Fergus Fleming Boxed Set: "Barrow's Boys", "Killing Dragons: The Conquest of the Alps", "Ninety Degrees North: The Quest for the

Description

A boxed set of Fergus Fleming's "Barrow's Boys", "Killing Dragons" and "Ninety Degrees North". "Barrow's Boys" examines John Barrow most ambitious programme of exploration the world had ever seen. In 1816 and 1845, his hand-picked teams of elite naval officers scoured the globe's empty spaces, often at odds with each other and in surreal conditions. "Killing Dragons" is the story of the first British mountaineers to tackle the Alpine summits of Switzerland during the late 18th century, originally quite poorly equipped. The title of dragons refers to the legendary creatures of these parts. The North Pole was a mystery in the mid-19th century, many explorers who ventured into its wastelands never returned. After another failed expedition in 1845, even more concerted efforts were made to reach the Northernmost point of the globe. Fleming relays these stories in "Ninety Degrees North". Elisha Kane was a poor leader of his crew, Charles Hall died of a stroke after his men refused to obey his orders. Later, the obsessive Robert Peary even took his pregnant wife with him in order to set the record for the most northerly birth in history. Fleming gives an insight into the disasters and triumphs of these explorations.

Fergus Fleming is a freelance writer living in London and Gloucestershire.