A review by matttrevithick
The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration by Alec Wilkinson

3.0

3.5 stars really. I did enjoy this book, which chronicles the tales of simply amazing men who ventured into the Arctic (by the author's count, more than 1,000, of which 800+ never were seen again) during the late 1800s and early 1900s. I particularly liked his explanations of why different explorers ended up in different parts of the world - ie the psyche of people drawn to the tropics vs the frigid ends of the earth.

I also thoroughly enjoy reading the diaries of these men, which this book relied heavily on - such a sense of purpose, of scientific exploration, and how any hardship was worth it as long as it was in the name of the advancement of reason and science. The author of the book I just read before this one could learn a lot - hundreds of men marching to their deaths over the cold ice...