I have recently finished reading a biography of Robert Falcon Scott, of Antarctic fame.
Ranulph Fiennes thought (rightly) that Scott's reputation had been maligned by earlier biographers who thought his story needed to be embellished and wrote his biography of Scott to set the record straight. I, though, hadn't read any of the other biographies and so their malignant speculations had rather passed me by. I wondered whether it was just me that has always thought of Scott as rather a hero, even if he didn't return from his expedition alive. So please let me know what you all thought of Scott, and especially of his expedition to the pole.
Whenever it snowed I always pretended to be Scott of the Antarctic - intrepid and brave English explorer - and I suppose (I hadn't really thought about it before) he has always been one of my heroes.
If when you think on it you find that you don't know too much about Scott, I can heartily recommend Ranulph Fiennes biography of him. It confirmed what I had always, in a rather nebulous sort of a way, thought of Scott and made me realise what a Grade One Bounder Admundsen was (he lied to just about everyone, including Scott, telling them he was going to the North Pole and then, when he did go South, failed to make any kind of map or notes about the route he took and failed to conduct any sort of scientific program which more or less rendered his expedition totally pointless).
In fact, even if you think you do know about Scott you ought to read Fiennes biography of him.
Now all I want is some snow so I can be Scott of the Antarctic once again...
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