Slicing the silence: voyaging to Antarctica

Abstract

45-6922 G850 2007-6549 CIP Griffiths, Tom. Slicing the silence: voyaging to Antarctica. Harvard, 2007. 399p bibl index afp ISBN 0674026330, $29.95 ISBN 9780674026339, $29.95

45-6922 G850 2007-6549 CIP Griffiths, Tom. Slicing the silence: voyaging to Antarctica. Harvard, 2007. 399p bibl index afp ISBN 0674026330, $29.95 ISBN 9780674026339, $29.95

Griffiths (Australian National Univ.) begins with an astute review of Roland Huntford's debunking of Robert F. Scott's legend (i.e., Scott and Amundsen, CH, Nov'80) and the subsequent attempts to rehabilitate it. It ends with a thoughtful contemplation of the history of Scott's last biscuit as a symbol of the changing view of Antarctica from a place to be conquered to one that needs to be preserved. Between these lies a very literate book, equally at home in the examination of historical subjects, natural history, and Antarctic politics. Griffiths uses excerpts from his diary of a summer visit to an Australian scientific base to set off his chapters, which cover such varying topics as the impact of whaling, the psychology of isolation, gender issues, the tension between maintaining national claims and the dedication of Antarctica as an international scientific reserve, the environmental consequences of human visitation, and what the frozen continent tells about the past and future history of this planet. Having a distinct Australian viewpoint, some of the discussions of Australian politics may seem arcane to non-Australians, but this book can still be read with profit on most of its broader topics. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. - R. M. Bryce, Montgomery College