Recommended reading for your polar cruise

Whether you're preparing for the polar adventure of a lifetime, or you enjoy spending time on your cruise ship library, these are some great reads about two incredible destinations: Antarctica and the Arctic.

ANTARCTICA READING

Endurance: Shackelton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

The unbelievable tale of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas. There is no doubt your expedition team will share all about Shackleton's journey on your Antarctic cruise.

Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of a Mysterious Continent by Gabrielle Walker

Tackling all of Antarctica's science, wildlife history, exploration, and geography is no easy feat, but this book manages to capture it all.

The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen’s Race to the South Pole by Roland Huntford

In this fascinating dual biography, you'll dive deep into every detail of the great race to the South Pole between Britain’s Robert Scott and Norway’s Roald Amundsen during the fierce age of exploration.

Mawson’s Will: The Greatest Polar Survival Story Ever Written by Lennard Bickel

The incredible story of Douglas Mawson who faced some of the most challenging conditions ever known to man: extreme wind, snow, and cold; loss of human and furry friends; thirst, starvation, disease, snowblindness – and he survived.

ARCTIC READING

Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez

A thorough exploration of this remote world-its terrain, its wildlife, its history of Eskimo natives and brave explorers who have arrived on these icy shores.

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides

With surprising twists and turns, this book is a captivating tale of heroism and determination in the most brutal place on Earth.

Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss

A whymsical autobiography about a woman moving her family to Iceland, the challenges of the economic collapse, the northern lights, the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, her strange new friends, and how she adapted to all of it.

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Simmons transforms the true story of a legendary Arctic expedition into a thriller worthy of Stephen King. A page-turner about a group of explorers trapped in the frozen Arctic for 2 years.