I don't know where I found the book summary written above, but it does a good job of describing this book. I didn't expect, or intend, to like it — I didn't even expect to read it all the way through. But I did, because it was an interesting, well-written book. It could have been shortened somewhat. Having read other polar exploration books on this list, I know all I want to about different snow and ice conditions, the effect of cold weather on camping, the desire for food. But the account of the three man expedition in the midst of winter darkness to gather penguin eggs was so extreme as to be riveting. And the account of Scott's journey to the South Pole was almost as interesting. All the planning and effort, only to discover that the Norwegian Amundsen had beaten him there by a couple weeks, and then the slow death on the return journey, dying within 10 miles of the depot that might have saved him. Cherry-Garrard, in the final chapter, is open about the shortcomings of the effort without being critical. The attempt wasn't particularly well led, and some of Scott's decisions probably caused his death, but they were decisions made from ignorance or minor defects in leadership ability that wouldn't have been revealed except in the most extreme, life-or-death circumstances. Overall, the book was well-written, and unlike Home of the Blizzard, the characters had personalities, the story was told with humor and the expedition itself actually had a point.