Franklin's Footsteps

by Markham, Clements Robert, Sir

• ISBN13: 9781108048385
• ISBN10: 1108048382
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-07
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

Clement Robert Markham (1830-1916) was a geographer who took part in one of the many Arctic expeditions launched to search for missing explorer John Franklin (1786-1847). This account, published in 1853, was written in response to criticism of the expedition. They had found some evidence of Franklin's route - he had set off in May 1845 to find the North-West Passage - but returned to Britain without any of the survivors. Markham gives a brief history of Arctic exploration, but the majority of the book recounts the expedition's efforts to find Franklin. The crew endured a harsh winter and sailed in iceberg-laden waters along the coast of Greenland, looking for clues of Franklin's whereabouts. They also spent some time exploring the Parry Islands (the present-day Queen Elizabeth Islands). Markham's account of the rescue mission provides insight into the little-known and often dangerous world of Arctic explorers.

Table of Contents

Preface

Editor's preface

Early Arctic expeditions

Greenland whale-fishery

Modern Arctic expeditions

Captain Austin's expedition

Arctic winter-quarters

Arctic travelling

The Parry Islands

Conclusion

'Zero, or Harlequin Light'

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