This thought-provoking examination of the most influential and popular accounts of polar exploration—from Viking settlers and Renaissance conquerors to expeditions led by such famous explorers as Ernest Shackleton, Richard Byrd, and Roald Amundsen—emphasizes themes of endurance, greed, obsession, and self-sacrifice. With tales that have captured the popular imagination for centuries, these stories consider the life-threatening risks of polar exploration, the enduring appeal of romanticized frozen landscapes, and issues of national identity that are linked with exploration. Descriptions of indigenous communities, forgotten stories of women at the poles, Robert Falcon Scott’s meticulous and macabre account of his own dying, and purely imaginary approaches to polar travel such as Frankenstein and Winnie the Pooh are also included.