Farthest North is Fridtjof Nansen’s gripping firsthand account of his audacious 1893–1896 Arctic expedition aboard the Fram, a ship specially designed to withstand ice pressure. The Norwegian explorer’s goal was revolutionary: to reach the North Pole by drifting with the natural ice currents. Though the pole remained unconquered, Nansen’s journey—including his daring 18-month sledge journey with Hjalmar Johansen—set new records for northern exploration and revolutionized polar survival techniques.
Nansen’s vivid prose immerses readers in the stark beauty of the Arctic, from crushing ice floes to encounters with polar bears, while detailing groundbreaking scientific observations on oceanography, wildlife, and magnetism. His psychological insights into isolation and leadership under extreme conditions are equally compelling.
A landmark of exploration literature, Farthest North blends adventure, science, and human resilience. Modern editions often include Nansen’s photographs and sketches, preserving this epic tale of ambition and ingenuity.
In 1897, Nansen published a narrative of the expedition, “Farthest North,” which was received with jubilation at the time of its publication:
“This unrivaled book of Arctic travel is an account of an expedition totally unlike all others before it.” Hugh Robert Mill, Geographer
“The heroism is magnificent…the man who defies the uncontrollable forces of Nature.” London Quarterly and Holborn Review
“A remarkable book…a brilliant record of skill, courage and perseverance amid enormous difficulties as well as of a success without a parallel. Life and adventures in the Polar seas have never been described with a more brilliant pen. Nansen is a master in the art of writing as well as in the art of exploration…keeps readers’ attention and interest always on the alert.” Scottish Review
