Madhouse at the end of the Earth : the Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night / Julian Sancton.
"The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry-with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter-in the tradition of David Grann, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Hampton Sides. In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook-half genius, half con man-whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice-one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781984824332
- ISBN: 1984824333
- ISBN: 9781984824349
- ISBN: 1984824341
- Physical Description: viii, 350 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition
- Publisher: New York : Crown, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, [2021]
- Copyright: ©2021
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-325) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Why not Belgium? -- gold and diamonds -- tribute to Neptune -- showdown -- defeat before the fight -- a body on our path -- uncharted -- to the South! -- icebound -- the last sunset -- the southernmost funeral madhouse promenade -- the order of the penguin -- insanity -- darkness under the sun -- man against ice -- last ditch -- strangers in the mirror -- beyond the Blgica.
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Available copies
- 33 of 38 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 0 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 3 current holds with 38 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Library | 919.8904 SAN (Text) | 37810435788715 | Adult Nonfiction | Checked out | 08/25/2026 |
| Andrews Public Library | 919.8904 SAN (Text) | 80605003592333 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Beaufort Main | 919.89 SANCT (Text) | 34208900047613 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Denton Public Library | 919.89 S (Text) | 25908007898583 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Eden Library | 919.89 S (Text) | 31554010795663 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Enka-Candler Library | 919.8904 SAN (Text) | 0020512912294 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Etowah Branch | 919.8904 S (Text) | 33258009469805 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Forsyth Central | 919.89 S (Text) | 0112523271357 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Forsyth Central | 919.89 S (Text) | 0112523271366 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| G.V. Barbee, Sr. Library | 919.89 SAN (Text) | 31420621473951 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
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| 003 | CARDINAL | ||
| 005 | 20210803153145.0 | ||
| 008 | 210414t20212021nyuabf e b 001 0 eng | ||
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| 020 | . | ‡a1984824341 ‡q(paperback) | |
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| 100 | 1 | . | ‡aSancton, Julian, ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)901072 |
| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aMadhouse at the end of the Earth : ‡bthe Belgica's journey into the dark Antarctic night / ‡cJulian Sancton. |
| 250 | . | ‡aFirst edition | |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York : ‡bCrown, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, ‡c[2021] | |
| 264 | 4. | ‡c©2021 | |
| 300 | . | ‡aviii, 350 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations, maps ; ‡c25 cm | |
| 336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent | |
| 336 | . | ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent | |
| 336 | . | ‡acartographic image ‡bcri ‡2rdacontent | |
| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
| 338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier | |
| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 321-325) and index. | |
| 505 | . | ‡aWhy not Belgium? -- gold and diamonds -- tribute to Neptune -- showdown -- defeat before the fight -- a body on our path -- uncharted -- to the South! -- icebound -- the last sunset -- the southernmost funeral madhouse promenade -- the order of the penguin -- insanity -- darkness under the sun -- man against ice -- last ditch -- strangers in the mirror -- beyond the Blgica. | |
| 520 | . | ‡a"The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry-with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter-in the tradition of David Grann, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Hampton Sides. In August 1897, the young Belgian commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail for a three year expedition aboard the good ship Belgica with dreams of glory. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But de Gerlache's plans to be first to the magnetic South Pole would swiftly go awry. After a series of costly setbacks, the commandant faced two bad options: turn back in defeat and spare his men the devastating Antarctic winter, or recklessly chase fame by sailing deeper into the freezing waters. De Gerlache sailed on, and soon the Belgica was stuck fast in the icy hold of the Bellingshausen Sea. When the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, the ship's occupants were condemned to months of endless night. In the darkness, plagued by a mysterious illness and besieged by monotony, they descended into madness. In this epic tale, Julian Sancton unfolds a story of adventure and horror for the ages. As the Belgica's men teetered on the brink, de Gerlache relied increasingly on two young officers whose friendship had blossomed in captivity: the expedition's lone American, Dr. Frederick Cook-half genius, half con man-whose later infamy would overshadow his brilliance on the Belgica; and the ship's first mate, soon-to-be legendary Roald Amundsen, even in his youth the storybook picture of a sailor. Together, they would plan a last-ditch, nearly certain-to-fail escape from the ice-one that would either etch their names in history or doom them to a terrible fate at the ocean's bottom. Drawing on the diaries and journals of the Belgica's crew and with exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton brings novelistic flair to a story of human extremes, one so remarkable that even today NASA studies it for research on isolation for future missions to Mars. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep"-- ‡cProvided by publisher. | |
| 600 | 1 | 0. | ‡aGerlache de Gomery, A. de ‡q(Adrien), ‡ccommandant, ‡d1866-1934. ‡0(CARDINAL)359478 |
| 600 | 1 | 0. | ‡aCook, Frederick Albert, ‡d1865-1940. ‡0(CARDINAL)158005 |
| 600 | 1 | 0. | ‡aAmundsen, Roald, ‡d1872-1928. ‡0(CARDINAL)150825 |
| 610 | 2 | 0. | ‡aBelgica (Ship) ‡0(CARDINAL)856769 |
| 651 | 0. | ‡aAntarctica ‡xDiscovery and exploration ‡xBelgian. | |
| 655 | 7. | ‡aBiographies. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)326681 | |
| 902 | . | ‡aMARCIVE 202106 | |
| 902 | . | ‡aMARCIVE 202303 | |
| 901 | . | ‡a12726243 ‡bOCoLC ‡c12726243 ‡tbiblio ‡sSystem Local | |
