South Georgia: Gateway to Antarctica

• Description

South Georgia has been the gateway to the Antarctic for many of the early expeditions to the Continent but few spent much time there. Ludwig Kohl-Larsen first visited the island in 1911 as the doctor on the Otto Nordenskjold expedition. Appendicitis cut short his time with the expedition but seeing South Georgia kindled in him an enthusiasm for returning to the Antarctic. He married Captain Larsen's daughter and used his connections with the Larsen family to return, first in 1924 on board the first whaling factory ship (Sir James Clark Ross) to operate in the Ross Sea and then, in 1927-8 to travel around South Georgia and film the wildlife. Along with his wife and a photographer he spent a summer camped in various parts of the island, exploring the interior on skis, collecting natural history specimens and making the first film of the island. His account of this early and unusual adventure was originally published in German but has remained largely unknown and inaccessible until now. This translation, by William Barr, is a very welcome addition to the history of the island. Kohl-Larsen went on to become and important anthropologist, studying the Lapps in Scandinavia, and nomadic tribes, first in Persia and later in East Africa.