Mawson cover art

Mawson

And the Ice Men of the Heroic Age - Scott, Shackelton and Amundsen

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Mawson

By: Peter FitzSimons
Narrated by: Paul English
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About this listen

Douglas Mawson, born in 1882 and knighted in 1914, was Australia’s greatest Antarctic explorer. On 2 December 1911, he led an expedition from Hobart to explore the virgin frozen coastline below, 2000 miles of which had never felt the tread of a human foot. After setting up Main Base at Cape Denision and Western Base on Queen Mary Land, he headed east on an extraordinary sledging trek with his companions, Belgrave Ninnis and Dr Xavier Mertz. After tragedy struck, Mawson found himself all alone, 160 miles from safety, with next to no food.

Peter FitzSimons tells the staggering tale of Mawson’s survival, despite all the odds, arriving back just in time to see his rescue ship disappearing over the horizon. He masterfully interweaves the stories of the other giants from the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration - Scott of the Antarctic, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen - to bring the jaw-dropping events of this bygone era dazzlingly back to life.

©2011 Peter FitzSimons. (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Adventure Travel Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Arctic & Antarctica Expeditions & Discoveries World

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Paul English transports the listener to the frozen continent of Antarctica at a time when explorers pushed the limits of human endurance—and often beyond. The author intertwines the major heroes of the southern ice with a general history of early Antarctic exploration while focusing on Australia’s famed Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson. English’s voice presents a theatrical narration with his adroit use of accents and varied tone as he recounts stories of hardship, tragedy, and triumph. Both author and narrator are Australian, and some listeners may find the combination of colloquialisms and Australian accent a bit of a puzzle. Nonetheless, English’s superb storytelling returns the listener to the age of heroes a century ago." (AudioFile Magazine)
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A very enjoyable listen. Meticulously constructed and superbly delivered. A great Australian story. do yourself a favour and listen to it.

Fantastic. A must listen to for all Australians

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well presented f warm story of cold adventures across vast new land that is still just as unknown now as it was more than 100 years ago.

great story

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I have listened to quite a few books by peter fitzsimons and narrated by the same person who is perfect for the role. The background, story and narration grabs you and takes you along for the ride, setting the scenes , the harsh environment and the skill / resolution of these men is a testament to the age of adventure. I sometimes wish i was back there with them and discovering parts of the unknown world. I thoroughly enjoyed the listen and will continue to the next. Reading about Hubert Wilkins, Mawson, Shakelton and Scott has inspired me to plan a trip to the Antarctic.. though restricted to how and where we can get these days ... it still would be a experience worth while.
Highly recommend this book and others by the author

Great listen and so very interesting and inspiring

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couldn't stop listening and highly intensive drama . courageous and brave men. dog's and ponies. history of the human strength and mind !

excillerating and frightening!

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I very much enjoyed this account of the history of Antarctic exploration. Very informative as well as entertaining.

Loved it!

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I have been to Antarctica and am preparing to return in a few months time and this book feels right. The author does a good job encapsulating the stories of Mawson, Scott, and Amundsen but falls woefully short in its discussions of Shackleton. The story of Endurance is relegated to the epilog and is all of a few sentences. that journey is one of the most impressive demonstrations of leadership that I know, it wouldnhave been good to include it. With that said I recognize this book is primarily about Mawson but the detail given to Scott and Amundsen should have been given to Shackleton's greatest crisis.

Mawson

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Excellent as always. Great research and readability. You could never buy one of these books by the PFS and claim it was a bad purchase.

Very Good

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What can I say? Absolutely captivated from start to finish. A must read for anyone, especially if you have a love for adventure. I felt like I was there on the journey myself. What an incredible experience this book has been. Will forever stand among my all time favourite books.

Masterpiece

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Another excellent listen great vocals.
A story everyone should know about thanks to Peter Fitzsimons for educating myself again.
Through all the lockdowns and the continued COVID dramas audiobooks are a great escape.

Can’t read can listen

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One thing missing from other great pieces of writing about polar adventures is a real context of where everyone else was - both in that vast white wilderness and in time. FitzSimons ties together the key histories of Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen and Mawson in an extremely enjoyable and informative work that is well worth listening to if you love stories of exploration or if you want to get a good understanding of the Southern explorers from just one book. Like all Antarctic historians, he has his own opinions on who was heroic and who was chaotic, but importantly he brings colour and context to tales too often stripped of their humanity.
The one thing I did find irksome was the narrator’s penchant for poorly executed accents. If he could have stayed away from Dutch, Norwegian, Swiss, and perhaps not laboured to make Mawson talk like a total bogan it would have been to the good. Nonetheless, a compelling work by FitzSimons and well worth the time to listen. Really enjoyable.

A great piece of storytelling

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