The Cruise of the ‘Antarctic’ to the South Polar Regions.

BULL, Henrik Johan.

$1,500.00

Item Number: 111093

London: Edward Arnold, 1896.

First edition of Antarctic pioneer Henrik Johan Bull’s account of his voyage aboard the steamship ‘Antarctic’ in search of the elusive Right whale which, arguably, put the first men on the continent. Octavo, original pictorial cloth with gilt titles to the spine, gilt vignette of the ‘Antarctic’ to the front panel, frontispiece by W.L. Wyllie and illustrations by W.G. Burn Murdoch. From the library of of James Stephen “Steve” Fossett with his bookplate to the pastedown. American businessman and record-setting aviator Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in 2002 in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom. He completed the 2002 trip in 13 days, 8 hours, and 33 minutes and set records for both the Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon and Fastest Balloon Flight Around the World. Fossett was also one of sailing’s most prolific distance record holders set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships with a Zeppelin NT in 2004. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career including aviation’s highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which he was awarded in 2002. Fossett disappeared on September 3, 2007 while flying a light aircraft over the Great Basin Desert, between Nevada and California. In near fine condition. A very sharp example.

Norwegian businessman and whaler Henrik Johan Bull was one of the pioneers in the exploration of Antarctica and, arguably, led the expedition which landed the first men on the continent (a claim disputed by sealer John Davis who asserted that he stepped onto the Antarctic Peninsula much earlier in 1821). Bull led the 1893 expedition aboard the Swedish steamship 'Antarctic', equipped with eleven harpoon guns, an arsenal of explosives, eight whaleboats and a thirty-one man crew. Over the course of the two-year expedition, they visited Tristan da Cunha, the Prince Edward Islands, Îles Crozet, Îles Kerguelen, the Balleny Islands, Campbell Island and Possession Islands. On 19 January 1895, a small party landed on Possession Island, a rocky island about 2 miles long. On 24 January 1895, a boat was put ashore with six men including Bull, Leonard Kristensen, Carsten Borchgrevink and seaman Alexander von Tunzelmann at Cape Adare, Antarctica.