Travel to Arctic

Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition

Format: Paperback
Author: Scott Cookman
ReleaseDate: 16 February, 2001
Publisher: Wiley
Rating:

Repetitive
Most frustrating of all is the protracted discussion of canning in the 19th century. The author often describes events with novelistic details that he actually has no knowledge about. He goes on much too long about such things as cleanliness of the employees in canning facilities, details he cannot possibly know, but only assumes. Though perhaps correct, the obviousness of the matter makes the reading tedious. And on and on it goes. Once the chapter is over, he mentions the points again in the next chapter. But he is not through with it. You'll read it again and again.

Other reviewers here have mentioned that the canning episode is well documented in the book. Some facts are but not all. I also fail to see why this is the main cause of the failure of the exhibition.

Couldn't the failure be that there really isn't a realistic North West Passage in the first place?

The book could have used a few more maps. How can one possibly understand the circumstances without a map showing what Franklin knew of the Arctic. A map showing the escape route and the location of some of the artifacts found could have been very helpful. I am a bit confused about what freezes over in the Arctic, blocking routes, and what does not. How about a map showing that?

The author mentions that the passage was actually found during the escape, that is between Canada's main land and King William's Island. This is the route that Admunsen took, conquering the passage for the first time. I wonder if Franklin took this course, if he really would have made it.

More than Slightly Speculative
" That is too charitable. One reviewer has called the book "slightly speculative. Cookman generally does not contradict known facts about the Franklin expedition, but he invents much more detail than he has evidence to support. The book is unsuitable for academic purposes, but it provides a compelling, though at times poorly written, story. I do not wish to be too harsh on the book. To its credit, many of Cookman's speculations are reasonable and provide information that serious historians withhold in their books on the expedition. It is best to read one of the many other books on the topic in order to know what parts of Ice Blink to trust, and which to take with a grain of salt.

FANTASTIC
It was the Apollo mission of its time. I was flipping the channels on early Sunday morning when for some reason I stopped on Book TV on C-Span 2 and caught Scott Cookman talking about the search for the Northwest Passege. I have read a number books over Sir John Franklin Polar Expedition and this one by far is the best. Polar Exploration the 1800's was pretty dicey, even today it is. If you have any interest Polar Expedions and true mystery this is your book and it all rally happend.

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