MAWSON, Douglas Sir. THE HOME OF THE BLIZZARD Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914. Complete two volume set, bound in original dark blue cloth. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, PA. ND (1915). Thick 4to, pp. xxx, 349; xiii, 338.

Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958) was born in England, although educated in Australia. He was the physicist on Shackleton's 1907 "Furthest South" expedition to the Antarctic. In 1909 he reached the South Magnetic Pole, and in 1911 he led the Australian Antarctic Expedition, the results of which eventually helped Australia to lay claim to suzerainty over 2.5 million square miles between the Ross Dependency and Enderby Land. As Mawson states in his Preface: "The object of this book is to present a connected narrative of the Expedition from a popular and general point of view". Numerous scientific reports of the Expedition's work were issued but this remains one of the most popular and thrilling accounts of Antarctic exploration ever published, and it is one of the cornerstones of any collection of such material. The numerous colour, and black-and-white, photographs were taken primarily by Frank Hurley, and the maps are by A. J. Hodgeman. All are present. This is the first American edition, although printed in England (where Heinemann published the first British edition in 1915). It contains the tipped-in errata slip. This set is bound in the publisher's original dark blue cloth with stamped silver lettering to the front boards and spines. The set appears unread, as many pages are uncut. The bottom edges of the boards show some light rubbing, and there is a small spot to the lower right of the front board of volume I, and a trace of scuffing to the spine. The binding is a bit shaken, but the hinges and joints are tight. Volume II is similarly rubbed at the bottom edge, but has no significant blemishes to the boards. The rear hinge (just before the map pocket) is cracked, and the binding is shaken. The contents are very clean throughout. A very good set. Digital photos available.

Price:  $750.00 US / $900 Cdn.  (#30385)