Frederick Albert Cook

In this illustrated 1900 publication, Frederick Cook (1865-1940) gives a detailed account of his experiences on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, the first to endure the harsh winter of the Antarctic. The goal of the expedition was scientific discovery, and Cook, the ship's doctor, tells an engaging story of 'new human experience in a new, inhuman world of ice'. Boarding the Belgica in Rio de Janeiro, he joined a crew that included Roald Amundsen, who would later lead a Norwegian expedition to the South Pole. Cook describes the challenging conditions in the Antarctic Circle, where the ship became ice-bound for almost a year, with over two months of total darkness. When crew members developed scurvy, Cook took over command from the Belgian naval officer Adrien de Gerlache. Notably, he helped save lives by promoting the consumption of penguin and seal meat at a time when Vitamin C had yet to be discovered.

Useful editorial recapitulation of North Pole controversy between R.E. Peary and F.A. Cook, introducing verbose irrelevant account by latter describing hardships of his polar journey, 1908-09.

My Attainment of The Pole by Dr. Frederick A. Cook, published in New York by the Polar Publishing Co., 1911. The book is the record of the expedition that first reached the Boreal Center in 1907-1909. Profusely illustrated in black and white with additional charts and illustrations, the narrative is a fascinating account. Expedition subsequently discredited.

Cook claimed to have achieved the first summit of Denali (also known as Mt. McKinley) in September 1906, reaching the top with one other member of his expedition. Other members of the team (e. g., Belmore Browne), whom he had left lower on the mountain, immediately expressed private doubts. Cook's claims were not publicly challenged until the 1909 dispute with Peary over who had first reached the North Pole. Peary's supporters then publicly alleged that Cook's claim of ascent of Denali was fraudulent. In 1910 Cook is proven to have lied about his ascent when another group, the Mazama Club, attempted to follow his alleged path to the top and detected that it deviated more than 10 miles from the actual way to the peak.

Finding the North Pole has Dr. Cook's own story of his discovery, April 21, 1908 and the story of Commander Peary's discovery, April 6, 1909, together with the marvelous record of former arctic expeditions. Not only the people of the United States of America, but the whole civilized world were electrified by the announcement on September 1, 1909, through the public press that dispatches had been received from Dr. Frederick A. Cook, claiming that he had the great honor, on April 21, 1908, of reaching the long-sought-for goal, the physical North Pole of the earth. Nor had the resulting excitement subsided before Commander Robert E. Peary, U.S.N. cabled to the Associated Press on September 5, 1909, that he had planted the Stars and Stripes upon the North Pole on April 6, 1909. The sensation was without parallel in the history of polar discovery. Where men had for centuries striven in vain it suddenly was told to the world that two Americans had independently achieved the supreme goal of their ambitions. Nothing can be more interesting or inspiring than the story of the men who have braved the hardship and perils of the Arctic regions, and apart form Dr. Cook's report of his expedition, this book contains interesting accounts of Peary's and other important polar discoveries and experiences. The Introduction was written by George W. Melville, Rear Admiral U.S. Navy (Retired), the survivor of three arctic expeditions who was given a gold medal by Congress for his distinguished services. He was a member of the DeLong Expedition, and when the "Jeannette" was crushed in the ice, marched with part of the crew to the coast of Siberia at the mouth of the Lena River. He led an expedition to search for DeLong and found the relics of the ill-fated leader. Admiral Melville is one of the most experienced Arctic explorers and is an authority of the first rank on the subject of Arctic travels.