From Publishers Weekly
On April 21, 1908, American explorer Frederick Cook reached the North Pole. A year later, fellow Arctic pioneer Robert Peary denounced him, claiming to have reached the Pole first. In this first-rate tale of adventure, bravery and perfidy, Henderson (And the Sea Will Tell) attempts to identify the winner. In 1891, Cook, recovering from the deaths of both his wife and child and seeking adventure, was hired by Peary as chief medical officer on an expedition to Greenland. The men clashed, setting the stage for later conflict (and providing excellent fodder for this exciting book). Hooked on extreme cold weather quests, Cook journeyed to the Antarctic and was also the first to summit Mount McKinley. In Henderson's telling, Peary too craved adventure, but his insatiable desire for fame was his driving force. "Remember, mother, I must have fame," Henderson quotes Peary saying in a letter to his mother. When Peary learned Cook had reached the Pole before him, Peary painted Cook as a liar and a fraud. According to Henderson, Cook reacted to the barrage by going into seclusion, and when he emerged, it was too late to save his reputation. Peary's claim to the Pole was later dismissed, but Cook's achievement was never recognized. This adventure yarn delivers as both a cautionary tale and a fitting memorial to polar exploration. Illus. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
In April 1908, Frederick Cook arrived at the North Pole. In April 1909, so did Robert Peary. Or did they? Nearly a century later, the geographical jury is still out on who was first. Henderson, experienced at writing boreal sagas (e.g., Fatal North, 2001, an account of an 1871 arctic disaster), tenders no verdict himself. Rather, he synthesizes a flowing narrative from the accounts set down by Cook and Peary as well as those of ancillary figures, such as Matthew Henson. That approach lets readers form their own conclusions; one that many will make is that Peary was an obsessive fame seeker with malignant resentments. Peary was miserly, held many grudges, detested anyone poaching on "his" North Pole, and committed underhanded deeds, such as forcing Cook's records of attaining the pole to be abandoned on Greenland. (They have never been recovered.) Portraying Cook in a more sympathetic light, Henderson traces the deterioration of Cook's once-friendly relations with Peary, ably recapturing the rivalry that remains the most acrimonious in the annals of arctic adventure. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
In 1909, two men laid rival claims to this crown jewel of exploration. A century later, the battle rages still. This book is about one of the most enduring and vitriolic feuds in the history of exploration. "What a consummate cur he is," said Robert Peary of Frederick Cook in 1911. Cook responded, "Peary has stooped to every crime from rape to murder." They had started out as friends and shipmates, with Cook, a doctor, accompanying Peary, a civil engineer, on an expedition to northern Greenland in 1891. Peary's leg was shattered in an accident, and without Cook's care he might never have walked again. But by the summer of 1909, all the goodwill was gone. Peary said he had reached the Pole in September 1909; Cook scooped him, presenting evidence that he had gotten there in 1908. Bruce Henderson makes a wonderful narrative out of the claims and counterclaims, and he introduces fascinating scientific and psychological evidence to put the appalling details of polar travel in a new context. 16 pages of illustrations.


About the Author
Bruce Henderson is the author or co-author of many nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell. He lives in Santa Rosa, California.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In 1909, two men laid rival claims to this crown jewel of exploration. A century later, the battle rages still.

This book is about one of the most enduring and vitriolic feuds in the history of exploration. "What a consummate cur he is," said Robert Peary of Frederick Cook in 1911. Cook responded, "Peary has stooped to every crime from rape to murder."

They had started out as friends and shipmates, with Cook, a doctor, accompanying Peary, a civil engineer, on an expedition to northern Greenland in 1891. Peary's leg was shattered in an accident, and without Cook's care he might never have walked again. But by the summer of 1909, all the goodwill was gone. Peary said he had reached the Pole in September 1909; Cook scooped him, presenting evidence that he had gotten there in 1908.

Bruce Henderson makes a wonderful narrative out of the claims and counterclaims, and he introduces fascinating scientific and psychological evidence to put the appalling details of polar travel in a newcontext. 16 pages of illustrations.

Author Biography: Bruce Henderson is the author or co-author of many nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell. He lives in Santa Rosa, California.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

On April 21, 1908, American explorer Frederick Cook reached the North Pole. A year later, fellow Arctic pioneer Robert Peary denounced him, claiming to have reached the Pole first. In this first-rate tale of adventure, bravery and perfidy, Henderson (And the Sea Will Tell) attempts to identify the winner. In 1891, Cook, recovering from the deaths of both his wife and child and seeking adventure, was hired by Peary as chief medical officer on an expedition to Greenland. The men clashed, setting the stage for later conflict (and providing excellent fodder for this exciting book). Hooked on extreme cold weather quests, Cook journeyed to the Antarctic and was also the first to summit Mount McKinley. In Henderson's telling, Peary too craved adventure, but his insatiable desire for fame was his driving force. "Remember, mother, I must have fame," Henderson quotes Peary saying in a letter to his mother. When Peary learned Cook had reached the Pole before him, Peary painted Cook as a liar and a fraud. According to Henderson, Cook reacted to the barrage by going into seclusion, and when he emerged, it was too late to save his reputation. Peary's claim to the Pole was later dismissed, but Cook's achievement was never recognized. This adventure yarn delivers as both a cautionary tale and a fitting memorial to polar exploration. Illus. Agent, Michael Carlisle. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In 1909, within weeks of each other, Dr. Frederick Cook and Rear Admiral Richard Peary each claimed to have been the first man to reach the North Pole, and a vitriolic controversy erupted. This conflict captivated the American imagination, with each man boasting staunch supporters, and has continued to fascinate to this day. In alternating chapters, best-selling author Henderson (And the Sea Will Tell) chronicles Cook's and Peary's journeys to the top of the world. Their rivalry was sensational partly because the two men had previously been friends and had journeyed north together; in 1891, Cook served as surgeon and ethnologist for Peary's Greenland expedition. Henderson argues that neither man's claim was entirely valid: Cook probably came as close to the geographic pole as anyone in his time, while Peary was apparently 80 miles off. Recommended for public libraries. (Notes and illustrations not seen.)-Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews