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1912. An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram", 1910-1912. Transl. ... by A.G. Chater. 2 vols. Lond: John Murray, 1912. Thick Roy.8vo. Or. maroon cl. Gilt and with col. flags on front cover & spine. T.e.g. other edges uncut. (covers slightly dulled). Complete with all plates, charts & maps some of which are fold. 1st ed., thus very rare. An uncommonly good copy showing occasional foxing on the text pages only. NOTE: A full record of the famous Norwegian dash for the South Pole which forstalled the British and Japanese attempts, and won for Amundsen the World renown of being first at the South Pole, which for so many years the English thought was theirs. Scott's expedition to the South Pole was well-publicized, but his rival Roald Amundsen strategically kept the destination of his ship, the Fram, secret until the last moment. When he finally revealed he was bound for the Pole, the backer of the British expedition opined that the Fram "has no more sailing qualities than a haystack. In any case, Scott will be on the ground and settled long before Amundsen turns up, if he ever does". Amundsen's party reached the Pole 34 days ahead of Scott. There were crucial differences in approach from Scott's ill-fated expedition: dogs, rather than men, provided the raw power needed to pull equipment (they also eventually provided a food source) and the Norwegian crew knew to wear fur clothing rather than the wool used by the British team. Volume II contains appendixes on the eastern sledge journey, the voyage of the Fram, the construction of the ship and the scientific results of the expedition. A cornerstone of Antarctic exploration. Spence 16.