather over green textured cloth boards with corner tips; Extensively illustrated with a large, multi-folding color map titled Chart of North Polar Regions compiled by J.G. Bartholomew; 8.75 x 6.0 inches; Volume I: xv, 480 pages; Volume II: viii, 456 pages; printed under copyright arrangement with Archibald Constable & Co. by Harrison and Sons, St. Martin's Lane 

CONDITION: Good-Plus. Both volumes are structurally stable, featuring square text blocks that remain tightly bound. The internal leaves are remarkably clean, showing light, uniform age-toning and mild, isolated foxing limited chiefly to the early signatures and outer margins. The contemporary half morocco bindings show noticeable surface abrasions, dry flaking, and skinning to the fragile red leather backstrips and corner tips though the underlying joints remain firm. Dust jackets were not issued.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Dr. Fridtjof Nansen's expedition remains a masterpiece of maritime engineering and survival. Designing the Fram with a rounded hull to slip upward under the crushing pressure of pack ice, Nansen intentionally allowed the vessel to freeze into the Siberian floes to test his theories of polar currents. When the drift proved too slow, Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen set out on foot with dogs and sledges, achieving a record latitude of 86°13.6′N.  

This 1898 printing by George Newnes represents the official Second UK Edition, produced immediately after the massive success of the Constable first edition. While the standard Newnes issue was bound in a vibrant, decorated trade cloth, this set was encased in a commercial half leather binding for provincial retail distribution or private library longevity.  

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Historical Impact: Documented the oceanographic proof of a deep Arctic basin devoid of major landmasses, a discovery that revolutionized late-Victorian geography.
+++ Material History: This 1898 Newnes edition contains the same extensive plates and text layout as the 1897 two-volume first edition, making it a highly desirable option for research use.
+++ Features an early bookseller binder ticket from W. Scovell, General Bookbinder, Wolverhampton on the lower corner of the rear pastedown 

SUBJECTS: Arctic Exploration, Polar Voyages, Fram Expedition, Sledge Journeys, Northwest Passage, Oceanography, Travel Narrative, Exploration History.

Item #22107

Price: $100.00